6/18/09
| Matt Reis: Portero Supremo |
By Ashley Robbins |
Beginning with Sunday night’s SuperLiga 2009 Group B opener against Santos Laguna, Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis will be playing not only to defend his team’s title, but also a title of his own
Twenty-eight. That is how many saves Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis made in just five games during last year’s SuperLiga competition. Throw in a remarkable three shutouts and the significance of Reis’ performance to the Revs’ championship run begins to emerge.
While the Revolution gets set to defend its SuperLiga championship beginning this weekend, Reis is preparing to defend his own personal title. After finishing last year’s competition first in every goalkeeping category – including goals against average (0.56) and save percentage (.848) – he was named the State Farm Portero Supremo (Supreme Goalkeeper).
“It was definitely a nice honor,” Reis said of the designation. “It wasn’t something I was looking for – it just kind of happened – but hopefully I’ll do it again.”
Considering the success both he and the Revolution had in the tournament last year, it is quite understandable why Reis finds SuperLiga so enjoyable.
“It is always nice to be able to defend your title,” he explained. “It’s an important tournament, especially being the first MLS team to win it. Also, it’s always a good chance to get to play against foreign competition. You want to prove yourself and show that you’re the best.”
However, with the Revs’ first game of SuperLiga 2009 approaching on Sunday night, Reis is not dwelling on the team’s past success or his own previous accomplishments.
“I think that we can’t take anything for granted just because we’re defending champions,” he said. “We need to go out there and prove ourselves again.”
Reis and the rest of the Revs have been practicing with this mentality all week. For them, playing against a Mexican opponent is a different challenge compared to facing off with an old MLS foe.
“Usually, when you face Mexican teams they like to do shorter passing,” Reis said about the distinct Mexican style of play. “Against MLS opponents, it’s usually a little bit faster and more physical. Mexican teams are more technical and cheeky.”
So how exactly does he prepare for this kind of team?
“It’s tough when you are playing against a team you don’t see regularly,” Reis explained. “You have to just be aware of what they try and do. For example, they are very good at possessing the ball, so you don’t want to get yourself stretched in terms of leaving open spaces.”
When preparing for SuperLiga matches against unfamiliar Mexican clubs, Reis feels that it’s a great asset to have such a helpful coaching staff, suggesting that the Revs coaches are great about giving the team tips on how the foreign game is played.
Despite having to face a different style of play, Reis truly enjoys the opportunity to play against the Mexican clubs during SuperLiga.
“When you are able to play internationally against other teams, it gives you a chance to prove yourself against different competition,” he said. “You see MLS teams week in, week out, year in, year out, so it is always nice to gauge yourself against foreign opposition.”
As for the three-game home stand that the Revs now have thanks to SuperLiga, Reis feels that it is an advantage for his team in tournament play.
“When you are playing three games in a week, I think it helps when you can stay at home and you don’t have to travel,” he said. “Also, playing on turf is a little bit of an advantage for us because I think the Mexican teams mostly play on grass.”
The Revolution takes on Santos Laguna at 6:30 p.m. this Sunday, June 21, at Gillette Stadium in the squad’s opening game of SuperLiga 2009. The Revs also faced Santos in the opening game of last year’s competition, in which Reis’ shutout helped lead the club to a 1-0 victory over its Mexican opponent. Beginning with the first game of the tournament on Sunday, both the Revs and Reis are hoping that history will repeat itself this year.
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