MLS: Top 5 strikers in the league right now
By Matt Coles
2. Josef Martinez
You knew that the Venezuelan marvel would be on this list, it was just a matter of whereabouts! Despite knowing that he will miss the rest of the season through injury, Josef Martinez still takes the No.2 spot on our list of the best current strikers in Major League Soccer.
Prior to signing for Atlanta United, the striker played for Caracas in his home country, before moving to Europe, where he played for Swiss sides BSC Young Boys and FC Thun, along with a stint with Italian side Torino.
MLS Career & Honours:
- Atlanta United (2017-)
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- MLS MVP – 2018
- MLS Best XI – 2017, 2018, 2019
- MLS Golden Boot – 2018
- MLS Cup MVP – 2018
- MLS Goal of the Year – 2019
- Most consecutive MLS regular-season games scored in (15)
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- MLS Cup – 2018
- U.S. Open Cup – 2019
- Campeones Cup – 2019
Martinez signed for Atlanta in February 2017 on loan, but it took just three games for him to convince the franchise to exercise the option to make it a permanent deal, as he bagged a hat-trick in the club’s second-ever MLS match, as they defeated Minnesota United 6-1 in the battle of the new expansion sides.
He only played 20 matches that season after suffering a quadriceps injury whilst on international duty with Venezuela, but he still scored 20 times in all competitions and earned himself a place in the MLS Best XI for the first time, a feat he would also achieve in both 2018 and 2019.
His second season in the league showcased his abilities for the world to see, as he joined Diego Valeri in holding the record for most consecutive league games scored in, doing so in nine straight games. He broke the single-season record for goals scored, netting 31 times throughout the regular season, on his way to being named MVP.
Martinez’s 2018 campaign goes down as the best single-season campaign in the history of Major League Soccer, as the Venezuelan won the MLS Cup with Atlanta United and was named MLS Cup MVP, following up his league MVP and Golden Boot honours for the regular season, along with breaking single-season records in the process.
Through the middle part of the 2019 campaign, the striker went on to break the goals in consecutive games record, making it his own. He scored in 15 straight games, eclipsing the nine he had set the year previous, and only two streaks worldwide have been longer, with Lionel Messi scoring in 21 straight games, while Tor Henning Hamre also bagged in 15 straight games, but scored 21 times.
Atlanta lifted both the U.S. Open Cup, beating Minnesota United in the final and the Campeones Cup, beating Club America 3-2 in the one-off game between the champions of both the American and Mexican leagues. Unfortunately for the Venezuelan, and for the Five Stripes, his 2020 campaign was cut short prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, as he suffered a torn ACL in their season-opener, putting him on the sidelines for the rest of the year. Still, Martinez is one of the best in the league, without a shadow of a doubt, and he will return to form in 2021, that is for sure!