Orlando, Florida (August 24, 2018) — Josef Martinez made MLS history on Friday night.
The dynamic Venezuelan striker scored his 28th goal of 2018 in Atlanta United‘s 2-1 win over Orlando City SC. In so doing, he became the first player in league history to score 28 goals in a single season.
Three players, Roy Lassiter (1996), Chris Wondolowski (2012), and Bradley Wright-Phillips (2014), had tallied 27 prior to this year.
One for the record books.
#28 on the season for @JosefMartinez17 https://t.co/d7VJ3ngSYP
— x – Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) August 25, 2018
Josef Martinez Nets His 28th Goal of 2018, Breaking MLS Single-Season Scoring Record
Martinez’s history-making tally came in the 74th minute. The 25-year-old received a diagonal ball from Julian Gressel, dribbled into the box and deftly chipped the ball over Orlando goalkeeper Joe Bendik. It gave the MLS Supporters’ Shield leaders a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Atlanta initially acquired Martinez on loan from Italian club Torino ahead of the 2017 season, their first in MLS. They eventually activated his buyout clause a few weeks into their inaugural campaign. He ultimately took the league by storm, scoring 19 goals which were fourth best in the league. If not for a quad injury suffered while on national team duty with Venezuela, he may have set the record last year.
Given that the Five Stripes still have eight games remaining on their 2018 slate, Martinez will have plenty of opportunities to add to his record goal-scoring tally. Barring injury, not only is 30 goals a virtual certainty. There’s the very real possibility his final total for the season will become an almost unassailable mark.
Martinez’s next chance to find the net comes in nine days when Atlanta faces D.C. United on Sunday, September 2nd. That game at newly opened Audi Field will feature another goal-scoring phenom in English legend Wayne Rooney. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by FS1.
