Josef Martínez finds “happiness and sadness” as MLS record arrives vs. Atlanta United

“Surreal” could be another way to put it.

Martínez, the Atlanta icon who led the Five Stripes to MLS Cup glory in 2018 – the same season he took home Landon Donovan MLS Cup and MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi honors – left the club in January on less-than-ideal terms, following a tumultuous 2022 that saw him suspended for conduct issues before his contract was bought out at season’s end.

A winter move to Miami on a reported max-TAM deal promised a clean slate for the swaggering forward. However, it was far from a dream start to life in Southern Florida, where Martínez went goalless after 10 matchdays, eventually losing his place in the starting lineup.

Despite keeping the striker on the bench for the beginning of Saturday’s match, Herons’ head coach Phil Neville was convinced the stars were aligned for Martínez to put in a memorable performance.

“I had a feeling before the game that we were gonna win, I had a feeling that Josef was going to be the match-winner,” Neville said. “… If there’s ever gonna be a game where a script was written,” it was this one, he added.