Josef Martínez could leave Atlanta United at the end of the season
The Venezuelan striker has called out the Five Stripes players following the 3-0 home loss to Austin FC on Saturday night.
Atlanta United has struggled to be a competitive team since winning the 2018 MLS Cup and this season they sit in 11th place in the Western Conference with a record of five wins, five draws and eight defeats. On Saturday night, the Five Stripes lost 3-0 to Austin FC and they suffered another tough defeat at home this season.
Josef Martínez not happy with the club
The Mercedes-Benz stadium was at full capacity and the team lacked fight and identity throughout the 90 minutes. This was not a good image for Atlanta United and their captain, Josef Martínez, is fed up with the current situation and called out the players.
“This happened months ago so it’s not a surprise for us,” Martinez said. “We played like this months ago. Life is gone. We all make mistakes and we are professionals. We’re not kids anymore. And if you come here you have to know what you have to do. And if you don’t come here for 100 percent, probably you don’t have to choose to play at this club.”
“This didn’t happen today, it happened at the beginning of the season,” Martinez said. “We play because we have to play, but in training some people don’t have that energy. Some people don’t know what they have to do, or they don’t recognize or appreciate the jersey and what we’ve been doing for a long time, and probably that’s the biggest problem.”
“That’s the message for everyone. If you want to bring guys, it’s because they want to play here. It’s not because of business. And it has been for a long time.” Martínez only has one year left with Atlanta United and if the club don’t improve their recruitment, he will not extend his stay with the MLS side.