By Ridge Mahoney, Senior Editor
Soccer America Magazine
REIS RESPONSE: Revs keeper Matt Reis has responded to quotes from D.C. United striker Alecko Eskandarian, who hasnÆt played since suffering a concussion in a collision with Reis in UnitedÆs 2-0 defeat of the Revs June 18.
Reis went unpunished for his hit on Eskandarian, who in an e-mail to The New York Times responded to a red card Reis received against Colorado two months later, stating ''I am glad he finally got penalized for being so reckless, but at the same time, he is out for one game while I have been out for over 10 weeks, so by no means do I feel as though justice has been done. I feel very strongly about this. I know soccer is a physical game and things happen on the field.''
In the final minutes of the game, Eskandarian outjumped Jay Heaps for a punt by D.C. keeper Nick Rimando and nodded the ball into the penalty area. Reis rushed out to collect it but couldn't handle it cleanly and as Eskandarian moved forward through Heaps' tackle Reis' knee struck Eskandarian on the head.
It is the third concussion Eskandarian has suffered in MLS since signing as the No. 1 choice in the 2003 SuperDraft.
Eskandarian's quotes appeared about two weeks after Reis received a red card for stopping a breakaway by Rapids rookie Fabrice Noel with a two-handed shove to the chest in ColoradoÆs 2-0 victory Aug. 17.
Reis responded, also by e-mail: ''I'm very disappointed by the remarks Alecko Eskandarian made concerning our collision earlier this season. I understand his frustration at being sidelined for so long, but soccer is a physical game and when two players are committed 100 percent to a challenge, as we both were, injuries do sometimes occur.
''My disciplinary record speaks for itself but, most of all, I am disappointed that a fellow professional would question my integrity on the field.''
UPON FURTHER REVIEW: Along with the two incidents listed, the Confidential also reviewed a collision between Reis and the Fire's Chris Rolfe from their meeting on July 9. Much like in the Eskandarian situation, Rolfe ran onto a long ball as Reis rushed out to challenge.
The Reis foul on Noel was deliberate and perhaps the keeper could have achieved the same effect by simply grabbing the opponent by the jersey rather than jarring him with both hands. Reis was sent off and Colorado converted the penalty.
The collision with Eskandarian was a 50-50 ball with both players charging directly toward each other at full-tilt. Reis got to the ball first and touched it as neither player bailed out at the critical moment.
In the Fire match, Reis could have been sent off and a penalty should have been awarded. Rolfe touched the ball over Reis they converged just inside the penalty area and the keeper failed to play the ball. He clearly tried to get the ball and not the player, as was the case when he blocked Noel with no chance to reach the ball.
The referee is obligated to send off any player who denies an opponent an obvious goalscoring opportunity in the process of committing a foul even if the foul is not deemed to be intentional. Yet many officials will pull out a yellow card instead of a red if they believe the intent was to play the ball.