Kyle Martino

Kyle Martino

Personal information
Full name	Kyle Hunter Martino
Date of birth	(1981-02-19) February 19, 1981
Place of birth	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Height
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1999–2001	Virginia Cavaliers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2006	Columbus Crew	106	(10)
2006–2007	Los Angeles Galaxy	35	(3)
Total		141	(13)
International career
2002–2006	United States	8	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Kyle Martino (born February 19, 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a retired American soccer player and currently a TV soccer color analyst.

Career

High School

Martino attended Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut, where he played soccer and, in 1998, was named Gatorade National Player of the Year after his senior season.

College

Martino attended the University of Virginia from 1999 to 2001. He played college soccer and scored 17 goals and 21 assists. 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.

Professional

Kyle left UVA after his junior season, signing a Project-40 contract with Major League Soccer (MLS) and entering the 2002 MLS Superdraft, where the Columbus Crew selected him eighth overall. Martino tallied 2 goals and 5 assists in 22 appearances and won 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 His third season began like the second with Martino failing to stimulate the offense, but a move up to withdrawn forward saw a resurgence of his offensive abilities, and through the 2004 season Kyle led the Crew to the longest unbeaten streak in MLS history. Martino had a down year in 2005, not scoring a goal. In early 2006, Martino was dealt to the LA Galaxy in a four-player deal. He and John Wolyniec were traded for Joseph Ngwenya and Ned Grabavoy. Ironically, during the first 2006 match between the Crew and the Galaxy, before the trade, it was Martino who in the last few seconds scored the game's only goal, delivering a crushing defeat to his soon-to-be teammates.

In November 2006, Martino had a trial at Dutch Eredivisie side NEC Nijmegen, but did not earn a contract. Martino also had a trial at Leeds United.[1]

Martino retired from professional soccer on February 19, 2008, due to injury. Martino was advised by doctors that injuries he sustained throughout his career were severe enough that it would be in his best interest to hang up the cleats.

On Monday, March 3, 2008, Los Angeles waived Martino.

International

Martino played for the United States at the 2001 World Youth Championship in Argentina. He saw little playing time for the senior national team, getting his first cap on November 17, 2002, against El Salvador. He scored his only international goal against Panama on October 12, 2005 in a 2-0 World Cup qualifier USA victory.

Post-Soccer Career

Martino is the color commentator for Major League Soccer (MLS) telecasts for NBC Sports, where he has faced much prejudice due to his American accent. Martino previously served as a color commentator for MLS on the ESPN family of networks in addition to providing commentary for Philadelphia Union matches during their inaugural 2010 season.

Martino married actress Eva Amurri on October 29, 2011.

Career statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
USA			League		Open Cup		League Cup		North America		Total
2002	Columbus Crew	Major League Soccer	22	2
2003			22	2
2004			29	5
2005			27	5
2006			6	1
2006	Los Angeles Galaxy	Major League Soccer	9	0
2007			26	3
Total	USA		141	13
Career total			141	13

Honors

Columbus Crew

• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: 2002
• MLS Supporters' Shield: 2004

Individual

• MLS Rookie of the Year: 2002