Josef Martinez scored a brace for Atlanta United on Wednesday in a 3-0 win over Minnesota United, and pulled out a brand-new celebration.
The striker, known for his previous go-to goal celebration of standing stoically and staring expressionlessly at the crowd, mixed it up in his latest game, remaining deliberate in his movements but this time taking a knee.
The reason for the change? Martinez said it was time to change his mojo.
Martinez now has eight goals in 14 games so far, putting him in a tie for third in the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi race. But for a player who smashed the single-season scoring record in 2018, and had scored an exceptional 50 goals in his first 54 MLS regular-season games, his scoring rate this season represents a bit of a slump by his lofty standards.
For his part, Martinez hasn't been happy about his scoring output, but Wednesday's win was a boost for him and the team.
"I don’t know if it’s because the fans got used to that but that’s my job," he told reporters postgame. "We won a lot of games in moments where I scored. This isn’t about who I am or not. For me Miguel was better than anyone. This is about a team. I think that’s my job. And when I don’t score I’m not happy. Today I’m happy because we gave the fans the joy they all hoped."
At the same time, the Venezuelan, who signed a long-term extension with the Five Stripes in the offseason, had a bit of a barb for some Atlanta United fans who he thought have been fickle in their support.
"Many people don’t know but today in the first half fans were shouting at me 'Josef why aren’t you scoring?' They love you when you score, and if you don’t then they don’t. That’s the unfortunate thing about soccer.”
