Clint Mathis To Sign With RSL

Major League Soccer is set to welcome back yet another one of it’s own as Clint Mathis is reportedly on the verge of a deal to join Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake. Since the Los Angeles Galaxy still hold the rights to Cleetus, RSL will have to give up either a third- or fourth-round pick in the 2010 SuperDraft to acquire the former U.S. star.Mathis, 31, has made 210 regular season appearances in Major League Soccer, with another 21 playoff games and three All-Star selections to his credit. He was previously a member of Real Salt Lake for their inaugural season in 2005, and has also had multiple stints with Los Angeles and New York (both with the MetroStars and Red Bulls). Mathis spent a single season at Steve Cherundolo’s club Hannover 96 in Germany (2004) and also played a year for the Colorado Rapids (2006) before returning to New York.

The Galaxy had traded for Mathis at the conclusion of the 2007 season, but he only briefly featured alongside David Beckham during their pre-season tour of Australia and Asia before deciding to sign with Greek outfit Ergotelis. After scoring one goal in eight appearances for the relegation battlers, he has apparently decided to return to the United States.

On the international stage, Mathis received 46 caps between 1998-2005, scoring 12 goals for the US Men’s National Team. He was part of the 2002 U.S. World Cup squad, and even scored a goal in the tournament in their 1-1 tie with South Korea. His final international goal came on March 9th, 2005, when he scored the final goal in the United States’ 3-0 victory over Colombia. Mathis’ final appearance came ten days later, in a 1-0 win over Honduras.