When We Were Metrostars - A Ten Part Series, Part 2

CLINT MATHIS LOVES NEW YORK AND TWO STATES CHEER

They talk about impact players in sports. Michael Jordan in basketball, Tom Brady of the NFL or Lionel Messi in soccer are examples of impact players, the faces of their respective sports. They defined the direction their sports took in our consciousness. In the formative years of MLS, they had star players of great quality and fame in the game, but none made superstar waves like the aforementioned.

However by the fifth year, the biggest impact player the MetroStars, and by extension the MLS, would experience in their short history was not even on the team 10 games into the 2000 season. They had a World Cup champion from Germany and a train from Colombia on the roster as well as two U.S. National team players. Yet by May with a pedestrian record of 4-6 ,the man who would move the needle like no other was on the wrong coast.

In retrospect, all New York and New Jersey MetroStars fans have to thank Luis Hernandez for coming to MLS. You have to remember MLS had a plan that was heavy on stability and survival. They wanted all the teams to maintain competitive balance and avoid the pitfalls of the NASL when the New York Cosmos outspent and out ran the rest of the league to extinction by 1984. So, it was difficult to stock up on more than one alpha star.

This was the result of the Los Angeles Galaxy acquiring the Mexican superstar. It required them to allow a player of similar talent to be made available in a reentry draft. The player that became available was a player from Conyers, Georgia who was successful at every level of the soccer pyramid up to that point and would do even more with his new team.

In 1998, Mathis was the sixth overall pick in the MLS draft coming out of South Carolina. In three years for Los Angeles, he would net 15 goals over two seasons and 10 games into 2000. MLS awarded Mathis via the dispersal draft to the MetroStars and a star was born. He would double his previous scoring outputs and more importantly his goals were timely and had maximum impact on the games and the standings as the MetroStars started a steady climb to the top of the division. He also was winning me over as my favorite player on the team.

In fact, Mathis even had his first signature moment when he scored his first goal for New York when he pulled his jersey shirt up to expose the undershirt beneath which contained the old "I love NY logo." He was a made man from that point, which sparked a run like few would ever witness. In addition, he was an American star, homegrown from MLS, something that was rare.

Mathis proceeded to score tons of goals for New York against all foes and fast tracked him to the National Team where he scored a goal in the 2002 World Cup against co-hosts South Korea. His face was planted on magazines including Sports Illustrated, something that had not happened in seven years. He was the striker that the MetroStars dreamed of and pairing with Colombian Aldolfo "El Tren" Valencia, MLS had a one-two punch rarely seen up to that point.

We took our first trip together, four of us on the Long Island Railroad to Manhattan and then on the bus to East Rutherford, NJ to Giants Stadium, our debut in this famous field of the two-time Super Bowl Champion Giants and site of Italy- Ireland, Germany -Bulgaria and Italy-Bulgaria during the 1994 World Cup. Another person was also making his debut as Mathis and his new team the MetroStars would be playing Carlos Valderrama and the Tampa Bay Mutiny.

He did not score, but was instrumental in the game winning tally when he and Mark Chung put together a pretty combination of passes which found the foot of Peter Villegas six minutes into extra time. The Metros' comeback from two goals to win and get within a game of .500 mark raised many eyebrows.

It was here where I purchased my MetroStars scarf, a must for anyone who claims to support a soccer team. This item was once known as the granny-scarves as grandmothers would knit them for family to show their allegiance. Later in the 90's in the United Kingdom, they had a two fold purpose, to identify your team loyalty and to stay warm.

The Empire Supporters Club, behind the goal surrounding the entranceway to the field, was the Metros bullhorn, the the call to arms for its home 11 and was always in full effect. Sometimes they were in full attendance, sometimes only a few.

However, they made themselves known every home game as the loudest and most passionate section. I made it a point to bring my crew around as close as possible to their zone to immerse ourselves in Metro-worship. Every one in our group got something to show they were part of the experience, a poster of Tab Ramos, T-shirts and programs, any collectible within the budget.

The MetroStars were below .500 at the time when Mathis was acquired rejoining his coach from the Galaxy, Octavio Zambrano. He had to know what he was getting yet even he would not have expected Mathis to exceed expectations to such a degree that the MetroStars' attack became not only dangerous, but elite. Mathis was not just a scorer, but a playmaker as well as he accrued nearly as many assists as goals.

He would demonstrate this the following week when we returned to see Mathis score first and assist on another as they jumped all over their rival the Chicago Fire led by Hristo Stoichkov, the Bulgarian World Cup hero who took them to the semifinals. The 4-2 final served notice to the league that something special was going on here.

Mathis continued to pump in the goals and assists over the course of the season and he brought fans to the stadium; even mainstream ones who never watched the sport. He did more than just score as he also became a phenomenon. His accomplishments drew many an eyeball that never considered soccer worth their time and made it cool. As Mathis said in an interview two years ago, "No one gave a s##t about soccer then."

But when Mathis started showing his magic touch and penchant for clutch moments, New York suddenly gave a s##t. The MetroStars also did a lot of winning. In fact, once Mathis arrived the Metrostars went on a spree where he finished second in league scoring with 13 goals and 13 assists in twenty games for the Metros, 16 goals and 14 assists overall.

Mathis punctuated his reputation as a sniper with five goals against the Dallas Burn on a memorable August 26th night which helped clinch the Eastern Division title, the first in team history. Once Mathis came on board, the Metrostars won or tied 16 of their final 22 games. They had the third best point total in MLS and Mathis made the MLS Best XI. Mathis was the IT factor throughout the 2000 campaign and the postseason was next.

In the playoffs at Giant's Stadium, it was against Dallas Burn and Mathis tallied the first postseason goal in the 34th minute off a corner kick that he took control of in a crowd and slotted in, something he was an expert in. Then after Dallas tied the game, Mathis led the way again breaking a defensive deadlock with the assist of the year when from the 25 yard line.

He collected a pass in center and sent a perfect straight line pass to Valencia at the center of the box and El Tren spun off one defender entering prime real estate and evading another which cleared him for a clean look, and a shot which found the back of the net and victory in overtime.

In game 2 in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl, Mathis took over scoring twice in the second half, one off of a volley off a Comas one-time flicker from the left to Mathis on the far right side of the box. The final one came off a save that rebounded back to him which he re-directed back in for the clincher. The MetroStars had a two-game sweep and a ticket to the semi-finals in Chicago.

After getting shutout in game one versus Chicago, the MetroStars held a precarious 1-0 lead until six minutes remaining when Mathis and Magic presented itself once more when he found Valencia with a short diagonal pass to Valencia in the box and suddenly it was 2-0 and the series was all even. The dominant memory of that game was a section wide flag that was passed around the stadium. More on that later in this story.

The finale in Soldier Field saw a physical and intense game and Mathis was hit with a yellow card 20 minutes in as they fell behind early. Though the Metros rallied, all was not well in the end. Many would say an injustice yet for Mathis he had made the point of all points. He was the player to watch in 2000 and made New York and New Jersey fans feel that the championship would theirs. Mathis made New York and New Jersey relevant in the world of soccer.