Mathis may yet be on the move again
Clint Mathis was supposed to be untradeable -- at least, that was the feeling around Major League Soccer after his terrible 2005 season. He caused trouble for Real Salt Lake off the field and disappointment on it, all for the low, low price of $410,000. It was enough to make the expansion franchise decide that it had to do anything it could to send the former World Cup star packing.
Kent Horner/WireImage
Goals in 2005 were a rarity for the once-prolific Clint Mathis.
The deal marks the latest chapter in the soap opera that Mathis' career has become. He left MLS after the 2003 season to make a run at Europe, a decision that landed him in Germany. He started off extremely fast for Hannover 96 but his success was short-lived and he eventually fell out of favor after a clash with coach Ewald Lienen. He returned to MLS before the start of the 2005 season, saying he came back to honor a promise to Real Salt Lake coach John Ellinger that he would some day play for him.
Whether you bought that excuse or you figured that Mathis came back to MLS because the league, desperate to add American stars after losing Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley, offered him a golden parachute in the form of a seven-figure guaranteed contract over three guaranteed years - it was hard not to see Mathis as an unmitigated flop last season.
He looked like a shadow of the player who dominated MLS in 2001 and 2002, or even the player who scored a bunch of goals at the start of the 2003 season. There were games in which the effort was there, where you could still see the vision and skill that once made him the U.S. national team's most dangerous player, but those moments were too few and far between for Real Salt Lake officials.
Enter the Colorado Rapids. Fernando Clavijo, the ultimate tinker man, stepped forward and jumped at the opportunity to land another player with a world of talent but questionable reputation. He left many around the league scratching their heads when he dealt respected veteran defender Richie Kotschau for Cornell Glen, a young forward who was joining his fourth team in three seasons.
Now Clavijo takes on Mathis, a player who neither Octavio Zambrano or Bob Bradley, two of the winningest coaches in MLS history, could handle. Several factors played into Clavijo's gamble. Consider the amount of salary Real Salt Lake is covering, the fact that the Rapids wanted to unload Cunningham and perhaps most important, the Rapids' desperate need for some midfield creativity and a playmaker capable of setting up speedsters Jean-Philippe Peguero and Glen. Clavijo was surely drawn to the potential central midfield pairing of Pablo Mastroeni and an in-form Mathis, which could be the best tandem in MLS.
The lone question remaining is whether Mathis will go to Denver. There were grumblings out of Utah that Mathis was opposed to the trade and might threaten not to report to the Rapids. He doesn't have much leverage since Real Salt Lake would love nothing more than to void his guaranteed contract.
Enter the MetroStars. Yes, you knew Alexi Lalas would be in the mix once Mathis was on the trade block. The more surprising revelations are that Metros coach Mo Johnston wants Mathis back and the team was willing to part with Eddie Gaven to make it happen. It remains unclear why Real Salt Lake didn't jump at the chance to acquire Gaven, although one reason may have been the team's unwillingness to pay a large portion of Mathis' guaranteed contract for the next two years as well as the high salary of Ante Razov, whom the Metros are trying to unload because of his $200,000-plus contract in 2006.
So why the interest in a Mathis-Metros reunion? Lalas surely loved the idea of bringing in a high-profile American attacking player, something the team hasn't had since Mathis left two years ago. Johnston and Mathis had a solid relationship the first time around and you can bet Johnston believes he can coach Mathis. Don't expect the Metros to give up on trying to acquire him, especially if Mathis is truly opposed to being dealt to Colorado.
Whether Mathis stays with the Rapids, or winds up with the MetroStars, he heads into next season already written off by many who believe his career is in a freefall. Can he muster some more magic and put together the type of season expected of him when he returned from Germany? Could he do enough to warrant a last look from Bruce Arena? The Rapids are banking on Mathis being able to find a positive answer to some of the many questions surrounding his career. The rest of the league is standing by, ready to drop a collective "I told you so" if Mathis flops again.
Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPN.com and is also a writer and columnist for the Herald News (N.J.). He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com.
