Allen Hopkins at ESPN Soccernet is reporting that former Metro Clint Mathis is heading back to the swamp to be the Red Bulls' striker of the, um, what? Future? Mathis, who's fat and 30, has played with LA, the Metro, RSL, and Colorado is his eight-year MLS career. He's scored 52 goals in 182 appearances, though last year he hit the net two whole times in 25 appearances for the Rapids.While Red Bull's Jeff "I Scored in the World Cup... for Portugal" Agoos has told the media that the club has been "searching the world" for a striker, the notion that Cletus is the answer up top with Jozy Altidore is laughable. Mathis' best years in MLS were spent with the Metros from 2000-2003, when he scored 33 goals in 67 appearances, including his league record 5-goal match vs. Dallas on August 26, 2000. With Mathis' help, the 2000 Metros won their only playoff series and came up a single goal short reaching of the MLS Cup. Mathis, whose memorable goal vs. South Korea at World Cup 2002 was clearly the pinnacle of his career, has always been a bit of a head case, and unless Bruce Arena can summon the Mathis of that long-ago summer, Cletus' new stint in New York will be met with hoots of derision from the NY fans and cheers of glee from Red Bull rivals.
The proof will be in the pudding, but giving Colorado anything for Mathis (save a case of Coors Light) may turn out to be a horrible decision for the RBFO. Wow. Just wow.
