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RSL Welcomes American Soccer Icon Clint Mathis to Salt Lake City

January 6, 2005 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SALT LAKE CITY (Thursday, January 6, 2005) – Real Salt Lake, Major League Soccer's 12th team, today introduced U.S. National Team icon Clint Mathis as the expansion team's first allocation from MLS. Mathis, one of the most dangerous attackers the United States has ever produced, played in MLS for the Los Angeles Galaxy and MetroStars from 1998-2003 before joining Hannover 96 in the famed German Bundesliga.

"As Real Salt Lake continues to build the organization, we are elated to welcome a player of Clint's caliber and stature to a roster that already includes such offensive powerhouses as Jason Kreis and Andy Williams," said RSL General Manager Steve Pastorino. "We believe that Clint is an extremely special player on the field who can change the game at any moment, and off the field he has proven to capture the imagination of the American sporting public. We expect great things from Clint during our inaugural season and beyond."

Mathis, who has scored 11 goals in 44 appearances with the U.S. National Team, is known for scoring one of the most crucial goals for the United States in the 2002 World Cup, delivering a clinical finish in the 24th minute to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead against Korea. In 2004, Mathis appeared in six matches for Bruce Arena's team, starting three, including the United States' 1-0 win over Poland on March 31, the team's first win on European soil.

"I am very excited to be here in Salt Lake, playing for (RSL Head Coach) John Ellinger and performing as part of a world-class team," said Mathis. "Everything I've heard about this community and their response to what Dave Checketts and Steve Pastorino are doing off the field, combined with my happiness to be playing for John, gives me a great feeling of anticipation for the MLS season. I can't wait to get out there and play."

Mathis began his Bundesliga career by starting his first 13 games and scoring in four of his first five appearances for Hannover, demonstrating his ability to disrupt defenses with unpredictability and speed off the dribble. Prior to his season-and-a-half with Hannover, Mathis garnered several MLS honors, including his memorable MLS Goal of the Year in 2001 (a slashing, 70-yard run through the Dallas Burn defense), MLS All-Star and Best XI selections in 2000, two MLS Player of the Month and MLS Player of the Week honors in 2000, the season he set the MLS record with five goals in a single game (August 26, 2000, at Dallas).

"Clint's ability and willingness to shoot from distance is one of the things that sets him apart," said Real Salt Lake Head Coach John Ellinger. " He can just take a game over and explode on opposing teams. He is an adept passer, he's menacing on free kicks and we're thrilled to have him in Salt Lake."

Mathis becomes Real Salt Lake's 15th player, and will soon be joined by several more via the 2005 MLS SuperDraft as well as additional discoveries and other player acquisitions. The current Real Salt Lake roster is as follows:

REAL SALT LAKE ROSTER – Thursday, January 6, 2004

Player Pos Birthdate Exp / Notes:

Nelson Akwari DF 02-04-1982 3 Project-40 graduate in 2004, started regularly and helped solidify the Crew's defense in 19 games

Kevin Ara MF 02-08-1982 1 Harvard product saw action in six contests during his rookie campaign in MLS, including one start

Matt Behncke DF 02-04-1982 3 Princeton product in and out of the starting lineup, scoring once in 17 games

Pablo Brenes DF 08-04-1982 1 Promising left-sided def/mid, Costa Rican Olympian played 14 games for MetroStars

Chris Brown M/F 03-10-1977 6 Brown recorded goal, two assists in limited duty for San Jose after early-season trade with Revs

D.J. Countess GK 01-09-1982 3 Young 'keeper limited to two appearances for Chicago after offseason trade from Dallas

Brian Kamler MF 02-12-1972 9 MLS original who played in 22 games this season for the Revs, on the left of midfield or defense

Jason Kreis FW 12-29-1972 9 All-Time MLS leading goal scorer (91) and game-winning goal scorer (28)

Clint Mathis FW 11-25-1976 7 MLS Best XI member in 2000 who set MLS record for goals in a game with 5

Rusty Pierce DF 07-24-1979 3 Rugged center back returned from serious thigh injury shore up Revolution defense

Erick Scott FW 05-21-1981 1 Costa Rican int'l saw only six games in his first MLS season, away often on international duty

Dipsy Selolwane FW 01-27-1978 2 Botswanan striker has registered numerous game-winning goals in Open Cup, WCQ

Jeff Stewart DF 06-02-1980 3 Started 27 of 31 matches in first two MLS seasons before knee injury erased 2004 campaign

Evan Whitfield DF 06-23-1977 5 Phoenix native one of only 7 Fire players to appear in 100+ games

Andy Williams MF 09-23-1977 7 Jamaican int'l was 2nd-leading scorer for Chicago, registering 17 points on four goals, nine assists

At MLS Cup in November, Real Salt Lake was awarded the #1 overall pick in the January 14 MLS SuperDraft, following the result of a coin toss preceding Sunday's MLS Cup 2004 contest at The Home Depot Center. Major League Soccer's 2005 SuperDraft will be carried LIVE on Fox Sports World at 10:00 a.m. MT and is expected to last one hour.

Real Salt Lake season-ticket holders and fans will be invited to join the team for this historic event at a location to be determined. At the event, fans will have the opportunity to meet RSL players, reserve season tickets, buy merchandise, witness the historic draft-day events and interact with Real Salt Lake management. Preparations continue for the inaugural season of Real Salt Lake, kicking off in April, 2005. More information on the club can be found on the team's official website at www.RealSaltLake.com or by calling 1-866-9-SOCCER.

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