A look at the stats behind Josef Martinez's record breaking MLS season

Josef Martinez has already broken one MLS record this season, but sadly for the player and club, he couldn’t write his name into the history books for the second time this term last time out. Atlanta United’s seven-match unbeaten run came to an abrupt end over the weekend, and with it, Martinez's chance this time round to score in what would have been a record-breaking 10th successive MLS match, as a Wayne Rooney inspired DC United landed a 3-1 win to dent the Five Stripes’ quest for top spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Indeed, they were unable to capitalise on New York Red Bulls’ 3-0 loss to Montreal Impact 24 hours earlier to return to the summit. Even if they hold a game in hand, Gerardo Martino would have rightly demanded all three points in Washington, only for Atlanta to stutter, with his players enduring a rare off day. In the case of Martinez, a failure to score also signified an sub-par evening for the 25-year-old. 

The striker holds the record for the most goals scored in a regular MLS season, with 28, a record he broke with eight games still to play this term. The fact that he has scored more goals than he has made league appearances (27) highlights just how effective Martinez has been in MLS this term, though this was to be expected from the Venezuelan frontman. 

While Atlanta United fell at the first hurdle in the playoffs last season, Martinez was a regular threat in front of goal has he netted 19 times in 21 appearances, so his goalscoring form this term isn’t such an anomaly in America. Rather, after failing to net against DC United, it would be rare if Martinez was unable to score against Colorado Rapids in the first full round of MLS games after the international break. 

Only twice in his MLS career has Martinez failed to score in back-to-back league matches, and one of those occasions was in the last game of MLS 2017 and the first match of MLS 2018. What is relatively common, though, is for Martinez to fail to score in a league outing. Martinez has been in exceptional goalscoring form this term, but while he has 28 league goals to his name, the striker has still failed to score in eight of his 27 league appearances this season.  

Having scored two or more in six of his matches, one can expect Martinez to put the opponent to the sword on more than one occasion over a 90-minute match. He isn’t a flat track bully either, with the forward able to net regardless of the standard of the opposition. Martinez has scored at least once against every team Atlanta United have faced two or more times in MLS this season, so no matter the standard of team the Five Stripes are facing, another Martinez goal is very much on the cards. 

His speed and strength are two key assets that allows Martinez to bully any defender and switch on the afterburners to leave players for dust as he gains a head of steam, both with and without the ball. The latter means teammates can pick out his runs as and when he does look to manoeuvre into goalscoring positions and it’s no surprise that Atlanta United rank second for attempted through balls (65) in MLS this season. 

What’s more is Martinez doesn’t require chance after chance to bury opponents. A return of three shots per game is well below the highest in MLS - Sebastian Giovinco, with 5.7 - and means a conversion rate of 35% is the third best of the 70 players to score five more MLS goals this season, rightly reinforcing a statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of ‘finishing’, that of course deemed very strong. Having scored 50% of Atlanta United’s, he evidently relishes the pressure that comes with being the club’s leading man and in fact thrives on shouldering the goalscoring burden. 

With seven games of the regular MLS season to go, you wouldn’t put it past Martinez to score in each game or even go so far as break through the 35-goal barrier and really consolidate his name in the history books. A failed spell in Serie A with Torino may have dented Martinez’s confidence, but he has proven his effectiveness in America, so much so that European teams may well come calling to hand him a second stab at making a name for himself in one of Europe’s top leagues, even if the defending in MLS is of a lower standard than elsewhere, yet even so; Martinez has capitalised on this impressively. 

Of course, Atlanta would be reluctant to lose their star forward, with the striker without doubt their greatest player in their short four-year history. Martinez, though, has all the traits to succeed if handed a second opportunity to do so in Europe. For now, however, Martinez will have his sights set on firing Martino’s side to glory after their playoff penalty shootout heartbreak at the hands of Columbus Crew last October. With the league’s most lethal forward in history firing on all cylinders, though, you’d expect Atlanta to go all the way and land this season’s MLS Cup.