Josef Martinez neutral on Gabriel Heinze departure

Vowing to remain professional as the face of the franchise, Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez declined to talk about the issues between himself and his teammates with ex-manager Gabriel Heinze, and vowed to try to bring joy back to the city, to the supporters and to his teammates in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday.

“As a leader of this club, what’s important to me is the health and the joy in the locker room,” he said, through a team interpreter. “And, I’ll repeat it, just to bring the joy back to the city, the fans and the players.”

Read between those lines what you will.

Heinze was fired Sunday with the team in the middle of a franchise-worst eight-game winless streak. It is scoreless in four of its past five and has won just two of its 13 games. It will play at Cincinnati on Wednesday. Martinez said he is prepared to play.

Reports after Heinze’s dismissal paint a picture of manager who consistently broke rules regarding training, tried to keep water away from players during training, and showed a lack of respect for those who worked for the franchise. Martinez declined to confirm the reports, saying he has nothing to add other than he has respected every coach he has ever had.

Before. Problem is the jerseys are printed the day before. So the equipment manager had to go in late that night to do the job. #Atlutd #mls
— Doug Roberson (@DougRobersonAJC) July 20, 2021

Heinze also had a problem with Martinez. He forced him to train by himself, didn’t include him for the New England game, and wouldn’t say why. The only explanation Heinze would provide is he needed to send a message to the player.

In the first question asked of Martinez on Tuesday, he declined to say why Heinze made the decision. He implied that it didn’t have anything to do with the heart condition diagnosed in Atlanta after he tested positive for COVID-19 while with Venezuela in Brazil.

Not having Martinez, one of the best strikers in MLS history with more than 80 goals, may have cost his team at least one valuable point against the Revolution. Heinze said after Saturday’s game that Martinez was going to re-join training with the team. Of course, Heinze was fired Sunday.

“No, I don’t think there was a problem,” Martinez said in a direct translation of his response. “Only that I respect the decision that has been made. It brings me pain, this part, but thank goodness the issue is taken care of. I respect having to be professional, to do the best possible, and here we are.”

Credit: Atlanta United

Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez comments on the level of communication between players and former manager Gabriel Heinze.

Martinez also contradicted a report that he was ready to leave the club following this season. He signed a five-year contract extension ahead of the 2019 season after being named MLS MVP and leading the club to the MLS Cup in 2018. He said he has two more years on his contract after this season and seems intent on signing another.

“First time I come here, I say this is my club, this is my city,” he said in English, which was the only answer he gave in English during the interview. “I love it here. I want to retire here. I love this club.”

Martinez wasn’t entirely neutral about Heinze. He said he learned from him that how a team trains is how it will perform.

Martinez consistently tried to turn the focus of the questions to the remainder of the season. He acknowledged that the team has made some bad decisions in the past few years. He said he doesn’t know why the team is struggling on offense (13 goals in 13 games), but he hopes that the team can take the adversity it is experiencing and turn it into a win. And, he noted, one win can turn into a win streak.

Credit: Atlanta United

Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez comments on what the team looks for in next technical director.

Martinez said he wants that for everyone who plays for and supports the club.

“I think the important thing is to know what the problems were and to get back to doing those things again,” he said, through a team interpreter. “For four years we were one of the most talked-about clubs in the world. I think we deserve that. I’m a player whose been here since the very beginning when there wasn’t even a field. That’s why things have hurt me, but I want to give my life to this club.”

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April 17 Atlanta United 0, Orlando 0

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