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Legion FC Brings Aboard Championship Standout Enzo Martinez

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 01/07/22, 12:01PM EST

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31-year-old arrives as one of top playmakers in league history with 44 goals, 30 assists


New Birmingham Legion FC signing Enzo Martinez has recorded 44 goals and 30 assists in 153 regular-season appearances in the Championship previously in his career. | Photo courtesy Em-Dash Photography / Louisville City FC

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham Legion FC announced on Friday the club had signed forward Enzo Martinez, pending league and federation approval. Martinez was named to the USL Championship All-League First Team in 2016 and has accounted for 44 goals and 30 assists in his time in the league.

“We’re excited to have Enzo in a Legion FC jersey as he is a proven winner and finds ways to make players around him better,” said Legion FC President & General Manager Jay Heaps. “He’s versatile with the ability to play multiple positions in the attack and with his competitiveness, will add an immediate toughness to our group.”

Martinez joins Legion FC after six seasons and 161 appearances across the regular season and playoffs in the Championship for the Charlotte Independence. In 2021, Martinez led the team with five assists, was tied for second with seven goals, was third in shots with 32, and was tied for third with 30 chances created.

A two-time Championship All-League selection in both 2016 and 2017 for the Independence, Martinez signed with Major League Soccer side the Colorado Rapids for the 2018 season and played 25 times while adding three assists, before returning to Charlotte, where he was named team captain, for the past three years.

The Uruguayan sits just outside of the top 50 in career appearances in the USL Championship (153), and ranks is 48th in minutes played (12,004), and is tied for 21st in regular season goals (44) and tied for 11th in regular season assists (30). His regular-season goal and assist figures place him in exclusive company in the league’s history alongside Jorge Herrera and Solomon Asante as the three players to have recorded at least 40 goals and 30 assists in the league.

“I’m really excited for this opportunity to get to know new teammates and staff and to become a part of this community,” said Martinez. “But most importantly, the reason why Birmingham became the number one choice for me is because I truly believe that this team can win a championship. At this point in my career, the only thing I want is to win a championship, and I truly believe I have a chance to do so with Birmingham.”

Before turning pro, Martinez was a standout player at the University of North Carolina, where he won the 2011 National Championship playing alongside current Legion FC midfielder Mikey Lopez. It is also no exaggeration to call Martinez one of the greatest high school soccer players of all time, after ESPN named him the ESPN Rise High School Boys Soccer Player of the Decade in 2009.

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