ATLANTA—Josef Martinez isn't one for taking his foot off the proverbial gas pedal.
Major League Soccer's most prolific scorer brought his patented regular-season magic to Tuesday's MLS All-Star Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, tallying the MLS squad's lone goal and claiming game MVP honors.
How long has it been since an ASG MVP performed the feat in his home stadium? Try 15 years.
In 2003, the Los Angeles Galaxy's Carlos Ruiz took home the hardware at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Martinez (24 goals) owns a nine-goal advantage over the league's second-highest scorer (the Galaxy's Zlatan Ibrahimovic).
What's more, the Venezuelan native has more seasonal goals than the entire Seattle Sounders club. Think about that for a second.
As for Tuesday's match, Martinez was a study in the relentless pursuit of excellence at the 26th minute.
Down 1-0 at this point, the MLS squad initially had a rush advantage when entering the scoring area, setting the stage for Martinez's first header attempt to find the net.
The deflected ball then caromed to an MLS forward, who launched a high-speed attempt at Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. It wasn't a clean save, thus enabling the ball to trickle just inches short of the goal line.
With the ball bouncing and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium crowd reaching a frenzied pitch, Ignacio Piatti then tried to chip the ball over Szczesny's head and into the net.
The only problem: The angle was virtually impossible ... but the amount of traffic to the one side allowed Martinez to slip through the cracks on the right side and execute a header-rebound goal.
Martinez's goal was certainly thrilling to his MLS teammates (including Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan); at the same time, Guzan might have been the least shocked witness on the pitch. He already has the pleasure of Martinez find the net nearly every match.
"It didn't surprise me; we all figured (he'd score) at some point," said Guzan, the MLS starter in net. "It was good for him to get the goal. We talk about it all the time—(Josef's) ability, his want, his desire ... and how hungry he is to score a goal. It doesn't surprise me, he's willing to put his body and his head on the line."
There would be more action on the night, with Italian powerhouse Juventus prevailing in a shootout (5-3); but for MVP purposes, Martinez delivered for the crowd, the media and television audience.
It was the signature play of an up-and-down classic.
