x
Breaking News
More () »

Josef Martinez ties MLS single-season scoring record in Atlanta United win

Martinez found the net in the 31st minute, tying Roy Lassiter, Chris Wondolowski and Bradley Wright-Phillips for the MLS scoring record–at 27 goals.

ATLANTA–Well, so much for that logjam in the Eastern Conference standings.

On Sunday, Atlanta United (51 points) produced a much-needed victory over the Columbus Crew, posting a 3-1 final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and claiming sole ownership of the No. 1 seed in the East.

And that position will hold for a few days at least, in lieu of the New York Red Bulls (48 points) and New York City FC (47 points) already competing over the weekend.

That's the team-focused portion of this piece.

From an individual perspective, Sunday's match was all about Josef Martinez and his incredible pursuit of the MLS single-season record for goals.

The suspense didn't last long, with Martinez finding the net in the 31st minute, tying Roy Lassiter (Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1996), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes in 2012) and Bradley Wright-Phillips (N.Y. Red Bulls in 2014) for the league's single-season scoring record–at 27 goals.

On the goal, Julian Gressel stole a giveaway pass at the midfield stripe and subsequently passed to Martinez for a fast-break opportunity (borrowing a basketball term).

However, Martinez wouldn't need help once taking possession, dribbling to his right, cutting hard to the left and then firing a left-footed spinner past the Columbus goalkeeper for magical Goal No. 27.

Martinez might have to share the scoring record with three other MLS legends for the time being; but none of that trio can match Martinez's pace of becoming the fastest scorer to the '27' mark (25 games).

This prodigious presence paid off in other ways, with Martinez serving as a wonderful decoy during a tense second half.

With Columbus and Atlanta embroiled in a 1-all tie after 75 minutes, United broke free with a flurry of goals–featuring Hector Villalba (76th minute) and Miguel Almiron (81st minute).

For his goal, Villalba fielded a long pass from Atlanta's defensive crew and then dribbled the rest of the way.

During this sequence, Villalba had the option of passing to Martinez during the 2-on-2 opportunity; instead, he cross-dribbled into Martinez's area–essentially trading spots with his teammate–and surreptitiously squeaked the shot attempt past the Crew goalkeeper, who might have been inadvertently screened on the play.

Either way, it proved to be the game-winner for United (8-2-4 at home).

The Almiron goal was a salute to teamwork and sheer aesthetic beauty along the pitch.

Similar to his own goal, Villalba took a lengthy pass and dribbled for a while. He subsequently passed to Martinez, who had a decent look at the goal area. Instead, Josef deferred to a hard-charging Almiron, who seamlessly corralled the one-time pass and booted a screaming line drive into the left corner of the net.

At this point, United fans were confidently cheering on a team that had once again reclaimed their rightful place in the conference standings.

Up next for Atlanta: A four-game road trip over the next 30 days, covering Orlando (Friday), Washington D.C. (Sept. 2), Colorado (Sept. 15) and San Jose (Sept. 19).

Before You Leave, Check This Out