Didn't see this posted anywhere yet: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=369211&root=mls&cc=5901 A new (May 27) Mathis article from Andrea Canales. In my opinion, the current Clint Mathis, based on what I've seen of him last year and this year in MLS (and I've seen almost every game in its entirety and have been monitoring Mathis very closely) and his very limited MNT experience since 2004, is still the best offensive late game sub the US has in its player pool. He is just not the guy who is going to chase the ball on defense for 90 minutes while his RSL teammates cough it up over and over. He was a fish out of water there, completely surrounded by incompetent teammates. Now with Colorado, he looks better. Still, they are asking him to play attacking mid, and Clint is great with the ball at his feet and on the attack, but if you want him making off the ball runs or playing defense extensively, he's not the guy. Basically, Clint's utility is very very limited. He really isn't a guy you want on the field for 90 minutes, as he is a huge liability on defense, and doesn't make off the ball runs except for in the final third. But as a late game offensive sub, he is perfect. Watch him closely in MLS. He is still slick on the ball, his touch is second to none. His vision is fantastic, and he has a blistering bomb of a shot. And his creativity is still there. He's also older, wiser, and more mature, but on the field he is still a cocky son of a bitch. You can just tell that Mathis believes (and I agree) that he can school any defender in the world on his day. No one, and I mean no one, can read what he's going to do ahead of time. If he has the ball near the 18 yard box, he is the guy that is going to pull of something ridiculous. He is going to meg Nesta and bury a shot in the top corner. He is going to back heel it to a streaking Donovan for an easy finish. He is going to flick a header to a completely unpredictable place where a US player awaits an easy finish (like he did on Donovan's goal vs. Poland in '02). Simply put, Mathis is the attitude the USNT is missing right now going into this World Cup. We have leadership, we have fitness, we have talent. What we don't have is a cocky son of a bitch who will try to nutmeg Gattusso. That is what I want and that is what we need. If it is the 75th minute and the US needs a goal, and we are gonna put in Josh Wolff or Brian Ching, I would pick Mathis in a heartbeat and frankly I'm disappointed and a bit angry at Arena for blindly ignoring Mathis recently. Mathis tried to extend the olive branch, and Arena ignored it for no good reason in my opinion. How does it hurt to give Mathis a chance to beat out Josh Wolff for the last forward spot? I think the US will be fine without Mathis. But his presence would sure as hell increase the chances the US could pull of a stunning come from behind win or upset in the WC. And frankly, I'm pretty pissed he's not there.
Yeah sucks for him he's not even on the possible replacement list. He just hasn't performed in a few years. Maybe he will be back someday? But not in 2006 at all.
hasn't the time for mathis threads come and gone yet? seriously, he's not making the roster. he's not the best late-game sub because his chubby bottom will be in Colorado. this obsessive man-crush has run its course.
If Freddy threads kill kittens, i think Mathis threads should kill puppies. BTW- the most important words concerning Mathis are highlighted below: The creative spark that Mathis was once capable of is still all too rare in U.S. soccer. If it indeed flickers to life again with the Rapids, more than one fan keeping a wary eye on the national team's difficult road in Germany will probably wish the firebrand of the squad had kept his place. Soccer is a "what have you done for me lately" type world. Mathis hasn't done anything lately to even warrant a look at a call-up. What is Canales on? I'd take a Jeff Cunnignham over Mathis in a second asa late offensive spark. You can point to Mathis's goal in Korea, but he hasn't been close to that sort of form for over 2 years.
I almost agree that Mathis is worthless, except that I'd rather have him on in the final 20 minutes next to McBride than Josh Wolff, Eddie Johnson, or Brian Ching, even if he is a fat porker.
if we are seriously going to talk about late game subs who provide instant firepower, we are wasting our time talking about Mathis, because CLEARLY the best late game sub in MLS is Jeff Cunningham .......... hands down.
Some very good points, on Maiths. I don't think he is has much of a has been as some people think he is and i do agree he is playing out of position for the last 1 1/2 years or so. But the reason why he is not on the World cup Roster and it's the same reason why Jeff Cunningham and TnT on it either. These guys are very good at one thing and average to sub par at everything else, simply put they are one dimensional.
jeff cunningham has NEVER produced anything for the USMNT, Mathis has repeatedly and I agree with Canales
Cunningham shouldn't be in this conversation. Who do you fear more to score a goal against you if you are Czech Rep, Italia, and Ghana? Putting myself in their shoes, I'd much rather have a Wolff or Ching than a man can that can STILL take a ball 35 yards out and kick a hell of free kick. A better free kick than ANYONE else on this current squad. And not to mention his skills in run of play... albeit slower, no one comes close to his ingeniousness and ability to take TRUE CRACKAS and still have the ability be a smilky smooth finisher around goal. So we, as American fans, we should, in fact, do the OPPOSITE of what these other countries would PREFER for us to do. And he has slimmed down. His fitness insn't as bad as some have impugned his current fitness levels on this board.
Dempsey has attitude, yes, but he does not have the soccer smarts to back it up. Nor the toughness. Dempsey appears to hit the deck if you breath on him. He also rarely if ever plays a dangerous final pass in the final third. Mathis has the strength and smarts to not only beat players 1 v 1, but to do something important and useful after beating them. I like Dempsey, but he is lightyears behind Mathis when it comes to soccer smarts. Lightyears. Also, yes Cunningham is a fantastic late game sub in MLS. Bar none, he's the best. But at the international level, his speed and finishing ability will get him nowhere. You need the smarts and creativity of Mathis to make a dent in a defense of Italy's caliber. Mathis could be the Mike Tyson of the MNT. No matter what, he'll make something happen. Either he goes down in flames, or delivers an absurd knockout blow that no one else in the US (if not the world) could duplicate. Do I want a Mike Tyson-level of excitement player on my substitute's bench when I'm down 1-0 to Italy in the 70th minute, or do I want to put in Josh Wolff to do nothing or Brian Ching to fall down? I want Mike Tyson.
That's a great comparison for his career. Unfortunately, now we're at the point where Mathis wants to eat other teams' children.
lol. OK, perhaps (I disagree...I think he's still got it but being passed over by Arena may have completely crushed him). But maybe he'd be worth bringing along just to see him try to bite off Buffon's ear.
It's funny how US fans complain about their team's inability to score goals and then routinely crap on the one US player - the only one - capable of real skill on the pitch. Mathis is in a way the American Gazza, but he should have gotten a look for the same reason England bought Gazza along for Euro 96 - on his day he's still the best player on the team. The USA is still something like an overgrown high school team. Very hard working, very fit, but lacking in pure footballing skill and brains. We adore Gooch, but he really doesn't have the class of a Campbell in his prime or a Maldini. He's just a big cornfed American who throws his weight around and ties guys up. Watch Bobby Moore and compare. Part of this is MLS and the US coaching system (i.e. the seemingly overall national coaching philosophy), which encourages hard work and running around like a chicken with your head cut off rather than subtlety and vision, and part of this is Arena himself. It's very handy for making a competitive football team since it's easier to teach a guy to use strength, power and speed to find space rather than perfect passes, but the very tippy top of the football pyramid features players who are both fit, fast and powerful but can also find the open man with a perfect pass.
Well I just watched a tape of the WC-2002 quarter finals, US vs. Germany. In that game the US dominated with three excellent scoring chances in the first 24 minutes and had Germany on their heels. After we went down 1-0 BA sub-ed out McBride (who was winning headers all over the field and setting up shots for Donovan and JOB). Then in the 66th minute BA subs in Mathis for McBride and the US no longer looked dangerous. In fact in his time on the field Mathis really only had one good cross to Sanah, but many times lost the ball to the Germany player simply because he didn't have the speed and fitness to get around them. Mathis' decline actually started before WC2002 (with his unwillingness to stay fit) and he really only had one or two bright spots during the WC. If Mathis had reached his potential, the US could be a really dangerous team. But those calling for him -in his current form- to be on this WC2006 squad are in an alternate universe. Let's just hope the Eddie Johnson's, and Freddy Adu's have noted Mathis career trajectory and realize talent alone is not enough. It takes hard work too.
No. Mathis is not so awesome that you can build a team around him. Donovan has his weaknesses, but has enough upside that it's worth playing a formation that lets him run at attackers without having too much defensive responsibility. Mathis is slow and unfit these days. His upside is huge, of course, but there's no way to justify building a team around him when he's not even producing at club level.
Who said anything about builiding a team around Mathis? Perhaps removing the absurdly ineffective and average Josh Wolff from the roster for Mathis as a late game sub when we're down, but nothing near building a team around him.
Certainly Mathis is a gamble. He is a gamble every time we put him on the field. But if we have nothing to lose, he's a good choice to throw on the field to make something happen. Against Germany, Arena just made the wrong choice to pull out McBride for Mathis. McBride is a warrior plain and simple. You want that man on the field for your team when the chips are down. I'm sure Mathis did his best, but that game was extremely fast and physical, and that is exactly the type of game Mathis flounders in. Mathis is the player to break open a stalemate. He's the guy to masterfully thread the ball through a bunkering team for a goal. If teams are running and gunning at each other's throats like the US and Germany were, Mathis poor fitness and defense are exposed. He was just a bad choice for that game. But I think the chances of a stalemate vs. Italy are pretty damned high. Italy claims to have a new mantra, to be more offensive minded blah blah blah. I don't buy it. They will defend with 10 - 11 men behind the ball when the US has it, and they will possess and build when they have the ball. It will not be a wide open affair if Italy can help it. That is a game perfectly designed for Clint Mathis. Yes he supposedly is out of shape (though I've read recent reports saying he's in fantastic shape by his standards), yes his form is down (though from watching him weekly I still see the magic when he gets the ball). But I'm still a fan of his and think he'd be a better choice than Josh Wolff or Brian Ching for this squad.
This is some really ignorant blabber here. Where do Claudio Reyna and John O'Brien fit into your scheme of hard work and running around like a chicken with your head cut off? Reyna, in particular, is the polar opposite and is recognized widely in the EPL for his technical ability, efficiency with his touches, vision, and tactical awareness. And sure, if we had the choice, we'd field Ronaldinho and Kaka. But they don't exist in America, so we field what we've got. And just because the USMNT's fitness is fantastic, that doesn't mean they don't have the technical skill to match. The US likes to run at other teams because they are faster and more fit than pretty much any team in the world. It is playing to our strengths to have a wide open counter after counter game. It downplays our technical abilities when we play this way, but we aren't about looking pretty as much as winning.
on the dubious premise that this thread is not too silly to warrant a response, I'll say this. does the US have a player on the squad whose only role is late game sub? we have a couple that might play that role for us, but they are also expected to be cover in the event of injuries and suspensions. with the exception of JOB, every man on this roster is a 90 minute player, and it looks like JOB might be able to give us a solid 60. all players expected to defend hard every minute they are on the field. by selecting JOB, Arena chose one player with buckets of talent but serious question marks, making a bet he could get top form back in time. he could have chosen Mathis for that type of bet, but went with JOB instead, and from the look of it he's made the right choice. for those still hoping against hope that Mathis is the player of four years ago, please explain the wisdom doubling this bet by adding him at the cost of cover in another spot?
Ooooohhhhhhhhh. You mean "sub" like "substitute." I thought you meant "sub" like "submarine sandwich," or "hoagie." As in: "You know what, God gave me the most soccer talent for any American player my age, and I think I'll piss it away on an Italian submarine sandwich with extra provolone, a (large) bag of Doritos and a 40-ounce of Bud."
The current team has better all-around players but I believe they are missing the spark that Mathis brings, or to be accurate, used to bring. Bottom line is that he cannot bring the spark anymore. If he could, it would be a shame not to have him on the team.
So for all Mathis' "Magic", soccer smarts, and abiltiy, he hasn't managed a goal or assist this year? Not even an MLS, hockey type second assist?? Are these stats correct? http://www.coloradorapids.com/Team/Roster.aspx If these stats are correct, you don't have to wonder too much why Arena wouldn't take Mathis and why he's not even close to being our best late game sub.