Clint Mathis is to try a second spell at Real Salt Lake, paperwork pending, the team's GM Garth Lagerwey has confirmed. Just as England coach Fabio Capello hopes that marriage will settle Wayne Rooney down, Lagerwey reckons that the birth of Mathis' first child on Monday will help steady the wayward career of the forward once touted as the hottest U.S. striking prospect.
Mathis, as Michael Black points out, scored three goals and registered four assists in the 2005 season over 27 games for Salt Lake. Since then he's been at Colorado (even less successful — two goals and one assist), New York (slightly more successful — six goals and two assists), and briefly in the Greek first division at the end of the last European season. Will this spell yield any better results?
"We just want Clint to be a good teammate," Lagerwey said. "We have a great group of guys already, and all we want is for him to come in and complement them. We think he can do that. He just had his first baby on Monday, a little boy named Maximus; that can change anyone. Clint is psyched to be here, and this time he really wants to be here and to succeed. A player with his talent and ability with a desire to go out and help in any way can only be a good thing for our club."
Maximus Mathis. If he follows in his father's footsteps, it will be interesting to hear the JP Dellacameras of tomorrow get their tongues around that one.