And until another forward is brought into the fold and truly challenges Martínez for that spot, he’ll be the de facto starter moving forward.
Position: Striker
Age: 26 years old
Key Stat: Team-high 18 goals in all competitions in 2024
In his first full season as a member of the Boys in Blue, Alonso Martínez defied even the most optimistic of expectations. After managing just three goals in his first eight appearances, Martínez propelled himself into the Starting XI after a record-breaking hat trick off the bench in May vs the San Jose Earthquakes. From June on, the Costa Rican managed a further 13 goals and three assists in league play, becoming the first New York City FC player to record at least 16 MLS regular season goals since Castellanos scored 19 in 2021.
By the end of the MLS season, Martínez finished with 0.96 goals per 90 minutes in the regular season for the best scoring rate in the history of New York City, and good for the third-most in the entire league — El Clínico was only bested by FC Barcelona Inter Miami duo Luis Suarez (0.86) and MLS MVP Lionel Messi (1.08).
New York City FC | Goals per 90′, Single Season
| Player | Year | Goals | Mins | G/90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alonso Martínez | 2024 | 16 | 1498 | 0.96 |
| 2 | Héber | 2019 | 15 | 1575 | 0.86 |
| 3 | Frank Lampard | 2016 | 12 | 1280 | 0.84 |
| 4 | Taty Castellanos | 2022 | 13 | 1436 | 0.81 |
| 5 | David Villa | 2017 | 22 | 2556 | 0.77 |
Moving into 2025, fans will question if, under new manager Pascal Jansen, Martínez will continue his impressive form in front of goal. Or if 2024 was simply a flash in the pan.
Just one of those things?
When looking at Martínez’s goalscoring metrics, one might get the impression that the Costa Rican simply doesn’t miss, living up to the nickname El Cliníco. But if you dig a little deeper, a worrying trend starts to appear.
It took Martinez 12 games from his 2024 debut to log five goals in the league. During this stretch, the Costa Rican featured prominently off the bench as an offensive spark late in games for former Head Coach Nick Cushing. It was in his 12th game that Martínez made history. Coming off the bench against San Jose in the 58th minute, Martínez looked to make an impact with the match tied at 1-1. When New York City won that game 5-1 at the final whistle, his impact was realized and then some.
Over ten minutes, from the 85th minute and into stoppage time, Martínez scored the fastest hat-trick in club history. This was Martínez’s breakout moment.
Streaks come, streaks go
But following that hat trick, Martínez didn’t score again for the next five games. His next goal contributions came as a brace in the 2-0 win over CF Montréal on July 3. Following that win, Martínez went goalless again, this time for a staggering eight games in all competitions.
However, it all seemed to click into place by the middle of August, with the Costa Rican grabbing eight goals in his next eight games for New York City FC, propelling the Boys in Blue up the table and comfortably into the MLS Cup Playoff spots.
Yet, as quickly as he found his shooting boots, Martínez’s impact in front of goal stalled. He finished the season with just two goals in the final six games, and just just one lone goal in four appearances in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
At face value, 18 goals and four assists in all competitions is fantastic production from a winger signed the prior summer from the Belgian Second Division. But when you look at 2024, and see the long goalless droughts interrupted by brief stretches of brilliance, it raises the question of whether the Costa Rican is ready to be the full-time starting No 9.
What we’ll see in 2025
The key factor for Martínez in 2025 will be his minutes. It’s expected that the Costa Rican will be starting for New York City FC when the Boys in Blue face off against Inter Miami to open the season one week from Saturday.
Interestingly enough, we saw a rare sight for New York City in attack during the preseason friendly last Saturday, a strike partnership with Mounsef Bakrar lined up alongside Martínez. It paid dividends in what turned out to be a 3-1 win over San Diego FC. Martínez scored twice, grabbing the first and third goals of the game. He also provided an assist, sending a cross that Bakrar struck home in the 39th minute strike.
With three goals and one assist between the two of them, we now have the impression that there could be a reality where both strikers line up together in the MLS.
That likelihood of that playing out every game, however, remains to be seen. This was just a 77-minute experiment in a preseason match. If Jansen decides to move forward with just a lone striker up front, expect Bakrar to maintain the role as Martínez’s primary backup, though the Algerian’s minutes should continue to rise as his development continues to progress.
The fact is, Martínez’s stock is at an all-time high following his flurry of goals in 2024, and until Bakrar can prove he’s the more clinical finisher in front of goal, Martínez will ride this momentum into 2025 as the starter.
If the Costa Rican can replicate his 8-in-8 stretch of form throughout an entire MLS season, then NYCFC has a little to worry about in terms of who will score the goals. But, on the flip side, if Martínez reverts to the streaky form we saw in 2024 – and the creative players around the Costa Rican fail to pick up the slack and create a consistent flow of chances from elsewhere – then things could begin to unravel.
Consistency going forward was one of the biggest Achilles heels for New York City in 2024. Failure to create chances – and scoring what few were created – hindered the Boys in Blue at times last season, particularly during the MLS Cup Playoffs. One can’t expect to win the MLS Cup by scoring just three goals from open play.
With the rumored departure of fellow talisman Santi Rodríguez to Brazilian Série A side Botafogo, and the club not linked with any first-team quality transfer in attack, the pressure to perform mounted on Martinez’s shoulders will only continue to grow. And it’s up to the Costa Rican to decide how he responds.
