Atlanta United lost one striker and may also lose another who has become the face of the franchise.
Tom Bogert of MLSSoccer.com reported Thursday night that Miami is negotiating with Atlanta United over the possible trade of striker Josef Martinez. The former league MVP has 98 goals in 134 appearances in regular-season games for the Five Stripes. A person with knowledge of the negotiations with Miami said they are just basic talks and described any predictions as premature.
Dom Dwyer, who scored four goals in 22 appearances as Martinez’s backup, posted a goodbye message on twitter on Thursday. He had one year remaining on his contract with the team. The team can either buy out his contract or waive him.
Martinez seemingly fell out of favor with the club last season, resulting in him being suspended for a week after having a shouting match with manager Gonzalo Pineda following a loss at Portland.
Martinez has one year remaining on his contract. He holds numerous league and team records for goals scored. However, he suffered a torn ACL in the first game of the 2020 season at Nashville. He returned in 2021 to score 12 goals in 24 appearances. He scored nine in 26 appearances last season.
Miami finished ahead of Atlanta United in the Eastern Conference last season. It has one proven striker on Leo Campana, who scored 11 goals in 26 appearances last season.
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