Columbus Crew: Cristian Martinez is just a matter of time

The Columbus Crew have a lot on their minds, but they can free up space by accepting that Cristian Martinez’s rise to relevance is just a matter of time.

The Columbus Crew have answered the offseason dread of a potential move by sprinting out of the boxes, winning two and drawing one of their opening three matches to sit in second place in the Eastern Conference.

Gyasi Zardes and Federico Higuain have been the trendsetters, driving this team’s attack, but they have had the presence of 21-year-old Panamanian Cristian Martinez as well.

The young winger was acquired as a teenager and, from the start, Gregg Berhalter noted that it was going to be a slow growth to prominence in MLS for Martinez, but they saw the potential and were willing to wait for it.

It’s been slow-going for Cristian Martinez, who amassed all of 436 MLS minutes with the Columbus Crew prior to this season. He noted prior to the 2018 season that training while not playing was a tough ask, as he wanted to get out on the pitch, but 2018 looked to be a different ball game.

Which is is turning out to be. Martinez has started each of the first three matches, and while he has only played the full 90 once, we have to remember what Berhalter said – it will be a slow growth.

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That said, Martinez has already played 222 minutes this season and, assuming that he starts at home next time out against DC United, he will likely surpass his single-season minutes total of 239 set last year.

And it’s only the fourth match.

Meaning that, maybe that slow growth is being blasted by a superior trajectory seen from Martinez after the end of last season.

The main improvements in Martinez’s game are obvious. He’s less of a solo artist and more of a team player. While his dribbling used to be the name of his game, he was losing too much of the ball. That can still use some improvement, but, like Jesus Medina over at New York City FC, losing possession can often be coped with if it’s being balanced out by successful maneuvers, which Martinez is currently offering.

Still, going beyond the dribbling was the key, and Martinez has done that. He has already contributed two key passes this year, which is about to match the three he created all of the past two years combined.

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It’s a matter of fitting in, at this point, which he is doing well enough already. Higuain and Zardes are claiming the spotlight and giving Martinez the comfort to settle at his own pace. This, in turn, will lead to a true blossoming of the young man for the Columbus Crew sooner rather than later.

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