clint mathis

Clint Mathis (born November 25, 1976 in Conyers, Georgia) is a soccer forward/midfielder who currently plays for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer after making his name with the MetroStars. Mathis played college soccer at the University of South Carolina and was drafted sixth overall by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the 1998 MLS College Draft. He earned his first cap for the US national team on November 6, 1998, against Australia. After two and a half years with Los Angeles, Mathis was awarded to the MetroStars in the dispersal draft after the Galaxy signed Mexican forward Luis Hernandez. Clint immediately took his game to a new level, flashing an "I LOVE NY" shirt after scoring goals, and breaking the MLS record by scoring five goals in a game against the Dallas Burn on August 26, 2000. He finished second in the league in scoring with 16 goals and 14 assists and was named to the MLS Best XI. 2001 saw Mathis start a season on a tore, scoring seven goals in his first six games, including the league's eventual Goal of the Year on an amazing half-field run against Dallas. Unfortunately, in June he tore his ACL, which ended his year. In 2002 Clint became the first soccer player in eight years to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated and then played for the United States in the World Cup, where he shaved his hair into a mohawk, and then promptly scored against South Korea. Mathis finished his MetroStars career in 2003, ending the year as the team's leading scorer, but his form was a notch down from where he was pre-injury. He only scored four and nine goals in his last two seasons with the Metros respectively. In 2004, Mathis left the MetroStars to sign with Hannover 96 of the German Bundesliga. He finished his Metro career with 33 goals in league play and 39 in all competitions, both marks second best in team history to Giovanni Savarese. Mathis' MLS totals stand at 48 league goals and 38 assists, four playoff goals and three assists. As of early 25, he has scored 12 goals in 45 caps for the US. Clint played well in his first season in Germany, scoring four goals, but his second Bundesliga season was not as successful as the first. After entering a game as a very late subsitute and immediately scoring, Mathis ran to the sidelines, and tapped his watch and the new Hannover coach, Ewald Lienen. The gesture earned Clint a permanent move to the doghouse, and unable to break into the first team again, he worked out a transfer back to MLS, joining expansion club Real Salt Lake.

Clint Mathis

See also