ATLANTA – Atlanta United announced today that Josef Martínez has been released. The club will use its one-off off-season buyout on the player’s budget and Martínez will no longer take a place as a designated player in the squad’s roster. In a related move, Martínez has opted to join Inter Miami CF, who will keep part of Martínez’s guaranteed contract from his club’s 2023 salary budget.
“Josef has played a pivotal role in Atlanta United history, scoring memorable goals and lifting multiple trophies for moments that will live on with our fans forever,” said Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra. “He was a fundamental part responsible for making our brand what it is today. We cannot thank him enough for his contributions to the club and community over the past six years. He will always be a part of Atlanta United and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
Martínez originally joined the club when he signed as the designated player on loan from Torino on 2 February 2017, soon becoming a permanent transfer on 21 March 2017. After scoring 19 goals in 20 games in his debut season with Atlanta United in 2017, Martínez continued a record-breaking season in 2018, becoming the first MLS player to be named MLS All-Star, Regular Season and MLS Cup MVP in the same season won. The Venezuelan forward scored 31 goals to win the MLS Golden Boot in 2018, then broke the league’s regular-season record of 27. He added four goals during the MLS Cup playoffs to break the league’s combined record of 35 goals and Atlanta to deliver his first MLS Cup title.
After his historic 2018 season, Martínez scored 33 goals in 39 games in all competitions in 2019 and was the team’s top scorer in both the MLS and Concacaf Champions Leagues. In the league, he scored 27 goals and added four assists, finishing third in both MVP voting and the Golden Boot race. The forward has scored 15 consecutive MLS games (May 24-September 18) in a record-breaking MLS and holds the record for most goals scored over a three-season span in MLS history (77 from 2017-2019) . Martínez came to elite MLS enterprise by becoming only the seventh player to score over 15 goals for three consecutive seasons.
He also holds the league’s all-time hat-trick record with six and the single-season record with three (2017 and 2018).
After tearing an ACL in the 2020 MLS season opener that forced him to miss the full year, Martínez returned in 2021 and had a team-best 12 goals in 24 appearances (18 starts). During that time, Martínez became the fastest player in MLS history to score 100 goals in all competitions, reaching the mark in just 125 games.
Last year, Martínez started the season with two goals and two assists in the first five games but was sidelined for two months after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in April. He finished the season with nine goals and added four assists in 26 games (12 starts). Overall, Martínez has scored 111 goals with Atlanta in all competitions.
Statement by Arthur M. Blank, owner and chairman of the Blank family of companies
“Since arriving in 2017, Josef Martínez has put his heart and soul into Atlanta United. We’ve shared a lot of firsts together – Atlanta United’s inaugural year, Josef’s first MLS season, a string of record-breaking performances and, of course, an MLS championship together. Josef is a unique, legendary athlete and I am grateful to him and his family for taking a chance in Atlanta and growing with us. One of the most accomplished MLS players of all time, he has brought pride to Atlanta and the league at large, while proudly representing his beautiful country, Venezuela. I know that Josef will continue to shine as he moves to the next stop on his professional journey. I’m grateful for the time we had with him and I know that when I say thank you Josef I speak for all the dedicated 17s. He is a valued member of our Atlanta United family.”
TRANSACTION: Atlanta United exercised its one-time buyout of a guaranteed off-season contract for Josef Martínez on January 18, 2023.
Atlanta United 2023 squad (as of January 18, 2023)
Goalkeeper (4): Clément Diop, Justin Garces, Brad Guzan, Quentin Westberg
Defender (9): Noah Cobb, Andrew Gutman, Ronald Hernandez, Brooks Lennon, Aiden McFadden, Efrain Morales, Juanjo Purata, Miles Robinson, Caleb Wiley
Midfielder (11): Thiago Almada, Ozzie Alonso, Ezequiel Barco*, Derrick Etienne Jr., Ajani Fortune, Franco Ibarra, Marcelino Moreno**, Matheus Rossetto, Amar Sejdić, Santiago Sosa, Tyler Wolff
Forward (6): Luiz Araújo, Erik Centeno, Machop Chol, Jackson Conway, Erik López, Edwin Mosquera
*Loaned to River Plate until 2023
** Loaned to Coritiba FC until 2023 season