Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for the second week of the 2017 MLS season. Martinez scored three goals during Atlanta’s 6-1 win over Minnesota, notching the league’s first hat-trick of the season.
Martinez, a 23-year-old Venezuelan Designated Player, was unfazed by the wintry weather, registering his first three goals in an Atlanta uniform despite playing in the coldest recorded game in MLS history. It started in the 3rd minute after being played through by fellow Designated Player Miguel Almirón. Then, Martinez easily beat Minnesota goalkeeper John Alvbage with a rolling shot to the far post.