[nas] Mohawk Madness (Mathis)

Mohawk Madness
Clint Mathis resurfaces again to spark MetroStars. 

By Bob Ferguson
New York Sports-Express - Friday, September 12, 2003

THERE ARE MANY statistics one may analyze to figure out what's going
right
or wrong with the MetroStars this season. There is only one stat that
truly
sums it all up: When Clint Mathis scores, Metro goes home with at least a
point, usually three-every time.

This past Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Wizards saw a
glimpse of old school Clint, the player that used to sprint the length of
the field to score "Oh snap!" kind of goals. The player that used to
sneak
off passes to goal-bound teammates with the slickness of a Coney Island
three-card-monte dealer. Just as important as how the Mighty Mohawk might
be
falling back into a productive groove is the reality that the MetroStars
finally grabbed three points after a seven-match winless streak.

Mathis headed in an Amado Guevara corner kick just before the first half
ended, giving coach Bob Bradley a rare chance to deliver a "We've gotta
hold
onto this lead" speech in the locker room at the break.

Even sweeter, perhaps, was Mathis goal in the 59th minute, off a
perfectly
lofted lead pass by John Wolyniec. Guevara and Jaime "Out for the season
and
on the couch watching Jenny Jones" Moreno were supposed to be the guys
creating the big plays this year, but amazingly, Big Woly continues to be
involved in everything. In fact, it appeared K.C. had the Woly wool
pulled
over its eyes as the Wiz's defense spent a little too much time worrying
about him and not Mathis. Funny how the worm turns.

Aside from Chicago's six point perch at the top of the table, the race in
the Eastern Conference has become increasingly tighter since the All-Star
break, with a mere eight points separating everyone else, making the
Saturday, Sept. 13 match against New England an excellent reason to
travel
to the Swamp (7:30 p.m., MSG).

The Revolution are just shy of a playoff spot, and after the recent
slugfest
at the Rutgers U.S. Open Cup match, they will surely come out swinging.
And
with the Fire on a bit of a downswing, if the Metros can pick up their
second trey in a row, that could be just the inspiration the Red & Black
need to realize that an Eastern Conference championship this season may
not
be out of the question after all.

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