By Will Kuhns, Senior Editor
MetroStars coach Octavio Zambrano is exasperated with Clint Mathis, arguably his top player.
Zambrano seemed calm but disheartened Saturday night when he heard that Mathis said he unintentionally stepped on the back of D.C. United's Jose Alegria in the 30th minute — a move that earned him a red card and led to the MetroStars' 2-1 loss in Washington.
''There is no excuse on Clint's red card. That was a red card,'' Zambrano said. ''Clint is in denial and he needs help. Professional help. … the only good thing could happen out of this is that in the offseason we need to manage this with the severity and with the compassion that it requires. It is a matter that requires professional attention.''
Zambrano later clarified those statements saying, ''what Clint is in need of is someone that would help him focus. … He's constantly arguing with referees, he's constantly getting into trouble and the possibility of him being thrown out is always there when he's in that mode. I have had countless conversations with him about it — including one before this particular match — so it's clear to me that it is beyond my reach. It seems to be reoccurring. In my opinion, he needs to seek outside help, perhaps a sports psychologist, that would help him focus and help him tone down his behavior towards referees and help him channel his energy towards scoring goals.''
Mathis spoke freely to reporters about the incident before hearing Zambrano's comments, but by Monday he chose to speak only through his agent, Craig Sharon.
''Clint has acknowledged his mistake and apologized for it,'' Sharon said. ''Clint does not see any benefit for himself or his team to engaging in a public debate about Octavio's indiscreet and unprofessional remarks.''
Zambrano said Mathis was fortunate not to get ejected from the MetroStars' previous game, a 1-0 loss at home to D.C. United. Several players said that Mathis was dissenting throughout that game and Zambrano said a tackle Mathis made on Bobby Convey was reckless.
When told that several players around the league have short fuses and reputations for dissent, Zambrano replied, ''not like this.''
''It is relentless,'' Zambrano said. ''Clint goes out of his way, chases the referee, gets in his face, points with his finger, and tells him things — over and over. It is an issue he needs to control if he is to be a better footballer. He has gotten to the point that it's taking so much out of his game, that it is preventing him from performing as good as he should be performing.''
In his postgame monologue about Mathis, Zambrano also stated that Mathis ''is a good kid with a good heart.''
''I love him. I really do,'' Zambrano said. ''And I would not feel right to try to let him get away with that excuse. Because I've seen it happen so many times. It's a repetitive behavior that's not going to stop tomorrow or the day after. There's only one stop. It's Clint, himself, first acknowledging it. That would be the first step closer. But when you tell me today that he didn't mean to do it — that saddens me. At some point he's going to have to own up.''
Mathis remained in the locker room after the game from which he was sent off, taking blame while explaining his side.
''I wasn't trying to step on him or anything like that,'' Mathis said. ''I know I'm always getting into mix-ups, but this time I honestly didn't mean any harm. Kevin [Stott] said he believed me, but I guess that didn't matter. I only had that one leg, because [Jose Alegria] came and hit the other one, so stepped down and I picked my foot up real quick, but it wasn't good enough. … I let my team down big time by getting thrown out like that.''