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Martinez's long road back to Atlanta after ACL tear: How the 2018 MLS MVP got fit and got back onto the field

One day back in 2019, Atlanta United FC play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Egan ran into forward Josef Martinez in the parking lot of the team's training facility. Egan asked Martinez how he was doing, and the Venezuela international responded, "Good. All I want to do is score goals."

Back then, Martinez was in a rich run of form, scoring 63 league and playoff goals in two seasons. But if putting the ball in the net is Martinez's elixir of life, he's surely parched by now. The last time he scored for the Five Stripes was more than a year ago, in the round of 16 of the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) when he scored in the second leg against FC Motagua.