The question for much of the 2019 season was will the real Pity Martinez stand up?
The Argentine is standing at the start of the 2020 season and we’re all at attention.
The playmaker’s second season with Atlanta United is off to a scorching start with Martinez influential on every goal his team scored in a 4-1 aggregate win over CD Motagua in the Concacaf Champions Round of 16.
He set up Josef Martinez’s critical equalizer one minute after Motagua went ahead in a 1-1 draw in San Pedro Sula last week. And in the 3-0 win in the second leg on Tuesday at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, Pity looked very much like that South American Player of the Year with River Plate.
His combination with Josef Martinez was next level, especially on his first goal of the night in the first half.
Pity then played a sublime through ball into Josef’s path and the Venezuelan talisman did the rest to add a second.
And not to be outdone, Pity struck for his second goal seven minutes from full time, dribbling through a pair of Motagua defenders and into the open net after Josef was cleared out by the onrushing Motagua goalkeeper.
Pity Martinez produced five goals and nine assists during an up-and-down 2019 debut season and his public shows of frustration on the bench were a story throughout the first half of the year.
And Pity admitted just how difficult his first season was following the match against Motagua.
