Clint Mathis

Clint Mathis

Personal information
Full name	Clint Mathis
Date of birth	(1976-11-25) November 25, 1976
Place of birth	Conyers, Georgia, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder/Forward
Youth career
0000–1994	AFC Lightning
1994–1997	South Carolina Gamecocks
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2000	Los Angeles Galaxy	65	(15)
2000–2003	MetroStars	67	(33)
2004–2005	Hannover 96	17	(5)
2005	Real Salt Lake	27	(3)
2006	Colorado Rapids	25	(2)
2007	New York Red Bulls	26	(6)
2008	Ergotelis	8	(1)
2008–2009	Real Salt Lake	39	(2)
2010	Los Angeles Galaxy	9	(0)
Total		283	(67)
International career‡
1998–2005	United States	46	(12)
Managerial career
2014–2015	Chicago Fire (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of May 16, 2010 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 16, 2009

Clint Mathis (born November 25, 1976) is a retired American soccer player.

Career

Youth and college

Mathis was born in Conyers, Georgia and played club soccer at a young age for Rockdale Youth Soccer Association, and then for AFC Lightning, a Georgia powerhouse producing players such as former U.S. international Ricardo Clark, in Fayetteville. He played school soccer for Heritage High School, a state champion, and played college soccer at the University of South Carolina.

Professional

Mathis was drafted sixth overall by Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the 1998 MLS College Draft. 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 Hernández.

Mathis immediately took his game to a new level, flashing an "I ♥ NY" shirt after scoring goals and breaking the MLS record by scoring five goals in a game against 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 score seven goals in his first six games, including the league's eventual Goal of the Year on a half-field run against Dallas. In June, he tore his ACL, which ended his season. He never recovered his pre-injury form and scored only 13 goals in his remaining two seasons with the MetroStars.

After the 2002 MLS season, elite German club Bayern Munich attempted to acquire Mathis but was blocked by MLS. In 2004, Mathis left the MetroStars to sign on a free transfer with Hannover 96 of the German Bundesliga.

Mathis played well in his first season in Germany, scoring on his debut. He scored four goals in his first five games. But his Hannover coach was fired and replaced. And in his second Bundesliga season the coach kept him often on the bench. On September 25, 2004 upon entering a game as a very late substitute and scoring almost immediately the game-winning goal, Mathis ran to the sideline and tapped his watch at the new Hannover coach, Ewald Lienen. Mathis started the next game but afterwards never played with the first team again. In December he was transferred back to MLS, joining expansion club Real Salt Lake.

Mathis said he returned to fulfill a promise made to RSL head coach John Ellinger. His initial season in Utah was a major disappointment, as Mathis only managed to score three goals the entire year. However, when he did score he did so in style: all three goals earned praise as MLS Goal of the Week. In December 2005, he was traded to Colorado in exchange for Jeff Cunningham.

On March 29, 2007, Mathis was traded from Colorado Rapids to New York Red Bulls for a 2008 MLS SuperDraft fourth-round draft pick and a conditional draft pick in 2009. In his first home game, he notched a goal and an assist to lead New York to a 3–0 rout of FC Dallas. As of November 2014, Mathis is New York's third all-time goal scorer with 45 in all competitions.

Mathis was traded to Los Angeles Galaxy on November 19, 2007 for a third round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. He made his debut for the Galaxy in a friendly at Telstra Stadium against Sydney FC in front of 80,000 fans. He scored the first goal in the Galaxy's match versus Wellington Phoenix.

In January 2008, during the European transfer window he left the Galaxy, signing with Ergotelis in Greece. Ergotelis sat at the bottom of the table in the Greek First Division. Playing in a recent match, and down 2–1, Ergotelis manager used Mathis who made his debut at the club as his team's third substitute in the 72 minute. In the 91 minute of stoppage time down a goal, the ball popped to Mathis outside the box and he struck a powerful left footed volley that the keeper could only deflect into the back of the net, earning a crucial point against fellow relegation battlers Apollon Kalamarias.

Real Salt Lake signed Mathis in August 2008 after acquiring his MLS rights from Los Angeles in exchange for a conditional draft pick, which became a third-round selection in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.

After 11 years in Major League Soccer, Mathis won the MLS Cup with Real Salt Lake in 2009, defeating Los Angeles Galaxy in a 1–1 draw that was decided in overtime by penalties, with Mathis scoring the first penalty kick goal.

Mathis was traded back to Los Angeles on January 14, 2010 in exchange for a swap of first-round picks in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.

On August 3, 2010, Mathis announced he would retire from professional soccer after the Galaxy's exhibition match against Real Madrid on Saturday August 7, 2010.

Coaching

On January 31, 2014, Mathis was announced as assistant coach of the MLS Chicago Fire and head coach Frank Yallop.

International

Mathis earned his first cap for the U.S. national team on November 6, 1998, against Australia. His first goal came on November 15, 2000, in a 4–0 win over Barbados. He was a contributor for the United States national team in the early stages of qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, scoring the game-winning goal against Honduras and setting up Josh Wolff's game-winning goal against Costa Rica.

At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Mathis shaved his hair into a mohawk and scored a goal in the United States' 1–1 draw with South Korea.

International Appearances

National Team	Year	Apps	Starts	Goals	Assists
United States
	1998	1	1	0	0
	1999	2	0	0	0
	2000	2	2	1	2
	2001	6	5	2	3
	2002	15	10	7	3
	2003	12	7	1	0
	2004	6	3	0	0
	2005	2	2	1	1
Total		46	30	12	9

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	November 15, 2000	Waterford, Barbados	Barbados	1–0	4–0	2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
2	March 3, 2001	Pasadena, California	Brazil	1–1	1–2	Friendly
3	March 28, 2001	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Honduras	2–0	2-1	2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
4	March 2, 2002	Seattle, Washington	Honduras	1–0	4–0	Friendly
5				3–0
6	March 27, 2002	Rostock, Germany	Germany	1–0	2–4	Friendly
7				2–4
8	April 3, 2002	Denver, Colorado	Mexico	1–0	1-0	Friendly
9	May 16, 2002	East Rutherford, New Jersey	Jamaica	2–0	5-0	Friendly
10	June 10, 2002	Daegu, South Korea	South Korea	1–0	1–1	2002 FIFA World Cup
11	January 18, 2003	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida	Canada	2–0	4-0	Friendly
12	March 9, 2005	Fullerton, California	Colombia	3–0	3-0	Friendly

Trivia

In 2002, Mathis became the first male soccer player in eight years to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated in its World Cup preview issue. Mathis was also on the cover of ESPN MLS Extratime in 2002, and Backyard Soccer 2004.

Honors

Club

Real Salt Lake

• MLS Cup: 2009

Individual

• MLS Goal of the Year Award: 2001

External links

• MLS player profile
• Clint Mathis profile on ESPN Soccernet