José Martínez

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2023 (Philadelphia): Martínez made 24 appearances (21 starts) for the Union in 2023, registering three goals and three assists…Scored his first career goal at ORL (6/21)... Named to the gameday roster for the 2023 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target...Scored his second goal of the season against NYC (7/15)…Scored his third goal of the season against CIN (9/16).

2022 (Philadelphia): Martínez made 30 appearances (29 starts) at defensive midfield in 2022..Registered his first assist of the season against NYC (5/26)...Earned a spot in the TOTW (Week 16)...Registered his second assist of the season against DC (7/8).

2021 (Philadelphia): Martínez made 31 appearances (30 starts) at defensive midfield in 2021 across all competitions...Martínez has helped contribute to the Union’s strong defensive showings thus far this season as the club registered three-straight clean sheets to kick off the season prior to falling to Inter Miami 1-2 (Apr. 24)...Recorded his first assist of the season against Toronto FC (Aug. 4)...Registered his second assist against Atlanta United FC (Sep. 25)...Made his third postseason start against New York City FC in the Eastern Conference Finals of the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs (Dec.5).

2020 (Philadelphia): Martínez made 14 appearances (14 starts) for the Union at defensive midfield, registering two assists… He made his Union debut on the road against LAFC (Mar. 8) ... Registered his first MLS assist in a 4-1 home victory over D.C. United (Aug. 29)...picked up his second assist of 2020 in the Union's 2-0 win over the New England Revolution (Nov. 8).

Martínez, nicknamed “el Brujo” which translates to “The Wizard”, comes to Philadelphia from Venezuelan club Zulia FC where he scored two goals and had four assists across 65 appearances in 2018 and 2019. He competed in the 2019 Copa Sudamericana where he helped Zulia reach the quarterfinals, the furthest a Venezuelan team has ever made it in the competition's history. Additionally, he was on the Zulia FC team that won the 2018 Copa Venezuela.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Martínez has earned 27 caps for the Venezuelan Men’s National Team. In 2021, he earned his first call-up of the season ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, where he appeared in the match against Bolivia (6/3). Following the World Cup qualifiers, Martínez was called up ahead of the 2021 Copa America in June, appearing in all five matches. His first assist for La Vinotinto came in a 2-2 draw against Ecuador (6/20). In his third, fourth, and fifth call-ups for the World Cup qualifiers, he featured in seven out of eight matches…In 2023, Martínez made seven appearances for Venezuela, registering two assists, one in an international friendly draw against Uzbekistan, and another in a win over Chile in a World Cup qualification match. 

ACQUIRED: Philadelphia Union sign defensive midfielder José “el Brujo” Andrés Martínez on December 23, 2019.