2005-06 MISL Defender of the Year - Genoni Martinez
DOMINANT ST. LOUIS STEAMERS DEFENDER WINS AWARD
FOR THIRD TIME IN FOUR YEARS
WESTPORT, Conn. (Wednesday, May 24, 2006) – The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) announced Wednesday afternoon that St. Louis Steamers defender Genoni Martinez has been named the 2005-06 MISL Defender of the Year. He becomes the fourth player in League history to win the Defender of the Year honor in three different seasons, joining Sean Bowers, Matt Knowles, and Tim Tyma. In his first season with the Steamers, Martinez was a key component in the club’s success in winning the 2005-06 MISL Regular Season Championship with a 23-7 record. In addition, on Monday the MISL announced that Martinez had repeated as an All-MISL First Team selection.
The native of Mexico City led all MISL defenders in points this season (31). Martinez was the only defender to rank in the top-10 in scoring, placing ninth. He and fellow All-MISL defenders Pat Morris (Philadelphia) and Matt Schmidt (Milwaukee) led all players at their position with 16 goals. In playing 25 of 30 regular season games, Martinez totaled 16 goals, 15 assists, and 14 blocks. He also finished third in the MISL in restart goals, with six.
The 31-year-old began his professional indoor soccer career with Wichita in the 1996-97 season. Since then, he’s played in 258 regular season games in the League, scoring 237 goals, adding 187 assists, and 402 blocks. In addition to being named the MISL Defender of the Year following the 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2005-06 seasons, Martinez has been named All-League six times during his career. Martinez played in his fourth League All-Star Game on Feb. 11 before a capacity crowd at Milwaukee’s U.S. Cellular Arena.
The MISL’s formal voting process to determine the league’s postseason awards polls members of the media, as well as MISL coaches and team personnel and asks voters to cast votes for first-place (worth five points), second-place (three points), and third-place (one point) for MISL Defender of the Year. In winning the award, Martinez received better than 50 percent of the first-place votes.
“Genoni is a different player than he used to be,” said St. Louis head coach Omid Namazi, who has also coached, played and trained alongside Martinez in both Philadelphia and Cleveland. “Now he’s a better overall player. As a defender he’s always been able to go forward. But every team needs that defender that can step forward and also contribute defensively. He’s the best in the league at going forward, but he picks and chooses his spots. He never gets hurried on defense, never gets rushed. He’s so composed. He brings a calmness to our backline.” A complete listing and schedule of the Major Indoor Soccer League’s postseason awards is available at www.misl.net.
About The MISL
The Major Indoor Soccer League is a single-entity organization with a coast-to-coast presence comprised of six teams located across the United States, and features the finest indoor soccer players representing 31 countries around the world. In February of 2004, the League announced an expansion team in Stockton, CA, that began play in 2005-06 as the California Cougars. In May of 2004, the League announced plans for an expansion team in Newark, NJ, that will begin play in 2007-08. In April of 2005, the League also approved an MISL expansion team for Detroit that will begin play as the Detroit Ignition in 2006-07. On Sunday, April 30, 2006, the MISL announced on ESPN2 that MISL Orlando had been approved to begin competition with the 2007-08 season. The 2006 MISL All-Star Game was played before a capacity crowd on February 11, 2006 at the U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee. The 2006 MISL Championship Series began in Chicago on Saturday, April 15, 2006, and concluded live on ESPN2 and before a crowd of 16,061 at Savvis Center in St. Louis on Sunday, April 30, 2006, with the Baltimore Blast winning their third MISL Championship Series in four seasons. For more information on the MISL, visit the League’s official website www.MISL.net.