With Real Salt Lake’s rise in the Major League Soccer standings, so too has there been a rise in interest in the U.S. and abroad. Last week, forward Juan Manuel Martinez spoke with Marca in Spain about his transition to MLS and his early impressions of Real Salt Lake after joining the Claret-and-Cobalt last August.
“Everything is going very well, very happy to be here,” he told Marca reporter Arch Bell.
After his goal last Friday, Martinez joined Yura Movsisyan atop RSL’s leaderboard with six goals apiece as RSL is third in the league with an 8-5-4 record. He now has seven goals and three assists in 23 matches since signing with the club from Boca Juniors in his native Argentina.
He joined the league at the same time as the likes of Steven Gerrard, Didier Drogba and Andrea Pirlo and while the league continues to grow with signings of those ilk, players like Martinez – prominent South American players who haven’t necessarily garnered the worldwide renown of the players playing in Europe – have continued to have a profound impact on their clubs.
Martinez still sees room for further growth in the league, but has been impressed thus far with the level of play in MLS.
“There are things to discuss, but overall it is a very good league,” he said.
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