Los Ticos have once again come calling for New York City FC striker Alonso Martínez, with the 25-year-old announced as part of the Costa Rica national team roster for the September international window.
Costa Rica plays two Concacaf Nations League group matches this window: At home against Guadeloupe on Thursday, September 5 followed by an away game against Guatemala on Monday, September 9.
Martínez will be looking to earn his 15th cap with Costa Rica, last appearing for his national team in this same competition, Concacaf Nations League, in a March 29, 2023 home loss to Panama.
His breakout during this first full season spent with New York City in MLS has caught the attention of interim Costa Rican manager Claudio Vivas, who has summoned two other MLS players: Defender Julio Cascante of Austin FC and midfielder Ariel Lassiter of Chicago Fire FC.
📝 Esta es la lista de convocados del profesor Claudio Vivas para los juegos de Nations League ante Guadalupe y Guatemala. ⚽️
— FCRF 🇨🇷 (@fedefutbolcrc) August 28, 2024
¡VAMOS SELE! 🇨🇷 Juntos somos el Eco de un País 🇨🇷🤩#FCRF #LaSele pic.twitter.com/uFM9vA00MS
Back when Martínez last played for Costa Rica, he was still with Lommel SK in Belgium's second-tier Challenger Pro League and still playing primarily as a winger.
Since joining New York City last August expected to play as a wide attacker, Martínez has gone from a little-used bench player to the team's most prolific striker. Nick Cushing slid Martínez into that No 9 role earlier this spring and it has paid major dividends for player and team alike, with Martínez accounting for 11 goals and four assists across 23 appearances in MLS and Leagues Cup combined.
How good has he been? Martínez leads all Major League Soccer players with a rate of 0.97 non-penalty goals scored per 90 minutes, while he's also third in MLS with 1.84 shots on target per 90 and seventh in MLS with a 0.26 goals/shots ratio, all per current MLS player leaderboards on FBref.com.
Martínez has unexpectedly emerged as the striker NYCFC has needed since Taty Castellanos left in 2022. His finishing abilities in front of goal and tendency to score in bursts have some people (us, on this site) calling him El Clínico and celebrating his ascendence.
Andrew Leigh
Martínez is joined by fullback Mitja Ilenič as New York City players set to link up with their national teams during this September window, with Ilenič called in by Slovenia's U-21 squad for 2025 UEFA Euro U-21 Championship qualifiers.
El Clínico also becomes the third of the three current NYCFC strikers to get national team calls this year. Jovan Mijatović played with the Serbia U-19s in March during their stretch of UEFA U-19 Championships qualifiers, while Mounsef Bakrar was called up twice by Algeria during this NYCFC season, most recently making two appearances for Les Fennecs in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in June.
