Tag: Obafemi Martins

Forgotten Nigeria international, Obafemi Martins, has been listed among three nominees for the 2014 Major League Soccer (MLS) Player of the Year Award.

The fast and mobile player, who has been linked with moves back to Europe in the past, has enjoyed a fruitful season with the high flying side.

Martins, who defends the colours of Seattle Sounders, has been joined by Robbie Keane and New England Revolution forward Lee Nguyen in the race for the award.

The former Inter Milan, Newcastle United, VFL Wolfsburg, Rubin Kazan and Levante forward has bagged 17 goals and accounted for 13 assists in the season so far.

Rookie of the Year title will go to one of FC Dallas’ Tesho Akindele, D.C. United’s Steve Birnbaum or, the favourite, Harrison Shipp of the Chicago Fire.

The 2014 Volkswagen MLS Most Valuable Player award will be presented on December 3.

Former Super Eagles and Seattle Sounders’ striker, Obafemi Martins, is set to land a multi-million dollar deal, following the upgrade recently handed to Ogenyi Onazi by Lazio.

The latest word on Martins, who is a Designated Player with Seattle Sounders, is that his contract comes just 11 days after the first one.

An American sports writer, Frank Dell’Apa tweeted that Martins and the Seattle Sounders FC have reached an agreement and are close to finalising a deal that would be a significant raise.

Martins was already under contract through 2015 with an option for 2016. It is not yet clear if this is an extension or an entirely new deal.

If the money being reported is accurate, though, it would essentially be a doubling his current salary of N280m ($1.75m) per year, but would only move him up to the 8th highest paid player in the league, from 9th.

Martins is having his best scoring season ever, is on his way to double-digit assists and is probably an MVP candidate on a team that has Dempsey.

Back in June Martins declared his desire to stay in Seattle when he admitted that other teams were inquiring about his services.

If the striker played out the rumored extension it would be his longest time on a single team since he was with Inter Milan from 2001-2006.

Forgotten Super Eagles striker Obafemi Martins continued his rich vein of form in front of the net scoring the second goal in Seattle Sounders 3-2 win over Real Salt Lake in the MLS.

Last week Martins scored a brace for Seattle Sounders and his goal in the victory of Real Salt Lake has now taken his season tally to 13 in 24 games with nine assists.

Martins struck two minutes from the halftime whistle to put Sounders 2-1 up after Lamar Negeale drew them level.

The five goal thriller was decided in Sounders favour by a late goal from Andy Rose, shortly after Real Salt Lake were reduced to ten men, following Nat Botcher’s dismissal from the game.

The Ex-Inter Milan striker has been in the international wilderness since failing to impress Keshi in a World Cup qualifier against Kenya over a year ago.

Despite the snub, the 29 year old revealed this month that he is open to the idea of playing for the Super Eagles, if called up by Coach Stephen Keshi.

So far he has ten goals from 26 games for the Super Eagles.

Nigeria striker Obafemi  Martins was the hero for Seattle Sounders as they crushed hosts Chivas 4-2 on Wednesday.

Martins has now scored 12 goals in 23 matches this  season for Seattle Sounders.

The Western Conference leaders scored four goals in the opening 42 minutes of the game as the Sounders recorded a comfortable win at the StubHub Center.

Obafemi Martins and Andy Rose both netted braces for Seattle, who are five points clear atop the table.

The former Newcastle forward Martins started what proved to be a devastating first half for the Sounders when he tapped in from a close range, connecting Chad Marshall’s header off Brad Evans corner.

Five minutes later, Martins doubled the lead and completed his brace tapping into empty net off Lamar Neagle’s pass.

Marco Delgado and Ryan Finley pulled goals back early in the second half for the conference’s bottom team.

Rose scored in the 38th and 42nd minutes as the Sounders rolled out to a 4-0 lead in California.

Delgado’s looping header saw Chivas USA pull a goal back in the 51st minute.

Nigeria and Seattle Sounders FC forward Obafemi Martins has been voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 24 of the 2014 MLS season.

Martins earned the honours for scoring two goals and recording one assist in Seattle’s 4-2 away victory over Portland Timbers on Sunday.

It is the second time in his career that Oba-Goal has been named MLS Player of the Week, earning the honours in Week 29 of the 2013 season.

The award marks the third of the season for Sounders FC after Clint Dempsey was voted MLS Player of the Week for Weeks Five and Six.

Martins opened the scoring in Sunday’s  match against the Timbers with a goal in the 18th minute. After Brad Evans beat his defender down the right side, Martins sprinted into the box and tapped in Evans’ low cross from short range.

The Nigerian then helped Sounders double its lead in the 34th minute when he carried the ball down the field on a counterattack and found Dempsey with a through ball at the top of the box, Dempsey put the ball past Timbers goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts for the 2-0 lead.

Martins capped the match with his second goal in the 76th minute following an impressive individual effort.

• Plays for 51 minutes

• Compatriot Fernondo Adi fails to save Timbers

Out-of-favour   Super  Eagles star Obafemi Martins was in action for 51 minutes on Monday as Seattle Sounders hit hard-fighting Portland Timbers 2-0 in the American Major Soccer League (MLS).

Martins, who gave way for home boy Chad Barret a few minutes into the second half, had fought tooth and nail with his teammates to shoot into the lead at their home ground to no avail and the visitors, who earned three yellow cards in the course of the match, stood their ground matching the hosts fire for fire.

Both teams struggled to create opportunities in the first half as Portland winger Steve Zakuani troubled his former side.

It took a 71st minute strike by World Cup returnee Clint Dempsey to put the homers in the driving seat.  Teammate Marco Pablo increased the tally 15 minutes later to hand the Conference leaders a comfortable victory.

Seattle’s win was their second in five days over the Timbers, having eliminated Portland in the US Open Cup quarter-finals on Thursday.

Sigi Schmid’s men climbed well clear atop the Western Conference, while the Timbers are struggling in eighth.

The Timbers were unlucky not to be level in the 86th minute as Gaston Fernandez’s 30-yard effort hit the outside of the post.

Martins, who was left out of the Super Eagles’ squad to the just ended World Cup in Brazil, was however not the only Nigerian on the pitch as compatriot Fanendo Adi was on full throttle in attacking capacity for Timbers.  Although Adi, who was signed on a permanent basis by Timbers in June 2014 failed to score, he nonetheless contributed in no small measure to the fireworks that gave the homers initial shivers especially in the first half. The 23-year-old has already scored three goals for Timbers including two on his debut against Chivas on May 28, 2014.

EX-Super Eagles ace, Obafemi Martins scored two goals in the first competition for Sounders, hepling Seattle to a 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes in an exhibition friendly in Tucson, Ariz.

Martins’ goals came on assists by Andy Rose in the 27th and 29th minutes.

Rose took a throw-in and directed it to Martins, who sent it across the line for the Sounders’ first goal. Two minutes later, Rose took a cross from Dylan Remick and headed to Martins, who finished from in front of the goal.

San Jose’s lone goal came from former Sounder Mike Fucito in the 86th minute.

Joining Martins in the starting lineup were defenders Jalil Anibaba, Chad Marshall, Djimi Traore and Remick; midfielders Tristan Bowen, Osvaldo Alonso, Rose and Lamar Neagle; and forwards Kenny Cooper and Martins.

Starting the second half were defenders Tarek Morad, Zach Scott, Damion Lowe and Jimmy Ockford; midfielders Alex Caskey, Michael Azira, David Estrada and Aaron Kovar; and forwards Long Tan and Eriq Zavaleta.