Walmer_Martinez
Walmer Martinez
Salvadoran footballer (born 1998)
Walmer Osmar Gómez Martínez (born 17 August 1998) is a professional footballer who plays for USL Championship club Monterey Bay FC. Born in the United States, he plays for the El Salvador national team.
|
Martinez with Hartford Athletic in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walmer Osmar Gómez Martínez[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-08-17) 17 August 1998 (age 25) | ||
| Place of birth | Santa Cruz, California, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Monterey Bay | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Cabrillo Seahawks | 35 | (22) |
| 2018–2019 | Cal State Monterey Bay Otters | 35 | (17) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | Santa Cruz Breakers | 24 | (10) |
| 2019 | Des Moines Menace | 2 | (0) |
| 2020 | Project 51O | 1 | (0) |
| 2021 | Hartford Athletic | 19 | (2) |
| 2022– | Monterey Bay | 53 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | El Salvador | 18 | (2) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:34, 21 October 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:58, 5 April 2022 (UTC) | |||
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Martinez was born in Santa Cruz, California to a Honduran father and his mother Lucila who was from Victoria, Cabañas, El Salvador.[2]
Youth and college
Martinez attended Cabrillo College in 2016, playing two seasons with the Seahawks, scoring 22 goals in 35 appearances. In 2018, Martinez transferred to California State University, Monterey Bay where he scored 17 goals in 35 appearances.[3]
While at college, Martinez appeared for USL League Two side Santa Cruz Breakers in both 2018[4] and 2019.[5] He also appeared for Des Moines Menace towards the end of their 2019 season.[6]
Professional
Martinez signed with USL Championship side Hartford Athletic on April 12, 2021, after attending Hartford’s Invitational Combine.[7] Martinez scored his first professional goals on October 26, 2021 when he scored a brace in Hartfrd's 2-0 win over the Charleston Battery.[8]
On 22 December 2021, Martinez was announced as the first-ever signing by USL Championship expansion club Monterey Bay FC.[9]
Coach Hugo Pérez had approached Martinez about playing for the El Salvador under-23 for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship in March 2021, but he was unable to obtain a passport in time.[2]
Martinez debuted with the El Salvador national football team in a 7–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification win over United States Virgin Islands on 5 June 2021 when he came on as a substitute.[10]
Martinez scored his first goal for El Salvador on June 8, 2021 in the team's 3-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda.[11]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 June 2021 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador,El Salvador |  Antigua and Barbuda | 3-0 | 3-0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | July 14 2021 | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, United States |  Trinidad and Tobago | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
- "Group A, 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup: El Salvador" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 2. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- "Who is Walmer Martinez, the reinforcement of the senior team?". elgrafico.com. May 10, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- "Walmer Martinez - Men's Soccer". CSU Monterey Bay Athletics.
- "Santa Cruz Breakers FC - 2018 Regular Season - Roster - # - Walmer Martinez -". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
- "Santa Cruz Breakers FC | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
- "Des Moines Menace | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
- Athletic, Hartford (April 12, 2021). "Hartford Athletic Signs Forward Walmer Martinez". Hartford Athletic | Connecticut's Professional Soccer Team.
- "Matchday Report: Martinez Strikes Twice as Athletic Down Battery". 26 October 2021.
- "Monterey Bay F.C. Announces Walmer Martinez as First Signing in Club's History". USLChampionship.com. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Qualifiers - North, Central America and Caribbean - Matches - US Virgin Islands - El Salvador". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021.
- "¡GRITAMOS GOL!". twitter. June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.