Atlanta United forward Josef Martínez has been voted the MLS Player of the Month presented by EA Sports by members of the media for the month of August.
Martínez finished August with six goals over five regular season matches, bringing the reigning MLS MVP's total to 23, good for second in the league. Martínez has also scored in an MLS record 13 straight matches, a mark that ranks third across the global game since 1996. Atlanta currently sits third in the Eastern Conference with 48 points.
In the first match of the month on Aug. 3, Martínez converted a penalty kick in 72nd minute to help Atlanta defeat the LA Galaxy 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He followed that with both goals in Atlanta's 2-1 home victory over New York City FC on Aug. 11, putting the hosts in the lead in the 42nd minute before doubling the lead with a penalty in the 63rd minute.
On Aug. 18, the 26-year-old scored a brilliant goal from outside the box in a 2-0 road victory over the Portland Timbers, a strike that took MLS Goal of the Week honors. He scored the only goal in Atlanta's 1-0 road victory over rival Orlando City on Aug. 23, before capping the month with a stunning give-and-go combination with Darlington Nagbe, albeit in a 3-1 defeat at the Philadelphia Union on Aug. 31.
Outside the league, Martinez added the game-winning goal from the penalty spot in Atlanta’s 3-2 Campeones Cup victory over Liga MX side Club America on Aug. 14. He played the full 90 minutes in the U.S. Open Cup Final 2-1 victory over Minnesota United on August 27, helping Atlanta win its third trophy and secure a berth to the 2020 Concacaf Champions League.
MLS Player of the Month presented by EA Sports is voted upon by a panel of select national media members in a process conducted by MLS Communications.
