The wait is almost over: We are just 8 days from #MLSisBack, the same number of days as games left last year when Josef Martinez broke the league-record for single-season goals.
Many before him had tried; Two before him even tied, but no player had set a new record for single-season goals since Roy Lassiter scored 27 goals in Major League Soccer's first season. Until Josef Martinez in 2018 – and he broke that longstanding mark with eight games left in the season.
Behind enemy lines against Orlando City SC on Aug. 24, sitting on 27 goals, Martinez plundered his 28th goal, putting himself alone in folklore.
By the time Decision Day came and went two months later, Martinez scored 31 times in the regular season. The league had a new goal king: thy name is Josef. His monarchy continued through the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, scoring four more goals en route to winning MLS Cup. He earned MLS Cup MVP, which will go nicely with his 2018 MLS All-Star Game MVP and 2018 Landon Donovan MLS MVP trophies.
Martinez's brilliance is conveyed across various styles. Right foot, left foot, head; pace, power, finesse; close range, long distance, set pieces; To quote the great Reggie Miller: Where you want it, how you want it?
What does Martinez have in store for an encore in 2019?
Well, for starters, his talents will be cast across the region as Atlanta United embark on their first Concacaf Champions League adventure. He'll form a new partnership in the wake of Miguel Almiron's departure, as 2018 South American Player of the Year Pity Martinez as his new running mate, not to mention another season alongside Tito Villalba and Ezequiel Barco.
“Pity, he's a great player,” Martinez said earlier this month. “I know playing with him, all I have to do is make the right movements and he's going to find me. We know the kind of player he is. He showed it when he was at River Plate.”
After two seasons in ATL, Martinez has 50 goals in 54 regular-season appearances and a roomful of accolades. The city adores him and the feeling is mutual, as Martinez signed a five-year contract extension this offseason to ensure his reign will continue.
