Clint Mathis (born November 25, 1976) is an American former professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player who played as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
or
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. He appeared at the
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
, scoring one goal. He also played in
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
for the
MetroStars, where he scored five goals during a game in August 2000, a league record.
Youth and college
Mathis was born in
Conyers, Georgia
Conyers is an Atlanta suburb, the county seat of and only city in Rockdale County, Georgia, Rockdale County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The city is 24 miles (38.6 km) east of Atlanta, downtown Atlanta and is a part of t ...
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
Ricardo Anthony Clark (born February 10, 1983) is an American retired soccer player who played as a midfielder. He appeared for MetroStars, San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo and Columbus Crew SC in the United States, Eintracht Frankfurt ...
, in Fayetteville. He played school soccer for
Heritage High School and won a state championship there.
At the
college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
level, Mathis played for the
South Carolina Gamecocks
The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I.
The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...
, alongside future US national teammate
Josh Wolff
Josh Wolff (born February 25, 1977) is an American soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Austin FC in Major League Soccer.
Playing career College
Born in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Wolff played three years of colle ...
.
Mathis ranks third all-time in total points (121), third in career coals (53) and is the single-season leader in points (53) and goals (25).
Mathis was a consensus first-team All-American in 1995 and a third-team selection in 1997, while he was a three-time finalist for the prestigious Hermann Trophy.
Mathis, one of two South Carolina athletes to ever be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, helped lead the Gamecocks to the NCAA Tournament in
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, and
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
.
Club career
Mathis was drafted sixth overall by
Los Angeles Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...
in the first round of the
1998 MLS College Draft The 1998 Major League Soccer College Draft was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 31 and February 1, 1998. The College Draft was followed by the 1998 MLS Supplemental Draft.
Format
On Saturday, January 31, 1998, Major League Soccer held ...
.
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
I Love New York (stylized ) is a slogan, a logo, and a song that are the basis of an advertising campaign developed by the marketing firm of Wells, Rich, Greene under the directorship of Mary Wells Lawrence used since 1977 to promote tourism i ...
" shirt
after scoring goals and breaking the MLS record by scoring five goals in a game against
Dallas Burn
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
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 The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer.
Winners
*Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season.
Most appearances by a player
The following players have appeared ...
.
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
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
attempted to acquire Mathis but was blocked by MLS. On January 22, 2004, Mathis left the MetroStars to sign on a free transfer with
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...
of the German
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
.
Mathis left the Metros after playing in 67 games (66 starts), scoring 33 goals and contributing 21 assists.
Mathis played well in his first season in Germany, scoring on his debut and went on to score four goals in his first five games.
But soon after, his manager was fired and replaced by
Ewald Lienen
Ewald Lienen (born 28 November 1953) is a German football manager and former player. He is the current technical director of FC St. Pauli.
Playing career
Lienen began his professional career at Arminia Bielefeld of the 2. Bundesliga North in 19 ...
. In his second Bundesliga season, Lienen often kept Mathis on the bench. On September 25, 2004, upon entering Hannover's match against
Schalke
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rh ...
as a very late substitute, Mathis scored the game-winning goal almost immediately.
In celebration, he ran to the sideline and tapped his watch at Lienen.
Mathis escaped being fined for the outburst and later confirmed the gesture was meant the way it was widely interpreted - that Lienen should have played him earlier.
He 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
Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...
.
Mathis said he returned to fulfill a promise made to RSL head coach
John Ellinger
John Ellinger (born October 4, 1951) is a former American soccer coach of the Under-17 United States men's national soccer team, and former head coach of Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer.
Ellinger played collegiately at Frostburg State Un ...
. 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
Jeff Cunningham (born August 21, 1976) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He is Major League Soccer's third-all-time leader in regular-season goals scored with 134.
Youth and college
Cunningham was born ...
.
On March 29, 2007, Mathis was traded from
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...
to
New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...
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
FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...
. 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
Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stadi ...
against
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
in front of 80,000 fans. He scored the first goal in the Galaxy's match versus
Wellington Phoenix
Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
.
In January 2008, during the European transfer window he left the Galaxy, signing with
Ergotelis
The Gymnastics Club «Ergotelis» Heraklion Crete ( el, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος «O Εργοτέλης» Ηρακλείου Κρήτης, Γ.Σ. Εργοτέλης), commonly known simply as Ergotelis ( el, Εργοτέλης), ...
in Greece.
Ergotelis sat at the bottom of the table in the Greek First Division. Down 2–1, Mathis came on to make his debut as a second-half substitute and 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
Apollon Kalamarias (Greek: Απόλλων Καλαμαριάς) is a Greek sport's club from Thessaloniki founded in 1926. The club is named after Apollo, the mythical Greek god and its colors are red and black.
History
When thousands of Pontic ...
.
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...
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
The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consiste ...
.
After 11 years in
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
, Mathis won the
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...
with
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...
in
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, 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.
International career
Mathis earned his first cap for the
United States national team on November 6, 1998, against
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
His first goal came on November 15, 2000, in a 4–0 win over
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
. He was a contributor for the United States national team in the early stages of qualifying for the
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
, scoring the game-winning goal against
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
and setting up
Josh Wolff
Josh Wolff (born February 25, 1977) is an American soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Austin FC in Major League Soccer.
Playing career College
Born in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Wolff played three years of colle ...
's game-winning goal against
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
.
At the
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
, Mathis shaved his hair into a
mohawk Mohawk may refer to:
Related to Native Americans
*Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York)
*Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people
*Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been t ...
and scored a goal in the United States' 1–1 draw with
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.
Coaching career
On January 31, 2014, Mathis was announced as assistant coach of the MLS Chicago Fire and head coach
Frank Yallop
Frank Walter Yallop (born 4 April 1964) is a British-Canadian professional soccer coach. Yallop is currently the head coach and sporting director of USL Championship side Monterey Bay FC.
He played 13 years in England for Ipswich, including the ...
.
Personal life
In 1999, Mathis played himself in an episode of ''
The Jersey
''The Jersey'' is an American comedy television series based on the '' Monday Night Football Club'' books by Gordon Korman. The series aired on Disney Channel from January 30, 1999, to March 23, 2004.
Premise
Nick Lighter, Morgan Hudson, Colem ...
'' called "Be True to You" where Morgan Hudson (played by
Courtnee Draper) uses a magical jersey by jumping into his body.
In 2002, Mathis became the first male soccer player in eight years to appear on the cover of ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' in its World Cup preview issue.
Mathis was also on the cover of ESPN MLS Extratime in 2002, and
Backyard Soccer 2004.
Career statistics
:''Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mathis goal.''
Honors
Real Salt Lake
*
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...
:
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
United States
*
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...
:
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
Individual
*
MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer.
Winners
*Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season.
Most appearances by a player
The following players have appeared ...
:
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
*
MLS Goal of the Year Award
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
:
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
* Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
* University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee
* South Carolina Gamecocks Jersey Retired
References
External links
*
Clint Mathis profile on ESPN Soccernet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathis, Clint
1976 births
Living people
People from Conyers, Georgia
Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area
Soccer players from Georgia (U.S. state)
American soccer players
Association football forwards
Association football midfielders
South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer players
All-American men's college soccer players
LA Galaxy draft picks
LA Galaxy players
New York Red Bulls players
Hannover 96 players
Real Salt Lake players
Colorado Rapids players
Ergotelis F.C. players
Major League Soccer players
Major League Soccer All-Stars
Bundesliga players
Super League Greece players
United States men's international soccer players
2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2002 FIFA World Cup players
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players
2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players
American expatriate soccer players
American expatriate sportspeople in Germany
American expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Expatriate footballers in Germany
Expatriate footballers in Greece
American soccer coaches
Chicago Fire FC non-playing staff