Red hot

Mathis racks up cautions, goals in World Cup warmups

By Jeff Green, CNNSI.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Clint Mathis was warned, but it didn't help in Sunday's warmup for the World Cup finals.

Early in Sunday's 1-0 win against a depleted but scrappy Ecuador team, the U.S. forward seemed in danger of losing his ongoing personal struggle to harness his aggressiveness.

"I told him at halftime that he had a bull's-eye on his back," said U.S. coach Bruce Arena. "He had attracted himself to the referee, and if he made any kind of play that was questionable in the second half, he was going to be sent off.

"And he was."

In the United States' 4-0 stomping of a spiritless Honduran team last Saturday, Mathis made his first start since recovering from a serious knee injury last year. He scored two goals.

Against Ecuador -- the surprise success of South American World Cup qualifying -- he picked up a matching set of yellow cards.

"I was just trying to play hard and competitive, you know," Mathis said. "[The ejection] was a little unfortunate."

Mathis suffered his injury -- a torn knee ligament -- while training with the national team in preparation for a June 7 friendly game against Ecuador in Columbus, Ohio. That game ended 0-0.

Not coincidentally, the U.S. team's fortunes in World Cup qualifying then took a nosedive before it was able to finally book a pass to the Far East.

Until that point, Mathis was as hot as any U.S. player has been since the nation made its return from obscurity to World Cup play in 1990. He notched two goals and three assists in six games for the national team before June. In Major League Soccer, he finished the season as the MetroStars' leading scorer with seven goals and five assists, despite playing in only 10 of 26 matches.

However, he also averaged a yellow card roughly every 150 minutes for both the MetroStars and the national team.

The U.S. needs that type of goal-scoring form from Mathis, and not the yellow cards, to expect World Cup success.

"Again, we see the good and the bad," said Arena. "He's still a very dangerous attacking player. He just needs to be a little more mature in these situations.

"Clint is a terrific player. He makes us a better team. He's just got to learn from this experience."

Just ask his strike partner Brian McBride, who at this point appears a lock for a World Cup starting spot after overcoming his own injury woes.

"Clint can do amazing things with the ball" said McBride. "He's a good runner off the ball. He shoots well. He's a great passer."

Three times in Sunday's game, Mathis put his name on the stat sheet. The first was in the 21st minute, when he and Eddie Lewis traded places to produce a goal.

Mathis broke loose on the left flank off a long, looping pass from Cobi Jones. Mathis took a few casual touches near the endline before sliding a short cross to Eddie Lewis' preferred left foot. Lewis took just one touch to put the ball in the far corner of the goal.

But soon Mathis was attracting as much attention from Salvadoran referee Rodolfo Sibrian as he was from opposing defenders.

The match was physical from the onset, and Mathis made his frustration known to both the referee and the opposition, jawing at Edwin Tenorio and appearing to miss the resulting spit directed toward him.

In the 39th minute, Sibrian showed Mathis a yellow card for a tackle on Alfonso Obregon. On the play, Jones stole the ball but sent an errant pass near Mathis, whose cleats found Obregon's ankle instead of the ball. Sibrian, who was just feet away, played the advantage for Ecuador but cautioned Mathis when play was stopped.

"There was nothing there," Mathis said. "I just didn't see him. He came from my blindside when I was going to turn, and just happened to hit."

Then in the 59th minute, McBride was dispossessed roughly just outside the penalty box by Geovanny Espinosa and Tenorio, who turned upfield with the ball. Mathis streaked in at an angle and bowled Tenorio over, making no contact with the ball but taking a stiff-arm in the process.

"Clint wanted someone to stick up for me, and unfortunately he was the closest man and he had a yellow already," McBride told USA Today.

Mathis disputed both of the cautions from Sibrian.

"I wouldn't agree with him, but then again I guess, when do we ever?"

The Georgia native had harsher words as he left the field after seeing red.

ABC's field microphones opened just in time to hear Mathis say, "He [bleeping] elbows me in the face and I get a [bleeping] red card."

Mathis' incredulity at his yellow cards shows how the heat of battle can alter interpretations. Television replays clearly show Mathis stomping Obregon's ankle on the first play, and on the second play he appeared intent on fouling Tenorio seconds before he actually did so.

On this day, he lost the battle to contain his fighting spirit and use it to his advantage.

"It's definitely tough," Mathis said. "I'm a very competitive kind of guy, and I get out there and I try to throw 110 percent anytime I do anything.

"I just got a little bit on the bad end of something today, but you know, I wouldn't trade my competitive spirit in for it."

Arena issued another warning for Mathis after the game.

"He has to learn from this experience," Arena said, "because we can't lose players in World Cup games in plays like that."

Better now -- in a friendly when the red card carries no mandatory suspension -- than in South Korea this June.

"Exactly," Mathis said as he climbed aboard the team bus. "That won't happen in the World Cup."

 

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