http://skysports.planetfootball.com/article.asp?id=172560&cpid=218 "Mathis, though, is now out-of-contract with MLS and is free to talk terms with other clubs, and the interest from England is intense." "There are four clubs asking about him, but one club has really come to the fore and is really keen on him." "It is not yet known who the interested parties are, but the likes of Blackburn, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Bolton, Everton and Birmingham are all thought to be possible destinations for the American."
My brother sent me an email with this link earlier. Here's what I wrote to him: I don't know why all the Mathis bashers can't see this? Sure, he's had some "off seasons" in MLS, but you can tell the man still has vision. I think in someways, he's like the really smart kid that doesn't get challenged enough and ends up flunking all his classes and having to go to summer school. Mathis, to me anyway, has always seemed to think faster and a few steps ahead of other players. I don't think the average american player can keep up with his vision and speed of thought. Eventhough he didn't play too much, he still had a pretty good world cup and i certainly don't think we've seen the last of him. to add to my email: He was tied for 11th on points this season, had nine goals (12th in MLS.) Sure, it all came at the beginning, but hey, it is still a season total. Those games count just as much as the regular season games at the end. Regarding last year, nobody that played in the World Cup finished in the top categories in MLS. I think people are making way too quick a decision on him.
Uhmmm.. those are HORRIBLE standings for a KEY player. Sure it sounds good in a 20 team league, but in a 10 team league that is HORRIBLE. That means that atleast 1 person on every other team was better than him. That means he's one of the worst strikers in the league in terms of value. If he was a 2nd string guy like Magee or Woly those stats can be enouraging. But to have your #1 guy be 12th in a 10 team league isn't somthing to write home about. It'll be like someone in the EPL gloating about how Ruud van Nistlerooy came in 20th in points.
I didn't say it was outstanding, I said it wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. And it's not like he's on a great team. I'm not saying the guy had a good year, I myself said he had an off season.
Mathis needs a big-time change of scene. I still think the guy has potential. With the Metros, he seems as if he's not even there anymore. I like the analogy of the 'smart kid who gets bored and flunks out.' I think that applies to him.
Pat Noonan looked like a dud against the Fire last night. He looked very much like the way Mathis has looked. It's not that Noonan is a dud, he certainly is NOT. But one's look reflects those around you. Mathis has a very good chance of success in England. I wish him the best.
Awesome... its going to happen. And when he's doing well in England, all of you who blamed everything on Clint are going to have to reevaluate why this team sucked.
im confident Mathis can handle the top leagues because i was in a similar situation in the past so i think i understand what he was going through. when i was in HS i played on the school team and in the township league. It goes w/o saying that because of cuts and higher competition it was pretty hard to make the HS team while any clown or midget could play in the rec league. the strange thing was that playing for the HS team w/better players and against better competition was much easier for me. I could just go out and play my hardest and whatever happened happened. so i was a decent player. But in the rec league I played much worse. I felt like I had a reputation to protect so I was terrified of looking bad. so i rarely drove to the lane or shoot 3s. it just created a HUGE mental block that I couldnt get over. Then it felt like those scrubs were disrepecting me, that really pissed me off so that i was playing angry which made me play it even worse. It was just a horrible, frustrating downward spiral. But as bad as it was in the rec league i still never lost any skill because i was playing fine for the HS. When i see Mathis play there r just too many similarities; going from being unanimously respected to unanimously mocked, not willing to shoot or take on players, frustrated fouls, often pissed off, yet still shows his skill off from time to time with beautiful passes that no1 else can do. Mathis still has it, and playing in another league will prove it. its all mental and going to a better league will do his game a lot of good.
First, let's save the "it's going to happen" talks until it happens. Germany was going to happen. Convey to England was going to happen. Let him sign a contract before any of us get ridiculous about it. This year, he wasn't the entire problem, but he was part of it. 9g and 1 assist isn't enough, no matter what you say. Him going to England and doing well or poorly doesn't change that. If he goes to England and does bad and we win MLS cup next year, that doesn't make this year his fault. Similarly, him going there and doing well and us sucking next year doesn't make it everyone else's fault. He was average this year, and he's an above average player. It's over. Let it go.
I suppose you can throw Rangers into the rumor mix, too. http://www.footballtransfers.info/speculation/spec.asp?category=Un-Confirmed
Allright! I missed out on getting a Reyna Rangers jersey.... Maybe I could get a Mathis Rangers jersey!
Me too posts suck, but 'me too' works well with everything jamison just said. That said, I just can't believe that Mathis's play over the past two years still leads people to the conclusion that he's somehow 'bored' or more 'advanced', that his often-dreadful passing is really just symptomatic of him being so much more visionary than the rest of the team. Maybe you could make the case for that two years ago...but I can't see it now. At all. It's been two years of more or less constant struggle. I'm a Mathis fan, and I hope he gets a change of scenery and does fantastic, but I'm going to retch if he scores a couple goals overseas and the I Told You So Brigade sets up camp here to tell us how we blew it by running him down and not supporting him when he was a Metro. That view - which we're already starting to see pop up in here, unfortunately - couldn't possibly be a more distorted version of the truth; he's gotten a tremendous amount of support during his time here. Oh well. Good luck to him wherever he goes.
I don't agree that it has been 2 years of constant struggle - more like 2 disjointed years interrupted by National team duty, recovery from serious and not so serious injury, trying to adjust to new teammates, get back in shape, etc. Sure he's struggled, and hasn't come up big when it's counted, but the criticism you read in this forum are that he's fat and lazy (thanks Bruce), out of shape, doesn't make runs, terrible for 2 years, makes dreadful passes, etc., which is in addition to the usual he needs counseling, he's a headcase and he's trash. I'm not actually saying you are this un-balanced, but after reading post after post about how he isn't fit for the A-league and ridicule at the idea that he could play in Europe, I'll be lining up to join that brigade if he just signs a contract much less scores a goal. I won't be accusing people of not supporting him enough over 2 years, just for turning on him and scapegoating him when it was clear that this was a young team that didn't have effective wingers or many impact players. It's not the lack of support that bothers me, it's the lack of depth perception.
FOOTBALL - ECK CHASES MO'S-HICAN By NEIL CAMERON, 11/15/03 Scottish Daily Record http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/printable_version.cfm?objectid=13626026&siteid=89488 "RANGERS are planning to raid Mo Johnston's American club for one of the hottest stars in the USA. Mohican-haired Clint Mathis of the New Jersey Metrostars is due to arrive at Murray Park in two weeks' time and will train with Alex McLeish's first team. And Sports Record understands there is achancehe will be offered a deal if he can impress the Rangers manager during a week-long trial at the club..."
Not to be a Mathis apologist or anything, but I believe he did come up big when it counted. The goal against Korea, and then what should have been his assist to Sanneh against Germany, despite limited playing time. He hasn't always, but few people do.
For country, yes 2001-02 he was pretty big. You can add to those above the Honduras goal, the only 2 goals in a 4-2 drubbing in Rostock, and the assist to Wolf during la guerra fria in Feb 01 that got us off to a great start in WC02 qualifying, then handball assist to Wolff vs. Costa Rica in KC. He has come up big for the US a number of times. For club, it's been a different story. One of the biggest games of last year at DC he gets a stupid red for stepping on/kicking a player and gets red carded, missing the season finale when we needed him most. This year, in the 3 biggest games (USOC final, home and home in playoffs) he had 0 goals, 0 assists. Why this board is so divided to the bashers and apologists I don't know. Both have half of a case, though I at least think the bashers have recent history on their side, whereas the apologists point to his play 2+ years ago and hold over everyone's head that he could, one day, on the right team, return to the glory years. I'm not saying he can't, I'm not saying he can. I would, however, like to know what about his play recently gives others such hope that his glory days are a shirt change away from becoming reality. I hope he signs with Rangers and does well, but blaming the likes of an 18 year old rookie for not being good enough to play alongside him is pretty laughable. I remember watching Gretzky's last season with the NY Rangers, watching him make no look passes to players around him who were also not looking. On that team, you can excuse Gretzky for not having the supporting cast. Thing is, Clint isn't Gretzky, and this team beat DC 3-2 in the open cup semi's without him and then go down 1-0 and 1-1 to NE with him. 'Splain that away on a crap supporting cast, willya? One minute he's scoring against NE in the open cup quarters, the next he's getting red carded out of a game for fighting with Franchino. If this inconsistency is somehow Bradley's or Woly's fault, I'd like to know why.
Regarding Convey, it's much more likely that Mathis goes because (I'm pretty sure) he has had enough caps over the last two years to go without the work permit panel.
No doubt, but it was supposedly a "done deal" that he was going to get the same waiver that Howard got, or so the DC fans told us. It turned out not to be the case. Mathis can get a work permit easily, between caps and injuries and WC goals even were it to be denied he would win on appeal, but my point is that let's start believing that he signs a contract when he signs it. Let's believe he gets approval when he does. Let's believe he's able to secure a transfer fee and salary he's happy with when he agrees to one. To say "he's great, surely he'll be on a Euro team" isn't enough. US-based bigsoccer posters have an inexhaustable supply of undeserved confidence when it comes to our player's ability to transfer overseas successfully.
That works both ways, though -- anyone claiming Howard was the best of Man U's keepers and would start would have been laughed off the board three months ago.
If this were the DC boards, you could be talking about Earnie Stewart. But it isn't, and you're not. Are you?
No...You need to look at the stats before making an incorrect statement. Chicago, NE, SJ, and Col had two each. Also, only one player above Mathis played in less games. The player right above him played in 8 more games. Also add in the fact that Mathis was coming off surgery, not just an injury, at the start of the season. You bring up Ruud, I don't have the stat in front of me, but didn't he just end a ten game scoreless streak?
Most of this post was good, but these two, I can't agree with. Germany, who's fault was that. Could it have been the incompetents who run MLS. Convey, he was over there and the appeals board sent him home. Mathis shouldn't even have to go to the appeals board. He has the national team stats.