Clint Mathis should be a Major League Soccer All-Star

June 29, 7:14 PMUtah Sports ExaminerBrian Shaw

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Clint Mathis should be a Major League Soccer All-Star and here’s why: If it weren’t for Mathis’ passes searing opposing defenses (sorry, Javier Morales) like a butter knife slicing through Kobe beef at Ruth’s Chris, we would be stuck talking about the awfulness of RSL‘s offense.

All season long, Mathis’ through balls found the waiting feet of forwards like Yura Movsisyan and Robbie Findley while opponents were fighting over the last piece of meat left on Javier Morales tender ankle.

In Morales absence (er, the one super-imposed upon Morales through no fault of his own) Mathis has been the heir apparent, harkening us back to brighter days when Clint had more hair.

But the one thing he never had as a spiky, cantankerous youth national team star, was a brain in his head, something that he has apparently acquired the second time around at RSL.

Mathis has more frequent flier miles than Amado Guevara (and that’s a lot) and his main problem has been getting along with his coaches. Consider that Mathis has publicly called out his coaches in the past and one has to wonder why head coach Jason Kreis decided to take Mathis back.

But after watching Clint mature before our very eyes this season, everybody knows why Kreis took another rather huge chance on a guy who has played for four MLS teams in five seasons, not counting his stints overseas.
But this may be the final stop in an illustrious career spanning more than a decade and a storybook ending would seem only appropriate.

The bottom line is Mathis has earned his spot in the All-Star side ready to do battle with English Premier League giants Everton FC July 29 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Two goals and six assists have solidified his spot in the team, in my view, his six passes for goals ranking second-best in MLS.
One thing is clear: If he does make it back in the All-Star team for the first time since 2003, will Mathis have the same renaissance as Preki did, earning more national team caps than he did in his earlier years?
The way things are going right now, anything is possible.

But watching Mathis miss out on an All-Star game, especially after everything he’s gone through to get back to this rare form, would be heartbreaking.