SUMMARY
Josef Martinez was eager to reunite with his former supporters, but they would no doubt have preferred that he had a lackluster performance.
The Venezuelan instead scored two goals to help CF Montreal defeat Atlanta United 2-1 on Wednesday evening at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
For a few years, Martinez played rain and shine in the “Five Stripes” uniform. In 2018, he notably won the Golden Boot, in addition to being named MLS and MLS Cup Most Valuable Player, making him the most dangerous striker in the league.
Although injuries have slowly slowed Martinez down, the 31-year-old veteran has regained his composure in recent games. It should therefore come as no surprise that he used this return to Atlanta to continue his momentum.
His two successes not only helped CF Montreal (10-12-10) move closer to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but they practically dug the grave of a team that is dear to him.
“It’s always difficult to play against them. I had a lot of special moments with Atlanta and I have a lot of love for this team, but it’s professional soccer and I have to fight for my colors,” said Martinez, who is by far the best scorer in the club’s history with 98 goals in MLS and 111 in all competitions.
The Bleu-blanc-noir jumped to eighth in the East, three points ahead of the Philadelphia Union and Toronto FC, who lost on Wednesday. The eighth and ninth place teams from 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 position in the East and nothing indicated a turnaround.
As a good impact player, Martinez however managed to raise his game a notch and his partnership with Bryce Duke and Caden Clark rekindled the flame. The Venezuelan has scored five goals in the last three matches and Laurent Courtois’ squad has not suffered 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 few players can achieve. He’s one of the most exciting players I’ve seen. We could have given him better services this season, but he was always patient with his teammates and he was always kind,” expressed the head coach.
As if that wasn’t enough, Martinez’s brilliance allowed CF Montreal to score its first victory in Atlanta, after five defeats and a draw. He also obtained a first victory on opposing fields since March 10.
During stoppage time in the first half and during the first 10 minutes of the second half, one would have thought that 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 they would push. When you score that first goal abroad, you are more careful and you can be on your heels. The message at half-time was that we were still in a good position. It was up to us to counter this pressure. It’s normal abroad to bend, but you shouldn’t bend. “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 in its last five games (0-2-3) and has slipped to 12th in the East, three points behind the Union and TFC.
CF Montreal will return to action on Saturday evening, when they visit Charlotte FC. The North Carolina club confirmed its place in the playoffs on Wednesday.
Jesus, Mary, Josef
The Montrealers quickly established their rhythm at the start of the match and came within inches of opening the scoring. In the second minute, Caden Clark broke away from a defender, but his point shot hit the post to the left of goalkeeper 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 dearly.
After getting hot, the Bleu-blanc-noir opened the scoring before stoppage time, following a free kick. Martinez wanted to give the ball to Nathan Saliba, but Tristan Muyumba accidentally 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, however, quickly erased this goal. Pedro Amador lifted the ball to Rios, who made Fernando Alvarez look bad before deflecting with a header into the side net.
Alvarez wasn’t out of trouble early in the second half. He once again lost sight of Lobjanidze, but hit the horizontal bar.
Although Atlanta United increased the pressure for a while, it was Courtois’ men who broke the deadlock.
Fresh into the game, Tom Pearce delivered a magnificent cross towards Martinez, who slipped into the penalty area to deflect it into the net. It was his 10th goal of the campaign and CF Montreal’s 600th goal of the MLS season.
The two teams faced each other on July 13 at Stade Saputo. Jonathan Sirois then completed a shutout in a 1-0 victory.
CF Montreal will close out its three-game week by taking on Charlotte FC in its final road game this season this Saturday.
