Clint Mathis puts his bad hair days behind
Clint Mathis is producing the performances that he is capable of this season and he is already the NY Red Bulls top scorer with 4 goals. The Red Bulls are an impressive 22-0-5 when Mathis scores a goal. The last season Mathis did anything of note was in 2003 before his career dissolved into a series of brief stints with a bunch of teams, disputes with coaches and players, injuries, inconsistent play. This was before the unforgettable image of the player sporting a mohawk and his trademark ostrich celebration whose superlative performances for the Metrostars and the 2002 World Cup made him an instant soccer icon. Finally, US soccer had a bad ass.
Saturday’s match saw the Red Bulls destroy the Columbus Crew, 4-0 as Mathis scored his fourth goal, and the team played without Claudio Reyna sitting it out with a groin strain. The Red Bulls so far have benefited from all their transfers this season. Juan Pablo Angel scored his first goal and he has had a hand in two others. Ronald Wattereus is solid in goal and has let in only one goal in 18 shot attempts. Dave van den Bergh has a goal and three assists. And Reyna has been quietly efficient in the midfield. The Red Bulls are second to the Revolution in the Eastern Division and only Taylor Twellman’s cracking good form has made the difference.