ATLANTA — Atlanta United forward Josef Martínez will miss the team’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal game against Orlando City on Tuesday night, a source with direct knowledge of the situation tells Pro Soccer USA.
The club declined comment citing official policy regarding travel rosters. Martínez did not travel with the team to Orlando. The Athletic’s Felipe Cárdenas first reported the news.
Martínez sustained an adductor injury during training Monday. A source indicated the injury is not serious in the long term. The adductor muscles in the hip connect the pelvis to the femur.
Should Frank de Boer deploy his team in the 3-5-2 formation that has been used in recent weeks, Ezequiel Barco and Gonzalo “Pity” Martínez may be safe bets to start up top. Backup striker Brandon Vazquez is sidelined with an adductor injury of his own. Winger/forward Héctor “Tito” Villalba has recovered from a knee injury, but having not played since May 19, he may not be ready to put in a starter’s shift.
“[Barco] can also play behind the striker or as a striker,” de Boer told reporters at the Children’s Healthcare Training Ground in Marietta, Ga., Monday. The manager made this comment before the revelation of Josef Martínez’s injury.
Martinez, the 2018 Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player, has scored 22 goals across all competitions for Atlanta this season. He has scored in nine consecutive MLS games, tying a record he already co-owned. Depending on how long the injury keeps Josef Martínez out of action, he could miss some vital games in league play.
Through the end of August, Atlanta hosts New York City FC this Sunday and travels to the Portland Timbers Aug. 18, Orlando City Aug. 23 and the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Union Aug. 31. The Five Stripes currently sit second in the East and trail Philadelphia by three points with a game in hand. They are seven points clear of eighth-place Toronto FC.
Atlanta hosts Club América in the Campeones Cup on Aug. 14.
Vazquez injured his adductor July 24 and has not resumed training. Homegrown fullback George Bello sustained an adductor injury early in the season, and it eventually required surgery. Bello has not played with Atlanta’s senior team since the season-opening game at Herediano on Feb. 21, but he did feature with USL Championship side ATL UTD 2 last weekend.