Team USA's Mathis draws inspiration from Senegal.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

SEOUL, South Korea _ Clint Mathis has always been kicking, first the sides of the womb, then wads of paper or rolled-up socks, then soccer balls. As a kid, he toted a ball instead of a teddy bear. He'd even kick one around the house, and he broke the glass face of his mother's grandfather clock so many times that the repairman took pity and fixed it for free.

At the World Cup, Mathis plans to damage nets and goalkeepers' egos the way he once knocked time to a standstill in the imaginary stadium of his living room.

If all goes right for the closest thing the U.S. has ever had to a soccer star, Mathis will lead the American team to respectability abroad and recognition at home, starting with Wednesday's match against Portugal.

He has the flair and scoring genius Americans have longed for in the search for a home-grown Pele or Diego Maradona. Even better that he's from Georgia, where most athletes play football of the oblong variety.

It was Maradona's slalom through the English defense at the 1986 World Cup that first inspired 9-year-old Mathis to play in the World Cup.

``I said, `Wow, I'd like to do that someday,' '' Mathis said. ``I bought a tape of his greatest goals and watched it over and over.''

Now, the most dangerous player on a squad previously known for its nil-ness can compile a highlight reel of his own. There was his hat trick against the Kansas City Wizards, in which he scored with his right foot, his left foot and his head. There was the 60-yard weave through the Dallas Burn defense in which he looked like Bode Miller in cleats. The 40-yard pinpoint pass to Josh Wolff against Mexico. The 22-yard free kick against Honduras that dipped like a Niekro knuckleball.