kyle martino

Kyle Martino (born February 19, 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American soccer player, who currently plays attacking midfielder for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. Martino played college soccer at the University of Virginia from 1999 to 2001, registering 17 goals and 21 assists in his three years. In his junior season, Martino was named ACC Player of the Year; in both his sophomore and junior seasons, he was one of 15 finalists for the Hermann Trophy. Kyle left UVa after his junior season, signing a Project-40 contract with MLS and entering the 2002 MLS Superdraft, where the Crew selected him eighth overall. Martino quickly established himself as one of America's most promising, if also most inconsistent, young midfielders, registering 2 goals and 5 assists in 22 appearances and winning the MLS Rookie of the Year Award, while running the Crew offense for much of the season. His following season was something of a disappointment, as Martino failed to develop into the dominant offensive force that many had expected, although he maintained a spot in the Crew's starting lineup. His third season began like the second with Martino failing to stimulate the offense, but a move up to withdrawn forward saw a resurgence of his offensive abilities, and through the 2004 season Kyle led the Crew to the longest winning streaks in MLS history. In three years in the league, he scored nine goals and eleven assists. Martino played for the United States at the 2001 World Youth Championship in Argentina. He has currently seen little playing time for the senior national team, getting his first cap on December 7, 2002 against El Salvador. However, if he continues to develop, Martino could become a significant player in the middle of the US midfield.

Kyle Martino

See also