Sounds like Mathis is turning the corner and maybe becoming a serious soccer player again...this is a great article. For the good of the national team lets hope he is serious this time. http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_3_id=137&page=5234643
Very good article. Right attitude from Clint going forward. Too bad he had to disappoint us all with his wrong attitude this season. Looking forward to seeing the "real" Mathis in the future.
I would be expecting an article similar to this for landon Donovan as well. He was nowhere near the same player after coming back from teh World Cup and spent all his time complaining to the refs. Hopefully all the US nat's players that came back from the World Cup get back in the right mental shape. Or has US Soccer finally gotten to the point where we have the big ego players like Europe??
Please don't put Donovan at the same level of Mathis' "funk". While Donovan's finishing was down, the rest of his play was often sparkling. He just needs some time off, not a "rededication" to the game. Great article re Mathis however. God will rise from the grave again!
Great article, and hopefully some closure in the rampant speculation surrounding Clint. I can't wait to see the lean and mean Mathis at RFK.
When I first read Zambrano's comments about Clint at the end of their season, I thought Mathis had seen his last match with the Metros. With Diallo now sold, I'm really thinking Clint will be around next season. Mathis is a real talent when his head is in the game. Let's hope he's turning the corner.
It's a totally legitimate comparison. Mathis had focus strugges, Donovan had finishing troubles. Bottom line is neither one put up numbers or were as intense as they were before the World Cup.
Focus struggle = mental problems. Finishing troubles = a mixture of the physical and mental, but has nothing to do with "going 70 or 80%" as Mathis freely admits. The comparison is a joke.
In the games I saw Donovan play, he appeared to be putting forth some effort. I don't think it's a valid comparison. Either way, next year if Mathis is back to form, Donovan stays in MLS, Wolff rehabilitates, Twellman, Ruiz, and no Diallo, it should be a year to look forward to.
I'm glad to hear Clint is saying the right things. Everyone makes mistakes, it's how people learn from them that determines their character. We'll see how he does next year.
I made the reference that many of the World Cup Stars for the USA have come back and for whatever reason their play has been effected. Go on the Colorado boards and you can read about how mastroeni has become a hot head and more interested in fighting with the refs than playing, you'll see that in the Rapids first playoff loss to Dallas. Donovan might not have been as severe a case as Mathis but his play dropped and many San Jose fans were disappointed with his play post World Cup. Mathis himself in the article attributes his nonchalant attitude towards the World Cup Experience. I am not saying the 2 are exactly similar, just find it interesting that the US World Cup Stars seem to be on cruise control or need booze control maybe burnout? maybe tired of low salaries now they know they can play w/ith the world's best? who knows? I just find it interesting.
Add Oliver Kahn to the list of post-WC slumpers, and I'm sure there are many others in Europe and Asia as well.
Well, looks like Zambrano's the one who's coached his last game with the Metros. So much for my dream that the Metros would trade Mathis to the Quakes for Zak Ibsen...
Well it certainly is a step in the right direction for mathis to focus on soccer instead of arguing with his coach and referees.....also Nick S putting himself on the line by choosing to get rid of Diallo and OZ..showing confidence back in him after his dreadful "Clint cost me a playoff spot" speech. Maybe this will all help Clint become a happy/productive soccer player again.
I think that the comparison is a fair one. When LD came aboard MLS, you could tell that he was playing as though he had something to prove. 2001 was a spectacular season for him, and his intensity carried the team. He peaked at the WC, and came back and played without intensity, barking at the refs during the game and complaining about the refs after the game. Unlike Mathis, he may not have "freely" admitted his problem to the press, but his lack of mental and physical toughness showed on the field. Perhaps all of the post WC media glow went to his young head..... ya think? Even though I disagree with you, I won't say that your opinion is "a joke". Topper
Clint at his best is the US' best.... At his worst, he is a mediocre nut case.... I hope he has turned the corner for good. I love watching him play because he can score from anywhere on the field.
I apoligize if this has been covered elsewhere, but is Mathis going to Bayern Munich? Also, in the above discussion, it was claimed that Olli Kahn is burned out after the cup. I think that Olli's problems have more to do with shakiness in the back line at Bayern than with his being burned out. Bayern is playing more of an attacking game than it played with Effenberg in midfield, and the result is that there is more pressure on the defense, or at least that is what I am hearing.
Is next year the final year of Clint's MLS contract? If so, what do you think happens if he puts up some big numbers through the first half of the season and in USMNT matches? Does MLS try to deal him or does he wait and become some sort of free agent after the season? Just curious since I don't know how the MLS-Player contracts work and how they would work if he was dealt to a European team.
I hope he plays better for the Nats. I'd love to see him get even more than 1 goal or assist per game.
He always says the right things. Now it's up to him to do the ************************ things he needs to do to make Bruce happy. As for Metrostars, he played well below his capabilities, but OZ totally f-ed up the team. It was a bad situation all around. Hopefully, he will be a striker next year. Even if he doesn't play 100%, he'll get a decent number of goals.