The Red Bulls traded Clint Mathis, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, to the Galaxy for a third-round pick in this year’s MLS draft. Mathis scored 45 goals in two stints with the franchise to break Gio Savarese’s club record, but now he goes to join David Beckham in L.A., where he started his career.
Aside from recouping a pick – the Red Bulls acquired him for a fourth-rounder this year and conditional pick next year – it also frees cap space. Mathis earned $410,000 this past season, albeit most of it paid for by Real Salt Lake. He’s out of contract but re-signing him even at a pay cut would’ve hindered their cap, and he turns 31 Sunday. Today they’ll release their list of players to be protected in the expansion draft. It will be Juan Pablo Angel, Jozy Altidore, Dane Richards, Jeff Parke, Seth Stammler, Jon Conway, Hunter Freeman, Dema Kovalenko, Carlos Mendes, Claudio Reyna, Dave Van Den Bergh. That leaves John Wolyniec, Joe Vide, Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Francis Doe unprotected.