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Per a report from Diez and subsequently confirmed by reporter Eduardo Solano, Honduras Men's U-20 national-teamer Douglas Martinez is on his way to the New York Red Bulls.
@DFeuerstein @JuanMapu @NYPost_Lewis Douglas is traveling to NYC this Thursday, I know you and some other guys were asking me about him.
— Eduardo solano (@newguayork) April 12, 2017
I know yesterday he went to the American embassy and have his papers ready to flight from Tegucigalpa to NYC on Thursday to join NYRBII
— Eduardo solano (@newguayork) April 12, 2017
Eagle-eyed RBNY fans quickly found further confirmation:
Douglas Martinez @Once_A_Metro @newguayork @TolstoyFC pic.twitter.com/zwtefaBern
— Señor Soccer (@JuanMapu) April 13, 2017
The Diez report suggests Martinez will be joining the RBNY first team in MLS, but earlier reports had stated the player is destined for NYRB II in USL. Certainly, given the fact the Red Bulls are well stocked with attacking midfielders in the first-team squad (recent injuries notwithstanding), it would seem likely that 19-year-old Martinez will play most, if not all, of this season with the RBNY reserves.
The player should be fit and ready to play: he was a regular for the Honduras U-20 team that finished second at the recently-concluded CONCACAF U-20 Championship, and he subbed in to a league game for his club - Vida - on April 9.
Martinez has made 13 appearances (including nine starts) and scored one goal for Vida in the 2016-17 season of Honduras' Liga Nacional.
As told to Diez by both Martinez himself and Vida executive Roberto Dip, the deal with RBNY is a season-long loan with an option to buy.
Martinez had previously been expected - per reporting by Eduardo Solano - to defer joining the Red Bulls until after the forthcoming U-20 World Cup, which runs from May 20 to June 11 of this year.
@JuanMapu @Once_A_Metro @TolstoyFC He said to me "I'm going after the South Korea World Cup". Something must have happened that I wasn't told.
— Eduardo solano (@newguayork) April 13, 2017
Clearly, circumstances changed - which is perhaps a little better for Martinez's ambition of winning a permanent transfer to RBNY. He should be able to get in a few weeks of training with his new teammates, perhaps even some game time, before heading to South Korea to represent his country.
NYRB II plays Orlando City B in USL on April 14. That might be a little soon for Martinez to make a match-day squad, but he should at least see his new team in action up close, as well as presumably catching RBNY play D.C. United in MLS the following day.
Martinez is an attacking player, well-suited to playing on the wing. Exactly how he is deployed for NYRB II will, of course, rest on how he adapts to his new club and its signature playing style.