Tomás Martínez (footballer)

Tomás Martínez
Personal information
Date of birth (1995-03-07) 7 March 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Béccar, Argentina
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
Melgar
Number 10
Youth career
Atlético Béccar
2001–2012 River Plate
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2016 River Plate 12 (0)
2015–2016Tenerife (loan) 13 (0)
2016Defensa y Justicia (loan) 14 (3)
2016–2017 Braga 3 (0)
2016–2017 Braga B 12 (3)
2017–2020 Houston Dynamo 85 (12)
2021 Defensa y Justicia 8 (0)
2022 Aldosivi 35 (1)
2023– Melgar 37 (7)
International career
2015 Argentina U20 10 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:17, 18 February 2023 (UTC)

Tomás Martínez (born 7 June 1995) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Melgar.

Club career

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River Plate

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Born in Béccar, Martínez joined River Plate's youth setup in 2001, after starting out at Atlético Béccar.[1] In July 2011 he signed his first professional contract, with a 10 million clause after being linked to Arsenal and FC Barcelona.[2]

On 24 April 2013 Martínez made his first team debut, coming on as a second-half substitute for Mauro Díaz in a 0–1 Copa Argentina home loss against Estudiantes Buenos Aires.[3] He made his Primera División debut on 23 June, starting in a 3–1 home win against San Martín San Juan.[4]

In 2014 Martínez made four appearances in the Copa Sudamericana to help River win their first continental tournament in 17 years.[5] However he only made nine league appearances on the season.[6]

Because chances with the first team were limited, on 18 August 2015 Martínez was loaned to Segunda División side Tenerife, in a season-long deal.[7]

In February 2016, River Plate cancelled the loan with CD Tenerife and sent Martínez on loan to Primera División club Defensa y Justicia.[8] He would make his debut for Defensa y Justicia on 7 February against Unión de Santa Fe and scored his first ever Primera División goal on 17 February against Atlético de Rafaela.[9] Martínez would find more success back in Argentina then he did in Spain, scoring three goals and picking up two assists for Defensa y Justicia.[5]

Braga

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On 2 July 2016, River Plate sold Martínez to Primeira Liga club Braga.[10] He would make his Braga debut on 22 August against Rio Ave. Martínez made his European debut on 29 August in a 2–0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in a Europa League match. However, Martínez would struggled to find playing time, only making two more league appearances with the first team. He would spend the second half of the season with the club's second team, Braga B.[9]

Houston Dynamo

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Martínez signed with the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer on 17 July 2017 as a young designated player.[5] He would make his Dynamo debut on 12 August, coming on as a sub against the San Jose Earthquakes. He scored his first goal with the Dynamo against the LA Galaxy on 27 September. In the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs, Martínez played in every game for the Dynamo and picked up an assist as the Dynamo reached the Western Conference Finals. However he picked up a red card in the final game that forced him to miss the first game of the 2018 season.[11]

Although the Dynamo missed the playoffs in 2018, Martínez enjoyed the most productive season of his career. He finished the year as the Dynamo's team leader in assists with 13[12] Martínez got his first ever MLS regular season assist on 10 March against the Vancouver Whitecaps. He picked up a goal and assist on 14 April against the Earthquakes and made his first ever MLS team of the weak as a result of his strong performance. Martínez played in four games and recorded an assist in the US Open Cup as he helped the Dynamo win their first Open Cup in club history.[11] On 28 October, he picked up two assists as the Dynamo came back from 2–0 down to defeat the Galaxy 3–2, eliminating the Galaxy from the playoffs.[11][13]

Martínez made his CONCACAF Champions League 19 February in a 1–0 win over C.D. Guastatoya.[9] He picked up his first assist of the year on 9 March in a 2–1 over the Montreal Impact. Martínez scored his first goal of the season on 13 April, curling in a left footed shot to the side netting to give Houston a 2–1 win over San Jose.[14][15] He would find the back of the net again on 27 April, this time hitting a half volley with his left foot into the left corner in a 2–0 Houston win against the Columbus Crew.[14] On 11 June, Martínez picked up a goal an assist to help Houston get a 3–2 win over Austin Bold in a US Open Cup match.[16] On 18 June, he would find the back of the net in their next Open Cup match, however the Dynamo would lose 3–2 to Minnesota United.[9] Martínez enjoyed his most productive month of the season in July, scoring goals in Dynamo wins against New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC as well as picking up an assist in a 3–1 defeat to LAFC.[14] He would in the season with 7 goals and 4 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions as the Dynamo finished 10th in the Western Conference, missing out on the playoffs for the second straight season.[17][11]

Prior to the 2020 season, the Dynamo hired Tab Ramos as head coach, replacing Wilmer Cabrera, who had been in charge for the previous three seasons. Ramos primarily used lineups without a central attacking midfielder, reducing the opportunities for Martínez to play in his preferred position. Martínez ended the season having made only 11 appearances, 3 of them starts, with no goals or assists. Despite the change in coach and tactics, on field results did not improve, with Houston missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year.[18]

His contract option was declined by Houston following their 2020 season.[19]

Defensa y Justicia

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On 30 January 2021, Martínez signed with Defensa y Justicia of the Argentine Primera División.[20]

Aldosivi

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On 5 January 2022, Martínez moved to fellow league club Aldosivi.[21]

Personal

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Martínez received his U.S. green card in January 2019, which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[22]

Career statistics

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As of 12 November 2020[23][24][25]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental[c] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
River Plate 2012–13 Argentine Primera División 1 0 1 0 1 0
2013–14 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0
2014 9 0 0 0 4 0 13 0
2015 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Total 12 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 19 0
Tenerife (loan) 2015–16 Segunda División 13 0 1 0 14 0
Defensa y Justicia (loan) 2016 Argentine Primera División 14 3 1 0 15 3
Braga 2016–17 Primeira Liga 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 5 0
Braga B 2016–17 LigaPro 12 3 12 3
Houston Dynamo 2017 MLS 9 2 0 0 5 0 14 2
2018 32 5 4 0 36 5
2019 33 5 2 2 2 0 37 7
2020 11 0 0 0 11 0
Total 85 12 6 2 5 0 2 0 98 14
Career total 139 17 11 2 6 0 7 0 163 19

Honours

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River Plate

Houston Dynamo

Argentina U20

References

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  1. ^ "Conoce a Tomás Martínez, el 10 de la Sexta" [Know Tomás Martínez, the 10 from the Sexta] (in Spanish). Taringa!. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Hay un nuevo pibe 10" [There is a new 10 kid] (in Spanish). Olé. 14 July 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  3. ^ "River cayó con Estudiantes (BA) y se despidió de la Copa Argentina" [River fell against Estudiantes (BA) and said goodbye to Copa Argentina] (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  4. ^ "River ganó 3–1 y condenó a San Martín (SJ)" [River won by 3–1 and condemned San Martín (SJ)] (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b c "Houston Dynamo sign Argentinian midfielder Tomás Martínez". houstondynamo.com. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Argentina – T. Martínez – Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Tomás Martínez, quinto refuerzo del CD Tenerife" [Tomás Martínez, fifth addition of CD Tenerife] (in Spanish). Tenerife's official website. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Tomás Martínez deja el Tenerife para unirse a las filas del Defensa y Justicia". BeSoccer (in European Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d "Argentina – T. Martínez – Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Sp. Braga oficializa contratação de Tomás Martínez | Maisfutebol.iol.pt". Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  11. ^ a b c d "Tomás Martínez". houstondynamo.com. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  12. ^ "MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER SEASON STATISTICS". Houston Dynamo. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  13. ^ "LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo – Football Match Report – October 28, 2018 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  14. ^ a b c "Tomás Martínez 2019 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  15. ^ Houston Dynamo vs. San Jose Earthquakes | 2019 MLS Highlights, retrieved 10 December 2019
  16. ^ "Houston Dynamo vs. Austin Bold – 12 June 2019". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Tomás Martínez Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Tomás Martínez 2020 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Houston Dynamo FC exercise 2021 contract options on 10 players | Houston Dynamo".
  20. ^ www.estudiogema.com, Estudio GEMA-. "Tomás Martínez es, nuevamente, Halcón". www.defensayjusticia.org.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  21. ^ Tomás Martínez es la cuarta incorporación de Aldosivi para la próxima temporada, quedigital.com.ar, 5 January 2022
  22. ^ "Houston Dynamo midfielders Juan David Cabezas and Tomás Martínez receive Green Cards". Houston Dynamo.
  23. ^ "Tomas Martinez". mlssoccer.com. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  24. ^ "T. Martínez". Soccerway. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  25. ^ "Tomás Martínez Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
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