Matt Reis ( ; born March 28, 1975) is an American former soccer player and coach who played as a goalkeeper. A long-time Major League Soccer mainstay, he has served as goalkeeper coach for LA Galaxy and the United States.
Youth and college
Reid was born in Atlanta and raised in Southern California. He played college soccer at UCLA. He finished his college career with an NCAA Championship in 1997, and was named 1997 NCAA College Cup Defensive MVP after recording 20 saves - including a school-record 11 in the semifinals - and posting 221 shutout minutes on the way to the title.
Career
Professional
LA Galaxy
Reis was selected by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the third round (26th overall) in the 1998 MLS College Draft on January 31, 1998. However, with Kevin Hartman firmly entrenched as the club's starter, Reis did not see much playing time during his five seasons in LA. Reis' largest contribution to the club came in 2001, when he made 16 appearances (15 starts), recording a 1.41 GAA with six shutouts.
In 2000, the Galaxy sent him on loan to the Orange County Waves for seven games.
New England Revolution
On January 17, 2003, Reis was traded to the New England Revolution in exchange for Alex Pineda Chacón and a second-round pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft.
Reis made his Revolution debut on July 19, 2003, starting in a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire. Reis is widely considered one of the best goalkeepers in MLS during the 2000s. In 2005, Reis received MLS All-Star honors. He was also named Revolution Humanitarian of the Year.
In 2004, Reis was named Revolution Defender of the Year.
Reis set the Revolution club-record for shutouts in 2005, recording ten; a tally he would match again in 2006 and then again in 2007.
Reis helped the Revolution to their first two pieces of silverware in club history; winning the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 2007, and the SuperLiga in 2008. He was also named the 2008 Midnight Riders Man of the Year.
Reis was again named Revolution Most Valuable Player in 2011, recording 111 saves and five shut-outs. in In 2012, Reis became the first player in Revolution history to win MLS Save of the Week honors, earning the award in week 20 in a 0-0 draw with Sporting Kansas City, a match in which he made six saves and recorded his fourth clean sheet of the season. He was additionally named Revolution Humanitarian of the Year in 2012 and 2013. He concluded his career as the Revolution's all-time statistical leader several categories, including: appearances by a goalkeeper (254), starts (253), minutes played (22,697), goals against average (1.31), wins (93), saves (989), shutouts (66) and save percentage (72.3).
International
Reis earned his first cap for the United States on January 22, 2006, a 0–0 shutout against Canada.
Personal
Reis was considered to be a bit of a jokester among his teammates and in the soccer community. As an April Fools' Day prank in 2004, the Revs' front office announced their newest foreign acquisition, Luis "El Lobo" Fangoso, who eventually turned out to be Matt Reis wearing a shaggy wig and headband.
Honors
Individual
- MLS Humanitarian of the Year: 2013
- New England Revolution All-Time Team: 2020
Team
;United States
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions (1): 2005
;Los Angeles Galaxy
- CONCACAF Champions Cup (1): 2000
- MLS Cup (1): 2002
- Supporters' Shield (2): 1998, 2002
- U.S. Open Cup (1): 2001
;New England Revolution
- U.S. Open Cup (1): 2007
- North American SuperLiga (1): 2008