Mario Martinez receives Honduras call-up

Mario Martinez has officially been called up to the Honduras national team for a series of upcoming matches, including their World Cup qualifier against the United States on Feb. 6. Martinez could play as many as four additional games for Honduras in the Copa Centroamericana, which serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Honduras will at least play El Salvador on Jan. 18 and Panama on Jan. 22, with as many as two additional games depending on how they do.

All of this will likely cause Martinez to miss the beginning of Sounders training camp, but it he should still have several weeks with the team before they open their season on March 2. He could then be called away again for a pair of World Cup qualifiers against Mexico (March 22) and Panama (March 26).

Last year, it was these kind of call-ups that posed a challenge for him to crack the regular rotation. Despite limited time with the Sounders, though, he still managed to score one of the biggest goals in franchise history when his volley against Real Salt Lake gave Seattle its first-ever playoff series victory. Sigi Schmid, in particular, has spoken repeatedly of the Sounders' desire to make him a bigger part of the team in 2013.