Atlanta United have made plenty of history in their short MLS life. Now one of their own holds one of the most important records in the league.
This weekend, Josef Martinez etched his name in MLS history, Man City succumbed to a newly-promoted team, Liverpool stayed perfect in every way and Napoli pulled off yet another dramatic comeback.
Close out your soccer weekend with the latest edition of 90 Minutes’ Top Five.
1. Hombre record
And on game number 26, the record was all his.
Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez stands alone as the sole proprietor of the record for most goals in a single MLS season with his 28th goal of the 2018 campaign in his team’s victory against rivals Orlando City.
With eight matches remaining, he could make the mark previously held by Chris Wondolowski, Roy Lassiter and Bradley Wright-Phillips almost unattainable at the pace the Venezuelan is scoring goals this season.
More Top Picks Ladder Tosssssssssssss
But Martinez’s incredible form is not limited to just 2018. Since arriving last season, Martinez has scored an incredible 46 goals in 45 matches, guaranteeing him at least one goal per game on average, a torrid pace none of the big-name players in MLS can even touch over the last two seasons.
At 25 years old, Martinez could soon be headed to greener pastures, but his name is already cemented in the annals of Major League Soccer for years to come.
2. Big bad Wolves
When the Premier League schedule for 2018-2019 was released, one of the things to look for was which team could be the one to trip up the seemingly unstoppable Manchester City.
Who would have guessed that team would be the newly-promoted Wolverhampton on the third weekend?
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves took the first two points away from the defending champions on Saturday with a 1-1 draw that wasn’t without controversy, as Willy Boly clearly scored Wolves’ goal with his hand and David Silva was not given an obvious penalty that could have given City the win.
But controversy aside, credit to Wolves for putting on an impressive performance against a team that was rolling early on in the season. Espirito Santo’s side stifled City at almost every turn while proving dangerous on offense, something Arsenal or Huddersfield managed to do.
Taking points from the champions could go a long way in Wolves’ hopes of staying in the Premier League after this season.
3. Comeback kids
Two games, two come-from-behind victories for Napoli early this Serie A season.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side took full advantage of AC Milan’s second-half collapse to earn their second victory in as many games, 3-2 on Saturday, replicating their effort from their debut a week ago at the Olimpico against Lazio.
AC Milan, for whom this match was their first official game of the season, could not have gotten off to a better start after goals from Giacomo Bonaventura and Davide Calabria. However, their gas tank hit empty around the hour mark and the lead evaporated.
Piotr Zielinski had himself another impressive performance, notching Napoli’s first two goals before Dries Mertens, who started on the bench once again, sealed the comeback and three more points for last season’s runner-up.
Ancelotti’s Napoli is still a work in progress, but they are winning games based on resilience and character. Once they hit their stride, watch out.
4. Silky smooth
The 72.5 million euros Liverpool paid Roma for Alisson’s services are looking better and better with every game.
The Brazilian goalkeeper produced another shutout as Liverpool earned their third victory in three games by defeating Brighton, 1-0, on Saturday.
So far this season, Alisson and Liverpool have yet to allow a single goal in this perfect start to their Premier League campaign, as the Brazilian has shown every bit of the abilities that earned him the expensive price tag.
The problem at goalkeeper was so deep, it required a heavy investment by Liverpool, just like they had to do at center back with the acquisition of Virgil van Dijk to address their leaky defense. Now both problems seem to be a thing of the past.
5. Goal of the weekend
Fiorentina had themselves a field day on Sunday, unleashing their fury on Chievo to win 6-1 at the Artemio Franchi.
It only took eight minutes to get the party started, courtesy of this absolute rocket by Nikola Milenkovic past the diving Andrea Seculin, who replaced Stefano Sorretino after getting knocked out by Cristiano Ronaldo last weekend.
More Top Picks Best Computer Speaker