Americans Abroad

Mathis scores winning goal for Hannover, regains starting job.

By Robert Wagman (in Washington, D.C.)
SoccerTimes

(Tuesday, September 27, 2004) -- United States striker Clint Mathis made the most of his nine minutes of action, scoring the winning goal for Hannover 96 which defeated Schalke 04 1-0 Saturday in Germany's 1Bundesliga.

Mathis came on in the 81st minute and scored a brilliant goal 90 seconds later to gain the much-needed home victory for Hannover. Mathis caused a turnover in the midfield and sent the ball to teammate Thomas Christiansen who pushed it forward down the left side. Mathis, showing good instinct, immediately broke for the goal and was waiting, unmarked in the right side the penalty area for Christiansen's return cross, coolly volleying it past the keeper Frank Rost for the winner.

After the goal, Mathis avoided celebrating with his teammates and ran directly toward Hannover coach Ewald Lienen while pointing to an imaginary wrist watch as if to ask, "Why didn't you put me in earlier?" Immediately after the final whistle, Lienen and Mathis had a relatively long discussion which ended with both smiling

Later, Mathis admitted to wanting to enter the game earlier and to trying to make that clear to Lienen after his goal. He also pointed to the frustration he has felt at not scoring under new coach Lienen since he took over near the end of last season. Lienen, when asked about the situation later, answered all questions in a joking manner, intimating Mathis can complain all that he wants when he scores the winning goal.

U.S defender Steve Cherundolo was back in the starting lineup for Hannover after having been given the night off midweek for a DFB Pokal (German Cup) match, and he responded by putting in his usual solid 90 minutes. His play, as well as that of his defensive colleagues, including goalkeeper Robert Enke, helped preserve the shutout.

Tonight, Mathis was in the starting lineup, but it was Hannover that was frustrated in a 1-0 setback to visiting Arminia Bielefeld in a make-up of a previously postponed match. Delron Buckley scored in the 79th minute for the victory.

Neither side played particularly well, but Mathis set up teammates in each half for what should have been goals. In the 11th minute, Mathis crossed to Jiri Stajner but his shot was comfortably dealt with by goalkeeper Mathias Hain. Midway through the second half, it was substitute Christoph Dabrowski's who was the recipient of Mathis' largesse, but the shot was simple for Hain to handle.

In last week's German Cup match, Hannover traveled to Energie Cottbus to face U.S. defender Gregg Berhalter's team. Cherundolo had the night off, but Mathis started and went 65 minutes, earning a yellow card, in a game that was tied 2-2 after 120 minutes, but won by Hannover 5-4 in penalty kicks.

Berhalter was successful with the first penalty kick and it was 4-4 after eight kicks before Laurentiu Reghecampf's shot was stopped by the Hannover keeper Robert Enke. Hannover's next shooter Thomas Christiansen converted and the club advanced.

On September 19, Berhalter returned to the starting lineup for Cottbus, wearing the captain's armband, after being sidelined since suffering facial injuries at the end of last season. He put 90 minutes on central defense in a disappointing 4-2 road defeat against Rot-Weiss Essen in the 2Bundesliga. Berhalter received a yellow card for his troubles.

Berhalter showed a lot of rust and said he was not satisfied with his performance. "I am extremely disappointed with my play," he told the local Cottbus newspaper, Lausitzer Rundschau, "It was far under what I am capable of."

Cottbus coach, Eduard Geyer was far more optimistic. "Gregg needs now more than anything regular play," he said. "He has to fight through these hard times. He is our boss in the defense and is a very important player for the team."

Berhalter has been putting in extra work after practice to regain full fitness.

Last night in a nationally televised game, Berhalter was again the captain and in central defense for host Cottbus' 1-1 draw with 1860 Munich 1-1.

Each team controlled a half, with 1860's goal coming in the 31st minute the after a defensive mistake. Cottbus scored in the 73rd minute when Michael Thurk brilliantly knocked down a cross with his chest before dribbling around the last defender and shooting past the keeper from 11 yards out.

Berhalter continues to look better and better and he put in 90 minutes. Cottbus (2-1-3, 9 points) is in a three-way tie for sixth place, though Aachen and Munich both have better goal differentials.

On September 18, both Cherundolo and Mathis went 90 minutes for Hannover when it was drubbed by defending 1Bundesliga champion Werder Bremen. Hannover played a man down after Dariusz Zuraw received a red card in the 17th minute. Despite playing with 10, Hannover had several good opportunities, including Mathis' precise free kick to Leandro Fonseca that he headed against the crossbar.

Cherundolo got away with a tackle on Nelson Valdez in the box on a Bremen counter. The referee carded Valdez for a dive, but replays clearly showed that Cherundolo played the man and not the ball. Cherundolo later received a yellow card.

FSV Mainz earned a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund Sunday when Benjamin Auer, starting in place of U.S. striker Conor Casey, headed home the tying goal in the 56th minute.

With his fans chanting for him to play, Casey joined Auer on the front line in the 69th minute and it will be interesting to see if the pair starts together this weekend against SC Freiburg, a team that led the league in goals allowed last year.

During the previous week, Mainz traveled down the Autobahn 5 to take on Casey's former 2 Bundesliga side Karlsruher SC in the DFB Pokal, a 1-1 draw through 90 minutes and 30 minutes of overtime.

Mainz was the better team for most of the game and, leading 1-0, had a chance to put the game away in the 72nd minute, but Casey hit the crossbar with a shot. Karlsruhe evened the score in the 82nd minute when Sean Dundee scored after a defensive mistake in front of the goal.

Karlsruhe advanced after taking the penalty-kicks tiebreaker 3-0, making all three penalty attempts while Mainz failed on three. Casey's attempt was stopped by the keeper.

The previous weekend, Casey came on in the 71st minute and 11 minutes later Mimoun Azaouagh gave Mainz a 1-1 draw with Bielefeld.

Newly-promoted Mainz (2-1-3, 9 points) is currently all alone in fifth place and continue to impress with good play when few had given the team much chance to succeed in the first division.

In other DFB Pokal action, American midfielder Joe Enochs scored and VfL Osnabruck got the better of the play, only to lose 3-2 to perennial Bundesliga power FC Bayern Munich when striker Roy Makaay scored in overtime.

Bayern scored first when Claudio Pizarro got behind the Osnabruck defense for a wide-open header in the fourth minute. Fifteen minutes later, Enochs evened matters at 1-1 with a highlight-reel goal. From 24 yards out, Enochs, wearing the captain's armband, nailed his free kick before 18,200 fans and a national television audience and watched it find the top left corner of the net past diving keeper Michael Rensing, who was filling in for a sick Oliver Kahn.

The goal set the stage for the rest of the game that saw Osnabruck score in the 64th minute and have a chance to put the game away nine minutes later when Alexander Nouri had only the keeper to beat, but came up empty. Munich equalized less than a minute later.

Robert Wagman is a SoccerTimes senior correspondent. E-mail Robert Wagman.