Reff returns from eye-opening World Cup experience

Reff formerly started as a goalie for the Sandy Creek/Pulaski High School boys soccer team, discovered the amputee squad earlier this year and quickly joined for a few months of training before stepping on the world stage.

“I’ve only ever played soccer in a small town with people I know, and then to go literally across the world with hundreds of other players and thousands of fans, it’s just a level of competition I’ve never seen before,” Reff said.

“It was crazy. I’ve watched professional games and obviously know it’s out there, but to experience something like that myself was something I’d never dreamed of happening.”

Reff first took the field for the final five minutes of a 6-2 loss to Haiti then saw his first extended action in a 3-1 loss to Poland.

He entered that game with the scored tied 1-1 and critiqued his performance with the admission of “crucial errors,” as he entered in his first pressure spot, but ultimately settled in and said he learned from his international debut.

“As soon as you step on the field there is this aura, you feel this pressure, you can be on the sidelines for 25 minutes getting ready and you know your moment is about to come but as soon as you take that step across the line, it’s a different feeling,” Reff said. “All the nerves hit you at once. I just wasn’t prepared for it, but I think I managed it well.”

The socialization in the hotel lobby provided as many lasting memories for Reff as any moment under the bright lights.

Each team stayed at the Turkish Football Federation facility which features roughly a dozen fields, hotels, and a beach setup.

Reff recalled daily talks with players and coaches from other national squads, specifically naming England, Ireland, Columbia, Iran, Haiti, Germany, and Japan as teams they frequently interacted with. Players with language barriers would still converge for group photos and quick chats.

Reff quickly found that he shared the same level of passion for the sport as his foes in the tourney and was eager to learn of the many unique origin stories of those with whom he shared a common bond.

Field players in amputee soccer can only strike the ball with one leg while goalies are allowed to use only one arm, each must have limited mobility in one upper or lower limb.

Reff was born with Poland’s Syndrome causing the fingers in his right hand to never fully develop.

“We all have the same things going on,” Reff said. “We all played soccer, and then we found this and grew with it, and it helped us get to this level where we can all come together and celebrate our differences and move past them, and that alone was just incredible. It’s something that I wouldn’t have imagined or ever knew existed.”

During games, Reff would occasionally look around in awe at the enormity of some surrounding stadiums.

He was especially impressed by the home stadium of the Fenerbahce S.K. professional club located in Istanbul. The venue can seat more than 50,000 spectators and has hosted past UEFA and other international soccer events.

“It’s honestly something I’ve only ever seen in video games or YouTube videos, and I never imagined being able to see it, then to get the 10,000-plus fans there, it’s something I never would have dreamed being a part of or seeing,” Reff said.

Reff crossed paths with the U.S. national team on a whim after watching a video of comedian and Paralympian Josh Sundquist discussing his time on the amputee squad.

Reff joined the NYC Metro regional squad for training in May and quickly garnered the invite to the World Cup which ran from Sept. 30-Oct. 9.

“His attitude is infectious and his desire is off the charts,” said Dr. Eric Lamberg, the president of the American Amputee Soccer Association and head coach of the U.S. National Amputee Soccer Team.

“He wants to be able to compete at the highest level, he has the skillset to do that and the dedication to get there,” Lamberg added. “I think he learned a lot at this tournament about the speed of the game, the tactics of the game, and about some of the pressures that come along with being a goalkeeper for a national team at a world competition.”

Reff and Lamberg each spoke to their shared excitement for his presence in the program moving forward.

The first Amputee World Cup was held in 1984 in Seattle and this year marked the 17th overall, and the fifth governed by the World Amputee Football Federation. The tourney has been on a four-year cycle since 2014.

This year featured the largest field to date and the first to conduct regional qualifying tournaments.

The U.S. squad has prioritized three goals before the next world competition — grow their regional teams into a domestic league that feeds into the national program, expand the youth teams, and further develop the women’s game — according to Lamberg.

The Amputee World Cup contains men’s and women’s players in mixed competition.

“This organization is growing and it’s going to be something huge in the future, so I’d love to keep going, and hopefully I can be one of the younger players that moves on with the team in their future,” Reff said.

The American Amputee Soccer Association is a volunteer, not-for-profit organization that relies on fund-raising and sponsorships. Information on their mission or how to donate can be found at usampsoccer.org.