Honduran Striker Brings Decade of Professional Experience to Boys in Blue
Indy Eleven continued to strengthen its attacking corps for the 2023 season with the addition of forward Douglas Martinez via transfer from fellow USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC. Terms of the deal that brings the Honduran striker to the Circle City will not be released; the transfer remains pending per league and federation approval.
Having started his professional career at the age of 16 in Honduras with C.D.S. Vida in 2013, the 25-year-old Martinez brings ten years of pro experience to the Eleven’s attacking corps. That tenure includes four seasons in the USL Championship, during which he’s collected 27 goals and 12 assists in 90 combined regular season and playoff matches (64 starts) with SRFC, San Diego Loyal SC (2021), Real Monarchs SLC (2019-21), and New York Red Bulls II (2017). Martinez also scored a pair of goals, both in 2020, across 25 appearances (10 starts) in Major League Soccer action with Real Salt Lake during parts of three seasons between 2019-21.
“Douglas is a multifaceted finisher with great experience who can bring another dimension to our attack,” said Indy Eleven Head Coach Mark Lowry, who coached against Martinez’s Real Monarchs teams in Western Conference action while with El Paso Locomotive FC. “He’s proven he can produce at this level and we believe he’ll fit our approach on both sides of the ball incredibly well. We look forward to incorporating him into the squad quickly and to the contributions he’ll bring to the group this season.”
Martinez arrives in Indiana following a lone season with Sacramento in 2022 that saw him notch five goals and three assists while starting 21 of his 31 appearances in league play. He also started in five of his six contests for Republic FC during their historic run to the Final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, contributing on the scoresheet with an insurance goal (88’) in a 2-0 win over Phoenix Rising FC in the Fourth Round and an assist on Rodrigo Lopez’s 4th minute opener in a 2-1 road win over MLS’ LA Galaxy in the Quarterfinals.
Martinez broke out in USLC circles in 2019, when his 17 goals (fifth on that season’s Golden Boot chart) and seven assists in 25 appearances helped Real Monarchs SLC – which also featured his new Eleven teammate, midfielder Jack Blake – claim the club’s first league title.
In addition to his club career, Martinez also has featured at the international level for Honduras at both the youth and senior levels. In 2017, he earned his first call-up to the Honduran U-20 team at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship during their second-place finish, and he added one goal during their stint the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He later joined the U-23 team, where he scored two goals and won the silver medal in the 2019 Pan American Games. That same year, he earned the first of his four caps to date (one goal) for the catrachos’ senior squad by appearing in CONCACAF Nations League play. In 2021, he was named to the roster for the 2020/21 Tokyo Olympics, where he started all three matches in group play for Honduras’ U-23 side.
The addition of Martinez brings Indy Eleven’s current roster to 24 players:
Goalkeepers: ^Cayden Crawford, Yannik Oettl, Tim Trilk, ^Hayden Vostal
Defenders: Younes Boudadi, Robby Dambrot, Adrián Diz Pe, Mechack Jerome, Gustavo Rissi, Jesus Vazquez
Midfielders: Jack Blake, Cam Lindley, Aodhan Quinn, Bryam Rebellon, Harrison Robledo, ^Diego Sanchez, Alann Torres
Forwards: Solomon Asante, ^Benji Chavarria, Jonas Fjeldberg, Sebastian Guenzatti, ^Luca Iaccino, Douglas Martinez, Juan Tejada
^ USL Academy contact signings
After enjoying an early bye from league play over this weekend, Indy Eleven will return to action with a road rivalry row against Detroit City FC next Saturday, March 25 (4:00 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+). Indy Eleven will then open its USL Championship home slate on Saturday, April 1, when it welcomes Las Vegas Lights FC to IUPUI Carroll Stadium for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.
Tickets for all 17 home regular season contests as well as the Eleven’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round clash against Michigan Stars FC on Wednesday, April 5, are on sale at indyeleven.com/tickets, where details on Season Ticket Memberships, specially-priced tickets and experiences for groups of 10 or more, and an expanded range of Hospitality options can be found.
