Clint Mathis (born November 25, 1976 in
Conyers, Georgia) is a retired
American soccer player.
Career
Youth and college
Mathis played club soccer at a young age for Rockdale Youth Soccer Association, and then for AFC Lightning, a Georgia powerhouse producing players such as current U.S. international
Ricardo Clark, in Fayetteville. He played school ball for
Heritage High School, a state champion, and played
college soccer at the
University of South Carolina.
Professional
Mathis was drafted sixth overall by the
Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the
1998 MLS College Draft. 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" shirt after scoring goals and breaking the MLS record by scoring five goals in a game against the
Dallas Burn 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. 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 attempted to acquire Mathis but was blocked by MLS. Mathis was...
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