Mathis is grounding for Williams

Like anyone would be, Clint Mathis was floored emotionally when he learned last Saturday that his friend and teammate Andy Williams had caught the first flight bound for Seattle to be with his ailing wife.

In the weeks following her cord blood transplant, Marcia Williams had developed a cough, and early Saturday she started coughing up blood and was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit. Her status has since improved, but a cloud of uncertainty hung over Real Salt Lake last Saturday as the team took on Club America without Williams.

Mathis, who has become Williams' best friend on the team, felt compelled to honor his missing teammate by wearing Williams' No. 77 jersey against Club America.

"I just wanted to throw a little gesture 'cause he is a friend to show him he's still with us," Mathis said. "To let him know he does have another family here."

More than anyone else, Mathis has become like a brother to Williams. They've known each other for nearly a decade, and have been teammates twice before Mathis rejoined Real Salt Lake in 2008 for the duo's third stint together.

Their bond has strengthened immeasurably this season as Williams copes with his wife's battle with leukemia. Mathis and Williams carpool to and from practice almost every day and are also roommates on the road. Day in and day out, Mathis sees the emotional strain cancer places on loved ones.

"I can't even imagine, I couldn't put myself in his shoes," said Mathis, who is also married. "There's no way, it's got to be so hard. I don't know how he shows up at practice and games. He's a strong person, that's for sure."

Mathis said he's never tried to be the sounding board for Williams' troubles. That doesn't mean he wouldn't, but for the most part he's tried to be the normalcy that Williams needs in his life.

It's been over a year since the Williams family first learned of Marcia's illness, and the negativity at times has been constant. In an effort to offer stability, Mathis tries to avoid talking about medical issues with Williams. Instead, he tries to make his friend laugh and treat him as normally as possible.

Doing so isn't always easy, but it helps that despite opposite backgrounds, Mathis and Williams have surprisingly much in common. Both in their early 30s, they've each represented their respective countries at a World Cup while they've also bounced around quite extensively in their club careers as well.

With Real Salt Lake, they appear to have finally found some stability, and on a team where the average age is 25 years old, their bond has only strengthened.

Williams will likely also miss this weekend's Real Salt Lake game at Columbus, Ohio, forcing Mathis to bunk with another teammate. It's unlikely that MLS will let Mathis wear No. 77 as another tribute to his friend, and Williams' absence again will be another subtle reminder about just how cruel cancer really is.

e-mail: jedward@desnews.com