When Michael Parkhurst announced last month his decision to retire at the end of the 2019 season, his Atlanta United teammate Josef Martinez reacted with a brief but powerful tribute to the Five Stripes' highly-respected captain:
And on Sunday the Venezuelan star took it one step further, making sure to pay his respects as only he can.
After making a breathtakingly quick recovery from a knee and ankle injury to return to the starting lineup for ATLUTD's Decision Day presented by AT&T clash with New England, Martinez scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal and trotted to the sidelines to execute his trademark kneeling celebration in Parkhurst's honor:
The duo have been enormously influential for Atlanta both on and off the field since the club's 2017 debut in MLS, and will now aim to send "Parky" out in the ultimate style, by successfully defending their MLS Cup title in the upcoming Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, which begin for the Five Stripes with a Round One rematch with the Revs on Oct. 19 (3 pm ET | Univision, TUDN in US).
