Jose Martinez had only just arrived in Philadelphia when the Union held their annual media collection event for the first team squad. Veterans like Alejandro Bedoya and Andre Blake knew when to smile, when to flex, and how to respond to a cavalcade of odd requests.
Meanwhile, Martinez stood quietly just beyond the lights, waiting for his agent to translate instructions into Spanish, shyly smiling while pointing to the Union badge that, for the first time ever, hung over his heart.
Had the 2020 season played out as expected, perhaps ‘El Brujo’ Martinez (The Wizard or The Sorcerer) isn’t ready to step out of the shadows with only five matches logged in the regular season standings. Maybe his move from zero to limited English makes it difficult for him to grasp his role, a complicated set of reads based on how those around him press and react. Perhaps he doesn’t develop a close relationship with Aurelien Collin or a buoyant friendship with Sergio Santos.
Maybe he never earns the trust of a coaching staff that sees him as both a force to be reckoned with on the pitch and one who won’t fully blossom until he learns how to control and channel himself as that force. Take Martinez’s reaction after the Union’s MLS Is Back quarterfinal win over New England Revolution: Assistant Coach Pat Noonan approached and, grinning with kinetic joy, El Brujo said, “Pat! No yellow!”
In a tightly contested 1-0 victory, Martinez’s contributions as both a defensive disruptor and a energetic tone-setter had been key. A third yellow card in his third tournament appearance would have limited the midfielder’s ability to be as aggressive, physical, and imposing as he likes. The Revolution’s stars, like nervous wide receivers crossing the middle against a hard-hitting safety, took wider positions to avoid the Union’s strutting, confident anchor.
A 25-year old midfielder on the fringes of the Venezuelan national team is far from a guaranteed game-changing signing. Why was he passed over while others like Yangel Herrera were given chances? How had he caught the national team’s eye but never gotten the chance to prove himself and earn a cap?
And, perhaps most importantly, how would he fit into a midfield with two top veteran players and a top young prospect bound to struggle with consistency?
The answer came in the MLS Is Back Tournament.
A preview against LAFC back in March showed Martinez could wreak havoc in a back and forth transition game that Bob Bradley’s team prefers, but in Orlando the player showed he had taken the next step and was now a far more complete player. The physicality, the stamina, the power – none of that had changed. The decision-making, the composure, the understanding of how to impose himself without undermining his performance with unnecessary fouls? That was a new and welcome side of El Brujo.
The team culture at the Union reflects the mindset of the captain and the head coach. Off the pitch, let everything roll off, but on it – fight for everything. Outcompete. Outwork. Outthink.
Learning how to funnel all of your energy into that ninety-plus minutes when every moment matters, locking in over and over while riding a high-speed emotional roller coaster with visual and auditory inputs careening toward you from all directions? That’s the most difficult thing for younger players to understand. Sergio Santos found his focus in Orlando and became, at times, an unstoppable, goalscoring laser beam of a striker. Martinez, similarly, began to control his instinct to dive into every tackle and fight every battle. He began, essentially, to understand his importance to the team’s overall strategy.
Curtin noticed. Ernst Tanner noticed.
All of MLS noticed.
Jose Martinez, bashfully adopting a muscle pose on media day, timidly kissing his bicep through an embarrassed smile, is not gone, but there is something more to him now.
El Brujo, dancing his way to each match; pointing, energizing, encouraging during hydration breaks; pulling a muscle sleeve onto his quad to get just five more minutes on the pitch, has arrived.
