On This Day in 2002, the Forward Cemented His Spot on the World Cup Roster with a Double in a Tune-up Victory
Clint Mathis was on the rise in 2000 leading into 2001.
He was an MVP candidate for the MetroStars, scoring 16 goals and nine assists in 26 MLS and playoff matches, including five goals in a game against Dallas Burn in August 2000. Two months later, Mathis was called up to the U.S. Men's National Team camp, where he earned his fourth cap and assisted in the win over Mexico on October 25.
The Georgia native scored his first US goal in the next match against Barbados in November, and his stock would continue to rise. He was a catalyst off the bench in the late February 2-0 win over Mexico in World Cup Qualifying, nabbing an assist on Josh Wolff's match-winner after coming off the bench. He scored against Brazil and Honduras in consecutive matches before assisting Wolff again in a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in qualifying.
Mathis was enjoying his best MLS season in 2001 until a devastating anterior cruciate ligament tear in June threatened to derail his World Cup dreams. He would miss the rest of the MLS season and was slowly reintroduced to the national team, making his return in the Gold Cup Quarterfinal win over El Salvador in late January 2002. Mathis would also come off the bench in the semifinal and final, helping the US secure the trophy.
But on March 2, Mathis showed he was back in full force, scoring twice in a dominant 4-0 U.S. victory over Honduras at Seattle's Safeco Field — his first goals for the national team in almost a year. The performance, alongside strike partner Brian McBride, made a powerful statement about his readiness for the upcoming World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Landon Donovan scored the other two goals in the victory.
"I actually think that injury helped," Mathis had said about his ACL recovery. "It could have happened at a lot worse time. The World Cup was still a year away, and I knew I had plenty of time to get into shape. It also took me out of the spotlight for a short time. But one thing I did not expect was to have the success I had so quickly when I came back."
That success was on full display in Seattle. In the 14th minute, Mathis opened the scoring when Jeff Agoos floated a diagonal ball to the far post. McBride headed it back across goal where unmarked Mathis directed his own header inside the left post beyond Honduran goalkeeper Victor Coello.
Mathis doubled his tally in the 59th minute after a clever buildup play between DaMarcus Beasley and substitute Eddie Lewis. Lewis whipped in a cross that McBride dove to head, deflecting it into Mathis' path for a clinical finish. He nearly had a hat trick when his 20-yard free kick rattled both the crossbar and right post.
"I think this was a really good afternoon for us," U.S. coach Bruce Arena said after the match. "We played really well and got a good effort out of the guys today."
The performance helped cement Mathis' place in Arena's World Cup plans. He was transforming into exactly the kind of homegrown American soccer star the program had been seeking to develop. As teammate Brad Friedel noted: "He's a pure goalscorer, no other way to describe him. Wherever he is on the field, he wants to score."
The goalscoring form would continue for Mathis in the lead-up to the 2002 World Cup, with two more against Germany, another against Mexico, and a final against Jamaica. Mathis would make the World Cup squad and score a memorable goal in the Americans' 1-1 draw with South Korea, further raising his profile. European clubs took notice - both Bayern Munich and Perugia opened negotiations with MLS that summer, with a reported asking price of $5 million for the striker's services.
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