Josef Martinez was eager to reunite with his old fans, but they would probably have preferred a lackluster performance.
The Venezuelan instead scored two goals to help CF Montreal beat Atlanta United 2-1 on Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
For a few years, Martinez was the talk of the town in the Five Stripes uniform. In 2018, he notably won the Golden Boot, in addition to being named MLS MVP and MLS Cup MVP, making him the most dangerous forward in the league.
Although injuries have slowly slowed Martinez, the 31-year-old veteran has regained his composure in recent games, so it should come as no surprise that he used his return to Atlanta to continue his momentum.
His two victories not only helped CF Montreal (10-12-10) move closer to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but they also practically dug the grave of a team that is dear to him.
“It’s always tough to play against them. I’ve had a lot of special moments with Atlanta and I have a lot of love for this team, but this is professional soccer and I have to fight for my colors,” said Martinez, who is by far the club’s all-time leading scorer with 98 goals in MLS and 111 in all competitions.
The Bleu-blanc-noir jumped to eighth place in the East, three points ahead of the Philadelphia Union and Toronto FC, who lost on Wednesday. The eighth and ninth place teams in each association must play a playoff game before the start of the first round of the playoffs.
Barely a month ago, the Montreal team was only a few points from last place in the East and there was no indication of a turnaround in the situation.
As a good impact player, Martinez has however managed to raise his game a notch and his partnership with Bryce Duke and Caden Clark has rekindled the flame. The Venezuelan has scored five goals in the last three games and Laurent Courtois’s team has not known defeat in its last five outings (4-0-1).
“It was a special game for him tonight and we got to see how impactful he can be. He can do things that not many players can do. He’s one of the most exciting players I’ve seen. We could have given him better service this season, but he’s always been patient with his teammates and he’s always been kind,” said the head coach.
As if that wasn’t enough, Martinez’s brilliance allowed CF Montreal to sign its first victory in Atlanta, after five defeats and a draw. It also obtained its first win on the opposing field since March 10.
During stoppage time in the first half and the first 10 minutes of the second half, it looked as if the drought could continue. Daniel Rios found the back of the net and Saba Lobjanidze’s shot hit the crossbar, but the visitors held on to regain the lead.
“We knew they had to win tonight and that they would push. When you score that first goal away from home, you’re more cautious and you can be on their heels. The message at halftime was that we were still in a good position. It was up to us to counter that pressure. It’s normal away from home to give up, but you mustn’t give up. That’s what happened and we were able to get the second goal,” analyzed captain Samuel Piette.
Atlanta United (8-14-10) has not won its last five games (0-2-3) and has slipped to 12th place in the East, three points behind the Union and TFC.
CF Montreal will return to action on Saturday night when it visits Charlotte FC. The North Carolina club confirmed its playoff spot on Wednesday.
Jesus, Mary, Josef
Montreal quickly established their rhythm early in the game and came within inches of opening the scoring. In the second minute, Caden Clark broke away from a defender, but his shot from the back of his foot hit the post to the left of goalie Brad Guzan.
Atlanta United gave two real warning shots, in the 25th and 36th minutes of play, but each time, Lobjanidze lacked finishing. His last missed opportunity eventually cost him dearly.
After a hot time, the Bleu-blanc-noir opened the scoring before stoppage time, following a free kick. Martinez wanted to pass the ball to Nathan Saliba, but Tristan Muyumba inadvertently gave the object back to the Venezuelan, who threaded the needle into the top of the net.
Some supporters even decided to applaud him, a sign of the respect they still have for him.
A moment of hesitation in stoppage time quickly erased that goal, however. Pedro Amador lifted the ball to Rios, who made Fernando Alvarez look bad before deflecting a header into the side netting.
Alvarez wasn’t out of the woods early in the second half. He lost sight of Lobjanidze again, but hit the crossbar.
Although Atlanta United increased the pressure for a while, it was Courtois’ men who broke the deadlock.
Fresh off the bench, Tom Pearce delivered a beautiful cross to Martinez, who slid into the box and deflected it into the net. It was his 10th goal of the campaign and CF Montreal’s 600th goal of the MLS season.
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