FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England will bring their 2010 campaign to a close without their starting goalkeeper.
Matt Reis underwent surgery on his right ankle on Wednesday at Massachusetts General West in Waltham, Mass. The procedure involved removing a bone spur and smoothing out loose cartilage. Reis is expected to spend three months resting and rehabilitating from the surgery, ruling him out for the Revolution's final two matches of the season.
The surgery is the second postseason procedure in as many years for Reis. The 35-year-old goalkeeper underwent an operation last December to address knee and shoulder complaints and missed the first 12 games of this season as he returned to full strength.
While Reis' previous stint on the operating table addressed imminent concerns that would have precluded Reis from playing, this surgery merely rectifies lingering issues, according to Revolution boss Steve Nicol.
“It's more of a clean out, to be honest,” Nicol told MLSsoccer.com on Thursday. “Now that we know we're not in the playoffs and he's going to have plenty of time [to recover], he might as well get it done. It wasn't a case where he had to get it done or he couldn't play. It just made more sense to get it cleaned out.”
With Reis now ruled out for the remainder of the campaign, Revolution backup Bobby Shuttleworth will continue between the sticks after assuming the starting role prior to Sunday's 2-1 victory over Houston.
Unlike the situation that unfolded earlier this season, Nicol said he believes Reis will return before the start of the 2011 season.
“[The surgery] went really well,” Nicol said. “It was straightforward. He'll rehab and he'll be ready for the start of the year.”
