Kyle Martino
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kyle Hunter Martino | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Retired | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 November 2007 | |||
Kyle Hunter Martino (born February 19, 1981 in Westport, Connecticut ) is a retired American soccer player, who last represented the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer before being waived in 2008.
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. While attending Staples High School in Westport, CT, Martino was named the 1998-99 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
Kyle left UVa after his junior season, signing a Project-40 contract with MLS and entering the 2002 MLS Superdraft, where the Columbus Crew selected him eighth overall. Martio 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 His third season began like the second with Martino failing to stimulate the offense, but a move up to withdrawn forward saw a resurgence of his offensive abilities, and through the 2004 season Kyle led the Crew to the longest unbeaten streaks in MLS history.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 apparently did not earn a contract, despite initial indications that he would be signed in January of 2007. Martino also had a trial at Leeds United.[1]
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. He scored his first international goal against Panama on October 1, 2005 in a World Cup qualifier.
On Monday, March 3, 2008 Los Angeles waived Martino to meet MLS roster and salary budget rules. After not being picked up by another MLS side, Martino decided to leave the game to work in the financial sector on Wall Street.[1]