NEW YORK
(Friday, August 3, 2018)
– Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez was voted the MLS Player of the Month presented by EA SPORTS™ by members of the media for the month of July of the 2018 MLS season.
The MLS Golden Boot race leader has recorded 24 goals to go along with three assists. Most recently, Martinez captured an MLS record by scoring the most career hat tricks, with his sixth coming against D.C. United on July 21 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta United currently maintains a four-game unbeaten streak and sits first in the Eastern Conference with 47 points (14-4-5 overall record).
In July, Martinez scorched opposing teams to the tune of nine goals and an assist. Martinez was the lone goal scorer for Atlanta United in a 3-2 loss at FC Dallas on July 4 when he slid into the box to equalize the game in the 41
st
minute (
Watch Goal
) and then again in the 73
rd
minute to put his team ahead (
Watch Goal
). Only a few days later it was Martinez who got Atlanta back on track when he scored off of a penalty kick in the 58
th
minute in a 2-0 win against Philadelphia Union on July 7 (
Watch Goal
). The Venezuelan showcased his talents once again when he scored Atlanta’s tying goal in a 1-1 draw against Seattle Sounders FC on July 15 with an impressive header inside the box in the 48
th
minute (
Watch Goal
).
On July 21 Martinez made MLS history when he recorded his sixth hat trick in a 3-1 win against D.C. United. He opened the scoring for Atlanta in the 30
th
minute with a header into the left corner of the goal (
Watch Goal
). His second of the game came off another perfect header off a deflected cross to finish at the far post (
Watch Goal
). To finish his record-setting game, Martinez scored his third goal in the 73
rd
minute when he created an open net opportunity for himself (
Watch Goal
). The forward completed the month of July with two goals scored in a 2-1 win against the Montreal Impact on July 28. Martinez scored the first goal in the 31
st
minute with a header from the center of the box (
Watch Goal
), followed by a close range shot off a rebound in the 57
th
minute to make the score 2-0 (
Watch Goal
).
Atlanta United return to action on Saturday, August 4 to host Toronto FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (4 p.m. ET, ESPN / TSN 4 / ESPN Deportes).
MLS Player of the Month presented by EA SPORTS™ is voted upon by a panel of select national media members in a process conducted by MLS Communications.
