AFP, Los Angeles :
Josef Martinez made history Friday by setting the Major League Soccer single season record for goals, netting the game winner as the Atlanta United defeated Orlando City 2-1. Martinez, who is on pace to smash the previous record, notched his 28th of the season in the 74th minute at Orlando City Stadium. “I’m happy with where we came to play. I’m very happy because like I said last week, ‘If I reached 28 I would be very happy, happier than ever.’ “I’m happy to get the record and the three points,” he said. Martinez’s marker wasn’t the only huge strike of the evening, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved to within just one goal of the magic 500 milestone as the LA Galaxy played to a 1-1 draw with LAFC.
Martinez’s milestone goal was a thing of beauty as he zig-zagged his way through the Orlando defense before chipping it over the fallen goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Venezuela’s Martinez surpassed Roy Lassiter (1996), Chris Wondolowski (2012), and Bradley Wright-Phillips (2014) and now has the most goals ever scored in a single season to go with his record of most hat tricks in league history.
