MLS Week 19 LRS and a Goodbye
Its week 19 of the MLS season and a bunch of games are going on and what not. You know how it goes, here are the games.
Saturday
MLS
4:00pm ET Toronto FC vs Chivas USA
7:30pm ET New England vs D.C. United
8:30pm ET Kansas City vs Real Salt Lake
9:00pm ET Colorado vs San Jose
Friendly
10:00pm ET LA Galaxy vs Real Madrid FSC/FSE
Sunday
MLS
6:00pm ET FC Dallas vs Philadelphia FSC/FSE
9:00pm ET Chicago vs New York ESPN2/Deportes
11:00pm ET Seattle vs Houston
This is the point where I attempt to hype up a game for this week as being "essential" watching. Normally i'd say that about a league game as is the case of the Chicago vs. New York game where you have the first meeting between 5 Designated Players, 3 on one side 2 on the other or the Rapids vs San Jose game where two teams a point from each other battle to try to build some distance between themselves to eventually make the playoffs. However I won't because neither of them are the most compelling game of the weekend, at least to me. That title goes to a meaningless friendly in Los Angeles in which Clint Mathis will be making his final professional appearance.
I'm old enough now to where i've seen my childhood heroes on the soccer field all retire. Gone are Giovanni Savarese, Tab Ramos, Tony Meola and so many more who have come and gone. As each year passes I slowly realize that the players I root for become my peers and at times I am even older than them when it seemed like just yesterday I was a kid looking up to these adults doing amazing things I could not. And so it is with a heavy heart that I must say we lose another one of those heroes. In my case he wasn't so much a childhood hero but one of the men who took that love of soccer I had and kept it alive.
You can say a lot about Clint Mathis. From his incredibly memorable goals he seemed to score on a regular basis early in his career to what many view as wasted potential as time went by, he is one of the most naturally gifted and sublime players our country has ever produced. Whether its his 60 yard run against the then Dallas Burns or more recently his wonder goal with Real Salt Lake he amazed in the way no other american player had before and really has since.
His brash attitude, style of play and finishing will be missed by all those lucky enough to have seen him play on any level especially in those early days. So its with that I implore you to watch the LA Galaxy play a meaningless friendly against a Real Madrid, it is your last chance to see a player who for all his short comings will only come once in a generation if ever again.
Thank You for all the memories Clint.
Saturday
MLS
4:00pm ET Toronto FC vs Chivas USA
7:30pm ET New England vs D.C. United
8:30pm ET Kansas City vs Real Salt Lake
9:00pm ET Colorado vs San Jose
Friendly
10:00pm ET LA Galaxy vs Real Madrid FSC/FSE
Sunday
MLS
6:00pm ET FC Dallas vs Philadelphia FSC/FSE
9:00pm ET Chicago vs New York ESPN2/Deportes
11:00pm ET Seattle vs Houston
This is the point where I attempt to hype up a game for this week as being "essential" watching. Normally i'd say that about a league game as is the case of the Chicago vs. New York game where you have the first meeting between 5 Designated Players, 3 on one side 2 on the other or the Rapids vs San Jose game where two teams a point from each other battle to try to build some distance between themselves to eventually make the playoffs. However I won't because neither of them are the most compelling game of the weekend, at least to me. That title goes to a meaningless friendly in Los Angeles in which Clint Mathis will be making his final professional appearance.
I'm old enough now to where i've seen my childhood heroes on the soccer field all retire. Gone are Giovanni Savarese, Tab Ramos, Tony Meola and so many more who have come and gone. As each year passes I slowly realize that the players I root for become my peers and at times I am even older than them when it seemed like just yesterday I was a kid looking up to these adults doing amazing things I could not. And so it is with a heavy heart that I must say we lose another one of those heroes. In my case he wasn't so much a childhood hero but one of the men who took that love of soccer I had and kept it alive.
You can say a lot about Clint Mathis. From his incredibly memorable goals he seemed to score on a regular basis early in his career to what many view as wasted potential as time went by, he is one of the most naturally gifted and sublime players our country has ever produced. Whether its his 60 yard run against the then Dallas Burns or more recently his wonder goal with Real Salt Lake he amazed in the way no other american player had before and really has since.
His brash attitude, style of play and finishing will be missed by all those lucky enough to have seen him play on any level especially in those early days. So its with that I implore you to watch the LA Galaxy play a meaningless friendly against a Real Madrid, it is your last chance to see a player who for all his short comings will only come once in a generation if ever again.
Thank You for all the memories Clint.