Top Drawer Soccer on Wednesday named Seattle Sounders Academy center back Angel Martinez as one of the U-17 Players to Watch at the second round of Generation adidas Cup qualifying.
The GA Cup features two qualifying events, where MLS teams compete in a round-robin format, with the prospect of competing against top international sides from Europe and South America in the Championship Division on the line.
Martinez, 13, first entered the club’s youth system through the Sounders Discovery Program and was quickly elevated to full-time status with the U-15s for the 2017-18 USSDA season. Over the summer, he captained the SDP 2005 team and played every match as the young Sounders won the Youdan Trophy in England for the third consecutive year. Midway through the 2018-19 campaign, the young defender has already made nine appearances for the U-17s.
“A 2005 that played up with Seattle’s Under-17, both last fall in the Generation adidas Cup and in recent Development Academy games, Martinez is one of the best prospects of his age group,” wrote TopDrawerSoccer.com Director of Content Travis Clark. “Recently called up for the U.S. Under-15 BNT, he’ll anchor a Seattle team that is aggressive in pushing up players, which could prevent them from getting into the Premier Division, but a big part of the entire picture.”
Martinez will enter the competition full of confidence, as he recently performed well while playing up a year on the United States U-15 national team. The Sounders enter the second phase of qualifying as the top seed in Group A. If they manage to remain in one of the top two spots, the reigning champs of the GA Cup Premier Division will qualify for the Championship Division, where they’ll face off against the top international clubs in the world.
You can find more information about the event here.
