From Rock Hill to the Rocky Mountains: The Enzo Martinez story
Former UNC and Charlotte Independence forward Enzo Martinez talks about his time on the East Coast before his call-up to MLS.
Before he made his MLS debut with the Colorado Rapids, before he was beloved by the Jack’s Militia in Charlotte, before he was a national champion at the University of North Carolina and before he grew out his magnificent beard, Enzo Martinez was just a kid from Rock Hill, South Carolina tearing it up on the pitch.
Martinez, who was born in Uruguay before moving to Rock Hill with his family when he was young, won three state titles with Northwestern High School (2006, 2008 and 2009) as well as an ESPN Rise National Championship in 2009. He scored an astounding 182 goals in high school. Martinez scored 50 goals in 2008 alone.
Needless to say, Martinez was pretty darn good at this soccer thing. And that’s why big name schools were looking at him, including the North Carolina Tar Heels.
“The University of North Carolina is one of the best schools in the country,” Martinez said. “And their soccer team is always competing for a national championship. I was very blessed to have an opportunity to go there.”
In Martinez’s freshman season in Chapel Hill, he was was one of six Tar Heels to reach double figures in points, scoring three goals and notching four assists. Martinez’s freshman year came to a brutal end in a penalty shootout against then-undefeated Akron.
He kicked things up a notch his sophomore season, scoring 10 goals and recording five assists as the Tar Heels made it to College Cup. But they fell in heartbreaking fashion to Louisville, who scored in the final 51 seconds of the match to steal a 2–1 win and a spot in the 2010 National Championship game.
Right before his junior season, there was a major shake-up at UNC as Elmar Bolowich decided to leave Chapel Hill to coach Creighton, one of the most dominant college soccer programs in the Midwest. Longtime assistant coach Carlos Somoano, who played a vital role in recruiting Martinez, became the new head coach of the Tar Heels.
“I had competed against Carlos’ teams when I was playing youth soccer, so I knew him pretty well when the recruiting process came around,” Martinez said. “Elmar and Carlos had brought me to UNC and when Elmar decided to go to Creighton, a lot of players on our team believed that Carlos was the right man for the job. Personally, I have a lot of respect for Carlos. He’s an awesome guy and he’s helped me out a lot and he was able to help us get to the next step.”
The coaching change didn’t slow North Carolina down in 2011. The Tar Heels won the ACC tournament and defeated Coastal Carolina (with a game-winning goal from Martinez), Indiana and Saint Mary’s en route to their third straight College Cup appearance.
The Tar Heels beat UCLA in a penalty shootout. On the other side of the bracket, Charlotte defeated Creighton, ruining a chance for master (Bolowich) to face apprentice (Somoano).
Thanks to a goal from Ben Speas in the 65th minute, the Tar Heels held off a tough 49ers attack and secured a 1–0 win and the program’s second NCAA title in men’s soccer.
“Winning the national championship is unreal,” Martinez said. “College soccer is not easy. The season is packed into four to five months and it’s very competitive, especially when you’re playing in the ACC. Every single ACC game, regular season or tournament, was like a national final so to be able to win the national championship and reassure the staff and players that everything we did was worth it was such a great feeling. You can’t really describe it because the only way to describe it is being in that moment.”
Less than three months later, Martinez was selected 17th overall by Real Salt Lake in the first round of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, a team just two years removed from an MLS Cup title.
“To have that happen a couple months after winning a national title, I was on cloud nine, for sure,” said Martinez. “To be able to reach the goal you set for yourself when you were a young kid is a pretty amazing feeling.”
But after not seeing any playing time in 2012, Enzo was sent back to the Triangle on short-term loan to the Carolina RailHawks of the NASL. Four days after being sent to Carolina, Martinez debuted for the first time and netted the equalizing goal for the RailHawks in a 2–2 draw with Minnesota United FC. During his short-term loan, Martinez appeared in 15 matches and tallied three goals.
Martinez was not retained by RSL after the 2013 season, and he joined the RailHawks on a permanent basis.
“At Salt Lake, I wasn’t getting the time I wanted,” Martinez said. “I knew the coaches over at Carolina back when I was at UNC. I played for the U-23 program that the RailHawks had, so when the opportunity presented itself, I was all for it.”
In 2014, Martinez appeared in 21 games for Carolina (now known as North Carolina FC) and scored six goals, including a goal against FC Dallas in the 2014 U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal.
In March 2015, Martinez signed with the brand-new Charlotte Independence of the United Soccer League, where he got to play with his brother, Alex.
“When the opportunity came to me to play professional soccer in Charlotte, it was something that I could not pass up,” Martinez said. “It was a great opportunity to be so close to Rock Hill where I grew up after my family came to the United States. To me, the staff and the players there, as well as the fans, it was some of the best times I ever had playing soccer.”
Martinez appeared in 79 matches for the Independence and scored 29 goals, becoming the franchise leader in goals scored and a candidate for USL MVP in 2016 and 2017.
Martinez said his work ethic helped him progress throughout his career.
“I guess that my best attribute is my work rate,” said Martinez. “You have to work hard, no matter the sport you play. Once you set that foundation, you can add everything else to your game. For me, the most important thing is the work ethic. You have to run and work hard for any situation that can come to you in a game.”
On Feb. 19, Martinez signed with the Colorado Rapids, which sent a fourth-round pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft to Real Salt Lake for Martinez’s rights.
So far he has appeared in 19 matches with 13 starts and two assists. He has logged more than 1,200 minutes and registered six shots on goal out of 24 total shots. The Colorado Rapids currently sit in 11th place in the Western Conference, 17 points from a playoff spot.
Enzo said his time at UNC helped prepare him for professional soccer.
“There is a high level there at UNC to the point where the coaches treat you like a professional,” Martinez said. “It is a very professional environment and the quality of play there is incredible. It seems that every year UNC will produce four or five MLS players that will get drafted and will play. Being at that level with people who want to help you get to that level just makes you want to get better every single day.”
And he had some advice for the college players as the season cranks up this fall.
“The number one thing (is) you have to have a goal,” Martinez said. “You have to have a mindset and you have to believe in yourself. It doesn’t matter if you are all the way up or all the way down, you have to keep working every single day. You can’t take a day off. There are thousands of players out there who willing to do whatever it takes to take your spot so you can’t take anything for granted.”
And he had something specifically to say to the 2018 UNC men’s soccer program.
“Keep moving forward,” Martinez said. “Before we won our national championship, I personally lost two semifinals. Before I was there, the program was in the semifinals in 2009 and lost the championship game the year before. Knowing that you were so close to making it can make a huge difference the following year. Continue to be hungry and continue to believe. Keep thinking that you belong there and that you can go another game.”
