A chat with José Andrés Martínez
Copa América, the current season, his future, and the need for more experience.
I felt that we (press and fans) hadn't heard from José Martínez for some time, so I went to Subaru Park for practice and the press conference, and I also chatted with him for about 10 minutes. I'll be posting clips of it throughout the afternoon.
Martínez on the emotional Copa América that he just played in, representing his beloved Venezuela:
“Every time I am with the national team, I feel great and happy. It is a privilege to wear my nation's jersey. I feel good after the tournament, not just me, but the whole group that was there. We know we did the best job possible, and I know the coach was happy.
We left with our heads up, knowing that we gave it our all. Unfortunately, it ended in the quarterfinals, and we wanted to go further, but that's just part of the game. We need to keep moving forward.”
Martínez's Copa América was an incredible success, even though his nation did not win a medal. His performances were good enough to land him on various team of the tournament lists.
Here are his thoughts on being part of various team of the tournament lists that include the likes of Di María, Tagliafico, etc.:
“I appreciate it. I thought to myself, did I feel good about the job that I did? Did I prepare myself correctly? To know that I did do a good job, that I prepared myself for everything that was coming, soccer-wise, nutrition, in the gym, all those things.
Being included in those best-of rosters is a result of the preparation over the two months prior.”
Performing well at an international tournament like the Copa América only helped to raise Martínez's profile and interest from suitors. So, is he interested in testing the waters abroad?
Hear the answer yourself:
“My dream is to play in Europe. I think that I do my job well every day to make it happen. If God is not willing to make it happen, I have to keep going. But, yes, my dream is Europe, to transfer to another team.
Like I said on the podcast (SeleVinotinto Podcast), my dream remains to retire here for everything that the club has done for me and my family. But one has to continue working and push to the next level and accomplish their dreams.
If that doesn’t happen now or right away, there is no reason to be upset. I need to keep working because I know I belong to Philadelphia right now, so things can happen in the future.
Maybe I’ll go abroad for a year or two and then return to play out the rest of my career.
I just need to see what the next few months bring, but for now, I need to concentrate on the team (Philadelphia) and do the best I can.”
José's thoughts on his season personally and thoughts on the remainder of the year:
“Look, there are two ways to look at it: while I was at Copa América and while I am here in Philadelphia. Obviously, I play more games here than for Venezuela.
With the club, we know that things are not going well. I always say that when things are not going well, we have to have strength together. We have to push through because we know that everything can change in two weeks. Now that Blake and I have returned, two integral pieces for the squad, we spoke about how we cannot lose any more matches, home or away.
With God’s help, we can take care of business to make the playoffs. We started a new season this past Wednesday; we won, thankfully, and now we have another ‘final’ on Saturday.
We then have the Leagues Cup break, to stop and think about how to improve.
Hopefully, a victory sets us up for a push after the Leagues Cup.”
Multiple players within the squad have voiced their desire to bring in more help for the organization. José, unsurprisingly, was no different.
José on whether or not the team needs to invest in more players:
“We can't lie to ourselves. We know that we are a team full of youth. The oldest player is Alejandro, and Blake just recently celebrated his 30th birthday.
We are a very young team. We know that we need players with experience. It can't be all on the youth. We know they are good, but we do need some experienced bodies to help us gain points. It is not up to me; it is for the directors to do what they want.
I will continue doing my work and playing my best, and my teammates, whoever gets an opportunity, do their best.
Hopefully, we can continue to climb the table with or without transfers.
The kids will play a role, I am sure, especially after the Leagues Cup.
So, we have to keep pushing and hope that everything turns out well.”
The Union and José Martínez now face Nashville SC this Saturday at Subaru Park.
We love El Brujo!