You might have noticed that we haven't exactly done many "best of the decade" lists that are popping up everywhere. That's mostly because Metro's entire existence has only been 15 years, so celebrating the last 10 of it is somewhat incomplete. That being said...

Who would be the Metro Hero of the Decade? There are only four possible choices: Tim Howard, Clint Mathis, Amado Guevara, and Juan Pablo Angel.

Howard started his Metro career in 1998, but did not become a full-time starter on 2001. His 2001 (MLS Goalkeeper of the Year) and 2002 were superb; 2003 started as much before he was sold to Manchester United. A local kid turned star, home-grown Metro, poised to start for USA at the World Cup...

Mathis came to Metro in 2000 and complete turned the morbid franchise around. Brash, creative, daring, he tore through opposing defenses. For the first time since 1996, local fans embraced Metro. 2001 started superbly, before a torn ACL ended a promising season. 2002 and 2003 saw flashes of brilliance, then a departure -- then a return in 2007, when a written-off Clint reinvented himself, topping Giovanni Savarese's Metro goalscoring record in the process...

Guevara was signed in 2003 and immediately made the team his own for the next four years. If only he didn't revert to his pouting self every now and then, this award might have been easily his. But when on, he was on. MLS MVP in 2004, deadly from the penalty spot, directing the offense with pinpoint passes and scoring on long-range blasts...

Angel came on board in 2007, and right off the bat started scoring goals. Soon, Adolfo Valencia's regular season goal record fell. The question was not if Angel will break Gio's and Clint's career records, but how fast. Possibly the best talent in team history, and now its all-time leading scorer, he is poised to add to his total as we head into the 2010s...

Four worthy candidates, but there can only be one Hero of the Decade. Drumroll?

Clint Mathis.

Why?

Because his 2000 was magical. Because of the four, he's spent the longest time as a Metro. Because over the past decade, he has given us more positive Metro memories than any other player. Because Howard's career peak came after his Metro days, Angel's -- before, and because Guevara pouted just a bit too much. BECAUSE METRO NEVER LOST WHEN MATHIS SCORED. Because every time he would step on the field you knew there was a chance that something magical would happen.

Clint Mathis. MetroFanatic Hero of the Decade.