Quirky and flamboyant Mathis becomes Real's newest player

U.S. soccer player Clint Mathis garnered international notoriety for his Mohawk hairstyle during the 2002 World Cup.

With that said, don't expect a similar flamboyant hairstyle when Mathis takes the field for Real Salt Lake in the franchise's inaugural game in 99 days,

"He's got a girlfriend now," said RSL coach John Ellinger. "He's much more mature."

Odds are good, however, that Mathis will make some kind of splash on April 2 when RSL visits the NY/NJ Metrostars — a game that will no doubt be hyped as Mathis' return to the MLS, as much as Real Salt Lake's first game.

A fashionably clean-cut Mathis was formally introduced as Real's newest player at a Thursday press conference at the Hard Rock Cafe. Mathis' addition gives the expansion franchise one of the most recognizable and charismatic players American soccer has ever produced.

"I am very excited to be here in Salt Lake, playing for John Ellinger and performing as part of a world-class team," said Mathis.

Make no mistake about it, if Ellinger weren't calling the shots in Salt Lake City, Mathis would still be playing in Europe. He probably wouldn't be suiting up for Hannover 96, the German team he joined last January after a six-year career in the MLS, but several other European teams were still interested in Mathis' services despite his recent fallout with Hannover's coach.

None of those teams were coached by Ellinger, however.

Ellinger's first dealings with Mathis came in 1997, when Mathis was a member of the under-20 U.S. National Team that participated in the World University Games in Italy. During the three-week period, a unique bond was formed between the player and coach. Then, prior to Mathis' move over the Atlantic in 2002, Ellinger and Mathis were both in Florida for a national team training session, and Mathis passingly told Ellinger if he ever became a head coach somewhere, he'd love to come back and play for him.

Neither could've foreseen that exact scenario panning out a year later.

"It definitely sounds stereotypical, but you hear it all the time in sports, John is a players' coach," said Mathis. "I think a lot of times coaches and players butt heads and tend to disagree. You might not always agree with Ellinger, but he's understanding, and he'll listen to you, just like we have enough respect to listen to him."

That, in a nutshell, is why Mathis is back in the MLS. Because in reality, he should still be in Europe.