I think that's probably the feel-good story of the day. Remember how fun it was watching him in 2000 and 2001 before he tore his acl? Hopefully he'll get back there, then keep going forward.
i agree with the above statement ... i hate athletes in denial (remember Jason Williams with the Sac Kings and how he said he wasn't out of control and he wouldn't change? clint mathis could've been down that career path). I think Clint will pull through just fine. but I thought the comment at the end about how he'll get a chance to show people something different on 11.17 when the u.s. plays el salvador .... did bruce already name his roster? I didn't think so. does clint know something we don't (probably)? I kinda thought Bruce might use this match for newer people .... but clint does have something to prove. who knows?
If he can retain that attitude and avoid injuries, he'll 1. Be next year's MLS MVP. 2. Go to at least a midtable, elite league team in Jan. 2004. (Or an elite team in Holland or France, etc.) 3. Be a key figure in our WC '06 qualifying campaign. 4. Be a star at WC '06. I was glad to see this article.
"I can't worry about just being better than the guys out there (in MLS), working just 70 or 80 percent to stay better than the guys in this league." Is this a little jab at the MLS players?
great story. I root against him when he plays for the Mutts- but 100% for him when he is for the USA. He is a very talented player but US soccer has progresed to the point where we can't use him playing at 75% When he is super-fit he is an outstanding player, no doubt about that!
There was also the comment about Bruce calling him to encourage him to get ready for 2006. I think that's a pretty good indicator that he's in Arena's plans. The friendly will and should be used for trying out new faces, but when your best players are available (Clint qualifies) you need to call in at least a few of them too. Especially considering the european players will be unavailable, I think Mathis being called in is virtually a certainty assuming he's healthy...
And a pretty good indicator that their relation ship is fine since Clint also said "I love playing for him (Arena)."
It shows Bruce's class. No wonder wherever he goes his players always give it all under his guidance.
Ok, Clint is acknowledging quite a bit. But am I the only one who still sees a healthy bit of denial and un-earned arrogance going on here? "… I was fit as a fiddle before the World Cup." "I can't worry about just being better than the guys out there (in MLS), working just 70 or 80 percent to stay better than the guys in this league." "… didn't expect to come back here and I had a reminder when I was playing every day that I'm back here…" "The two people that should be fighting for their players are the coach and the GM, and it didn't look like they were," said Mathis. "We've talked about it since then and just like I've learned from my mistakes, I think they have too…. here." “Come Nov. 17th all eyes are going to be on one guy," said Mathis.
Maybe this statement is questionable. I think everything else is pretty accurate and he's got quite an awareness to the feelings most of us have had about him since the Cup.
_______________________________________________ “Come Nov. 17th all eyes are going to be on one guy," said Mathis. _______________________________________________ For Nov 17th game, no doubt there will be other exciting talents such as Twellman but my eyes will follow Mathis.
In hindsight Mathis' meltdown is understandable, there was a terrific amount of pressure and expectation put on the guy (much of it from here). I think he started to believe the hype about himself and stopped working as hard as he could to keep himself at a high level. Lesson learned, we hope.
I hope it works out for him, because he does seem to be a regular guy - but these comments don't mean much ultimately. What he does, umm, does.
Good point. Clint's pretty much a regular guy who seems well-in-touch with himself, his position, and his abilities, who happens to be very talented. As far as the pressure goes, I don't envision this as being a major problem for him, or for any of the other national team talents, b/c of the fact that there are a number of them. So the spotlight (and excessive pressure that can come with that) isn't really focused on just one guy. I like his attitude, though. He's a leader and an acheiver, and he realizes that he can't worry about things outside of his control. If he can maintain this kind of focus and discipline, he'll do very well. Whether or not that means he'll be the world-beater that everyone seems to want or not is another thing. I don't really care about that. I'd just like to see him make the most of his talent, and inspire his teammates (on whatever level) to do the same.