Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez was voted the MLS Player of the Month presented by EA Sports by members of the media for the month of July.
As part of every MLS Player of the Month award this season, EA SPORTS FIFA 19 will release a special FUT (FIFA Ultimate Team) item to honor the winning player, this month recognizing Martinez for this tremendous July performance. Martinez can be unlocked via a special Squad Building Challenge now live in FIFA 19 Ultimate Team.
After returning from Copa América, the 26-year-old Venezuelan scored seven goals in five matches in July. He has scored in nine consecutive MLS matches (10 in all competitions), which equals the record that Martinez set last season and shares with Diego Valeri. He added two braces in July and has tallied the most multi-goal games in MLS since 2017 with 17, seven more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic who is second with 10 multi-goal games.
In July Martinez broke David Villa’s record of 63 goals in a player’s first three MLS seasons. On Sunday against Los Angeles Galaxy, he scored his 68th regular season goal, matching Bradley Wright-Phillips record for most goals in any three-year span in league history. Martinez’s 18 goals in 2019 trail only Carlos Vela in the striker’s defense of his Golden Boot title.
Martinez scored in the 79th minute (watch goal) and again in second-half stoppage time (watch goal) of a 3-3 draw against the New York Red Bulls on July 7. Martinez then scored a goal in a 2-1 July 14 loss at Seattle Sounders FC (watch goal).
The Venezuelan forward scored goals in the 60th minute (watch goal) and 79th minute (watch goal) in a 5-0 rout of the Houston Dynamo on July 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Martinez then helped beat D.C. United 2-0 at home on July 21 with a goal in second-half stoppage time (watch goal), before rounding out the month with yet another tally in a 4-3 loss at LAFC on July 26 (watch goal).
This is Martinez’s first Player of the Month award for 2019. He was the only player to win twice in 2017 and was selected twice again in 2018. 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.
Atlanta United faces Orlando City SC tonight (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) at Exploria Stadium in U.S. Open Cup action before returning to MLS regular season play when hosting New York City FC on Sunday, August 11 (4 p.m. ET, ESPN).
