The Earthquakes are adding former league MVP Josef Martinez to their attack as they continue remaking their roster under Bruce Arena.
Martinez, 31, arrives on a one-year contract with a team option for 2026. The Quakes did not release the financial terms of the deal for the striker who played for CF Montreal last season.
The Venezuelan arrived in MLS at expansion Atlanta United in 2017 and broke out in his second season, winning 2018 MVP honors as the star of Atlanta United’s MLS Cup season. He won the league’s Golden Boot that season, too, with 31 goals.
He was named to the league’s Best XI each of his first three seasons in Atlanta after arriving from Torino FC in Italy.
“Josef Martinez is an accomplished goalscorer in our league and is clearly an excellent addition to our team,” Arena, the coach and sporting director, said in a statement.
His 2020 season ended in Atlanta’s opener when he tore his right anterior cruciate ligament. He has 39 goals in 100 matches over four seasons since — quality production, but not the remarkable pace he had over his first three seasons in Atlanta (77 goals in 83 games).
In 2023, he moved to star-studded Inter Miami, notching seven goals and an assist in 27 league matches as Lionel Messi came in midway through the season to change the club.
Last offseason, Martinez moved to CF Montreal, where he played 23 regular-season matches, totaling 11 goals and three assists. He missed two months with another knee injury. Montreal declined a club option to keep Martinez for 2025.
Related Articles
Earthquakes acquire Colombian striker Arango, Salt Lake’s record scorer
Lionel Messi’s Bay Area debut headlines Earthquakes’ 2025 schedule
Longtime captain departs as Earthquakes’ roster shakeup continues
Earthquakes add three players in trade with New England as Arena reshapes roster
Earthquakes, under new manager Arena, decline contract options for several key players
The move comes two days after the club announced a trade to acquire fellow striker Chicho Arango from Real Salt Lake in exchange for $1.4 million in general allocation money and a 2026 international roster spot.
The Quakes allowed striker Jeremy Ebobisse to walk in free agency, where he signed with LAFC.
Given the commitments to each, it appears Martinez and Arango are likely to play in a two-striker system under Arena rather than relegating one to the bench.
FILE – Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez (7) gestures towards the crowd after scoring a goal in second half of an MLS Eastern Conference Semifinal playoff soccer match against the Philadelphia Union in Atlanta, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. The 2022 MLS season begins Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
