Real Salt Lake: It would be tough for MLS to overlook Mathis

With the MLS All-Star Game a little less than a month away, it won't be long before voting concludes and the best 11 are announced.

It's unlikely anyone from Real Salt Lake will be among the starters considering the club's so-so first half of the 2009 season. But, will anyone from RSL be among the seven reserves? It's hard to imagine someone wouldn't, considering the MLS All-Stars take on Everton at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 29.

There's no guarantee that coach Dominic Kinnear and commissioner Don Garber will add anyone from the host team, but at this point it will be tough for either to overlook Clint Mathis.

In RSL's 3-0 victory over Toronto FC on Saturday Mathis finished with a goal and an assist. It was his second goal and sixth assist of the season, and Mathis is now tied for second in MLS with six assists, one behind Houston's Brad Davis.

"He in particular was finding the ball in the right spaces and making extremely intelligent decisions on the ball every time he had it. I thought he played a very effective match tonight," said RSL coach Jason Kreis.

Many believe Mathis is playing his best soccer since the build-up to the 2002 World Cup, but if he isn't named to the MLS All-Star team, who if any of his teammates will? Nick Rimando is also having an excellent season, picking up his fourth shutout on Saturday night against Toronto and lowering his goals against average to 0.97. There's a slim chance defender Nat Borchers might get some consideration, but it would seem that Mathis is Real Salt Lake's best hope for its first MLS All-Star since Eddie Pope in 2007.

It would continue Mathis' renaissance as a soccer player — which all began when he returned to RSL last summer.

"I just feel good. I'm actually happy to play soccer again. There were a few years where different circumstances were happening and I almost said, 'What am I doing this for, it's not making me happy,' " said Mathis, who always told himself he'd quit when soccer stopped being fun.

Since his move to Europe in 2004, Mathis has played for six teams. Those stops include Hanover (Germany), Real Salt Lake, Colorado, New York, Los Angeles and Ergotelis (Greece), most of which he didn't enjoy. He's been thrilled with his second stint with Real Salt Lake.

"I got myself in a situation where I was going to give it another shot in a great organization, great coaching staff, great ownership. It makes a big difference," said Mathis.

Mathis believes some of his former teams made half-hearted efforts to be successful, which he admits was frustrating.

"If the organization, the coaching staff and this and that don't care why should I?" said Mathis. "I think I was just in that situation too long."

A change of scenery might result in his first MLS All-Star appearance since 2003.

E-mail: jedward@desnews.com