Biography

Reis played college soccer at UCLA and was selected by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the third and last round of the 1998 MLS College Draft. However, with Kevin Hartman firmly entrenched in the nets, Matt did not see much playing time during his five seasons in LA; the most games he played in a season was 16 in 2001 when Hartman was out with injuries. Reis was traded to the Revolution after the 2002 MLS season for a draft pick.

With the Revs, Reis started out as a backup to Adin Brown, but won the starting job midway through the 2004 season. He became the first goalie in MLS history to stop two penalty kicks in one playoff game, doing as the Revs upset the much-favored Columbus Crew. He also saved two out of four penalties in the penalty kick shootout against the Fire in the first round of the 2006 Playoffs. Reis was a finalist for the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award in both 2005 and 2006. He got his first cap for the United States on January 22, 2006, a 0-0 shutout against Canada. He won the SuperLiga in 2008 and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 2007 with the Revs.

Matt is also 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. Although the initial joke died down fairly quickly, Reis' antics helped him win over many Revolution fans (to this day, Revs fans occasionally make joking references to Fangoso when discussing possible player transactions). On April 1st, 2007, the Revolution announced that they had resigned Fangoso to a 2 year deal.

Reis, who is bald, also convinced Mexican international Jose Manuel Abundis, who had just signed with the team, to shave his head for the 2006 MLS Playoffs. This has enabled Reis to achieve cult status among Revs fans who know him as the "Shaven headed, short sleeved shot stopper".