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There doesn't seem to be too much reason to read a lot into this, but there was an intriguing name making a "guest appearance" for the Seattle Sounders Reserves in the 1-1 tie with the LA Galaxy on Monday. Josue Martinez started in the midfield for the Sounders and played the first half. There wasn't much detail beyond that, but it suggests that he may be a player the Sounders are wanting to get a better look at.
While some may see Martinez as just another international who has failed to catch on in MLS, there is a bit more to him than that. Prior to join the Philadelphia Union on a transfer before the 2012 season, he was putting together a decent career in Costa Rica.
Still just 23, Martinez already has three seasons in which he's scored at least five goals. All of those came while he was at Saprissa, where he scored 19 league goals in just 4,087 minutes over three seasons (a perfectly respectable .41 goals per 90). He also scored a pair of CONCACAF Champions League goals, including one against the Sounders in 2010.
At the time of Martinez's original transfer, he also seemed to have a bright future with the Costa Rican national team. He's made 14 appearances for the senior national tea, plus 11 more for various youth sides. In total, he's scored seven international goals, including three during Costa Rica's Olympic qualifying run in 2012.
Obviously, things have not gone so well for him in MLS. Martinez scored just one goal in 595 minutes for the Union before they traded him to the New York Red Bulls, who waived him after he had played just 10 minutes. The Red Bulls had acquired Martinez as part of the Sebastien LeToux trade.
It's worth noting that Martinez has mostly been used as a midfielder in MLS, but had his best moments at Saprissa while playing forward. The Sounders do appear to have room on their roster if they choose to sign him and he's the kind of player that seems worthy of giving a look. It will be interesting to see if he's with the team when they resume training on Thursday.