When Jose Martinez first arrived, there was optimism that he would be an option for FC Cincinnati come playoff time. He has since far exceeded those expectations, making his debut weeks ahead of schedule. Now he is eager to do more than make appearances, and hopes to leave his mark on this FCC season and team before it’s too late.
After suffering an ACL injury, Martinez, 32, ended his time with Brazilian side Corinthians and joined FC Cincinnati to finish his recovery and get back on the pitch. The 2023 MLS All-Star had a working relationship with Pat Noonan and Chris Albright dating back to their time with the Philadelphia Union, and both sides saw an opportunity for a mutually beneficial situation. Martinez wanted to find a squad he could rebuild himself with, and FCC felt ‘El Brujo’ or ‘The Wizard’ could impact the squad in more than one positive way.
“I had a lot of options…but at the end of the day, this is a great group of players, a wholesome group of players. I've really fit in well,” Martinez said on Wednesday about his decision to join the club. “And obviously having a Venezuelan coach on the coaching staff, and my previous relationships with Pat (Noonan) and with the technical directors and with Chris (Albright), it just made it a great situation for me.”
In part, Martinez aligns with the rest of the roster additions the club made during this window. With the additions of David Douděra, Julian Malatini, and Tyrell Malacia, The Orange and Blue added a lot of high-upside talent with a wealth of experience at the highest levels. They added guys with a competitive edge and the maturity and experience in competition that FCC felt this team needed. Martinez brings that, along with familiarity with Major League Soccer and its nuances.
So it was a low-risk addition that could yield positive externalities for the team. The only complication was that at the time of his signing it wasn’t clear when he would be able to contribute. But that problem resolved itself quickly.
“I thought you might see him contributing like come playoff time, meaning another two weeks from now. So for him to have done it a month early is really impressive. I think he's been a real shot in the arm to the group,” FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright said last week about Martinez. “I think it's a testament to his competitive nature that he's even playing this, shortly after an ACL surgery. It shows you what type of competitor and dude he is.”
The Venezuelan midfielder made his FCC debut on October 28 in a late-game cameo against Inter Miami CF, several weeks earlier than he was initially expected to return to action. Still, after months of hard work, he was cleared.
“I did a lot of work in Venezuela with my personal physical trainer, my personal coaches; they put in a lot of work to help me get back,” Martinez shared on Wednesday. “I wanted to get back as quickly as possible, and so much thanks goes to my wife and the way that she supported me. She got me up at 5 a.m. every morning so I could go and train and make sure I was doing everything I needed to get back.
“The hope was that I could be back by the playoffs,” Martinez elaborated. “So now the goal is to find more minutes, gain the trust of the coaching staff, and help the team as much as I can.”
In the wake of his two appearances and now over two months of training with FC Cincinnati, Martinez says he still feels he’s missing a little bit of “rhythm" to the game. That is to be expected, as anyone going a year without playing will need time to shake off the rust, but the positive sign is that he is feeling strong and getting stronger with every session.
In the meantime, FC Cincinnati understands how Jose Martinez can be valuable even while he is out of rhythm.
“He's got a tremendous level of presence that I think everybody just knows when Jose's around. It's louder. I think we needed some of that,” Albright said last week.
“He's got experience in big games and against top players. He's also… when you see him out on the field, he's got a presence,” Noonan added. “It's just energy. It's communication…we lack leadership at times with a real vocal presence and in a short amount of time, he's not afraid to use his voice and help his teammates.”
Pat Noonan has highlighted multiple times this season that the team has several leaders, but has been missing a more vocal presence on the field who can connect and command the group. Martinez can do that. His combination of ‘volume,’ experience and confidence makes him someone who can have an impact both physically and with his voice.
Noonan appreciates that Martinez is still at a place where he physically needs to be managed, but right now, as someone who can come in and help see out a result, Martinez is a very capable contributor. Which is a role Jose himself feels he can step into, and has the confidence in his coaches to do so despite being so new to the squad.
“You don't have to be the captain to be a leader. Everyone can be a leader,” Martinez said. “I've been indicating here and there, but I’ve played a lot of minutes in MLS. I know how the league plays, and so for me, it's about just gaining that confidence. I think I showed that I can be a leader, and Pat, knowing him, trusting him from Philadelphia as well, I think it's less about trying to be a leader to correct things on the field, but knowing that I can demand more of my teammates in the minutes I've played.”