The Crew are finalizing a deal to sign 2018 MLS Most Valuable Player Josef Martinez through the 2026 season with an option to extend through the 2027 MLS Spring season, a source told The Columbus Dispatch on Aug 12.
Martinez will not be signing as a designated player, and he has already spent a week training with the Crew at club facilities.
Martinez, 33, was last with Liga MX’s Club Tijuana. He and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract in May, according to The Athletic.
In 2018, Martinez posted one of the most prolific MLS seasons of all time, winning the league’s MVP award, the MLS Cup, the All-Star Game MVP, the Golden Boot and the MLS Cup Final MVP with Atlanta United.
Martinez also played for CF Montreal in 2024, where he was coached by the Crew interim coach Laurent Courtois.
Martinez has logged more than 15,000 minutes in MLS, spending six seasons with Atlanta and one each with Montreal, Inter Miami and San Jose. His last stint in MLS was with San Jose in 2025; he scored 14 goals and recorded two assists.
Martinez first came up with Swiss Super League Club Young Boys before moving to Torino in Italy’s Serie A. He has scored 149 goals and 26 assists across all league competitions.
A native of Venezuela, Martinez has recorded 30 starts in international competition, starting four of Venezuela’s seven World Cup qualifier competitions in 2026.
A natural striker and goal-scoring talent, Martinez is a natural fit to slot as the Crew’s No. 9 for the remainder of the MLS season, with striker Wessam Abou Ali’s ACL injury holding him out for the rest of the year.
Martinez has dealt with knee injuries in the past. He had ACL surgery on his right knee in 2020 and arthroscopic surgery on the same knee in 2022.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew to sign former MLS MVP Josef Martinez
Reporting by Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
