Compared to the euphoric highs of their first three seasons of existence, 2020 and 2021 were painfully rough sledding for Josef Martinez and Atlanta United.
They will be hoping for a change in fortune as they begin their 2022 season on Sunday against Sporting Kansas City (3 pm ET | FS1, FOX Deportes).
The club that shifted the MLS paradigm upon arrival learned that down periods can sweep in just as quickly and be devilishly difficult to escape. For Martinez, who scored an amazing 77 goals across his first three MLS campaigns and won just about every individual honor the league has to offer in his record-breaking 2018, the torn ACL that ended his 2020 on opening weekend cast a long shadow indeed.
ATLUTD's Venezuelan icon enters this new season carrying a few more miles and some hard-won experience. Though flashes of his ferocious tenacity were still detectable for those reading between the lines, he wasn't quite ready to plant a flag with bold pronouncements as he spoke with reporters during last week's MLS is Back Media Day availabilities.
"I don't know," he admitted when asked whether the Five Stripes have gained their old swagger back as they conclude their first preseason under head coach Gonzalo Pineda, who arrived from Seattle Sounders FC to take the Atlanta helm last August. "Because there's different players, different coaches. And that style, the way we play before, obviously is not the same. But we'll hopefully be better, and we're working for that.
“We want to be back to Atlanta United winning, and the best performances we have a couple years ago.”
Speaking of “a new year, new changes, new players, new spirit,” it seemed like an older, wiser Josef. Then again, he's always allowed his exploits on the field do most of the talking – sensibly, given his stratospheric levels of productivity. It's startling that last year's haul of 12 goals in 24 league appearances could be considered such a dip from his previous levels, but that was the reality as he suffered a sequence of painful complications from his knee repair in addition to hamstring issues and other knocks.
For now he’s focused on fitness and consistency, optimistic that his body will benefit greatly from what he considers his first proper preseason in years.
“I'm very happy to be back to the trainings. And [ATLUTD’s camp in] Mexico was very intense and I don't like it, because we run a lot,” he said with a flicker of a grin. “But we were ready for preseason. Obviously it was a long year and we hopefully – not only myself, all the team, all my teammates – we’re ready for the start of the season.
“The number-one thing for me is just to stay healthy. Because we all know that last year was a complicated year, myself but also as a team, we had our ups and downs. I had some good days and some bad days in terms of my injury,” Martinez added. “This year, we want to be able to be more consistent, to be able to play consistently good games in a row.”
Atlanta’s outsized ambitions remain. The club splashed out on another big-ticket transfer over the winter, reeling in Argentine creator Thiago Almada via a reported $16 million deal, breaking the MLS record already set twice before by the Five Stripes.
While Josef asked that the new arrival be given patience and time as he adjusts to a wholly new landscape, he and his colleagues are quite aware of the high standards that they set for themselves right from the jump.
“As a club we understand the expectations, the pressure that's on us to be able to get back to the league [elite] for championships, and I also understand the pressure that that's on me every year,” said Martinez, who aims to return to the Golden Boot presented by Audi conversation this year. “But you know me, my goal is always to win, it’s to win everything we can: Supporters’ Shield, Open Cup, MLS Cup. That's the goal and we're going to work as hard as we can to get there, and hopefully we'll be able to stay 100%, or very close to, healthy and achieve our goal.”
The Venezuelan’s next league start will be his 100th with Atlanta, and with 94 career regular-season and playoffs goals to his name, the same can soon be said of his output. He’s already made clear his desire to stick around for the long haul and hopes to reach a contract extension towards that end soon.
Approaching the century mark already has him thinking about his next 100.
“I don't want to stay with 100 goals, I want to reach 200 goals,” the 28-year-old declared. “Only time will tell, we'll see. But each one of us has to give our best. I’m someone who also depends on all my teammates. We'll see what happens. I’ll give my best effort.”
