That’s centurion Josef Martinez to you
Well, that wasn’t particularly “good” or “inspiring”, but it was enough. And we witnessed history as well.
Josef Martinez scored his 100th Atlanta United goal through a penalty kick in the 78th minute against Inter Miami and delivered three crucial points to Atlanta United’s playoff pursuit.
Welcome to the 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ club, @JosefMartinez17 #Josef100 pic.twitter.com/VaTZ782f2K
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) September 30, 2021
Josef Martinez becomes the fastest player in Major League Soccer history to reach 100 goals. He did it in 125 appearances. For reference, the previous quickest three players to reach 100 goals in the league are Robbie Keane (156 games), Roy Lassiter (167 games), and Bradley Wright-Phillips (168 games). Josef is also the fifth player in league history to reach 100-goal mark with a single club.
“This all ends quickly. Hopefully one day people remember me as someone who gave everything for this shirt…
I’m a part of this club and this city and this club has become a part of me. It means a lot to me.” – Josef
— Dirty South Soccer (@DirtySouthSoc) September 30, 2021
Build the statue.
Here’s Josef’s emotional post match interview with Jillian Sakovits on Bally Sports.
“Excited, emotional, and also happy… because it’s not easy.”
Josef Martínez makes MLS history with his 100th goal in an @ATLUTD uniform. @JillianSakovits caught up with him after the match⬇️ pic.twitter.com/JOBtbN01Q6
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) September 30, 2021
The big talking point coming out of the game will be Josef’s 100th goal, but Atlanta United did not play well against Inter Miami, particularly in the first half. (sorry for having to bring this to your attention). Atlanta generated 2.7 xG while keeping Miami down to 0.8 xG, but Atlanta didn’t play like they did when Atlanta was firing on all cylinders. Perhaps a result of Miami’s low block, Atlanta looked just looked plain slow and seemingly didn’t have many ideas on how to break them down and create quality chances.
But at this point, who really cares? The win moved Atlanta United back above the playoff line, which is the most important thing for Gonzalo Pineda’s team at this point. Josef even said so himself in the post match press conference.
Atlanta United will now prepare for an away trip to Montreal. There are seven games left in the regular season, and considering how tight the Eastern Conference standings are every match moving forward will be decisive for Atlanta’s postseason hopes. Hopefully Gonzalo Pineda’s team will replicate the types of performances they were putting in prior to the lackluster Philadelphia game.
“The thing that Joe brings that you guys don’t see is his commitment and his intensity and his desire to win
You can’t teach that. He has it in so much excess. ”
– Guzan
— Dirty South Soccer (@DirtySouthSoc) September 30, 2021
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