Kyle Hunter Martino (born February 19, 1981 in
Atlanta, Georgia) is an American soccer player, who
is currently without a team after being waived by
the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.
Martino played college soccer at the University of
Virginia from 1999 to 2001, registering 17 goals and
21 assists in his three years. In his junior season,
Martino was named ACC Player of the Year; in both
his sophomore and junior seasons, he was one of 15
finalists for the Hermann Trophy. While attending
Staples High School in Westport, CT, Martino was
named the 1998-99 Gatorade National Boys Soccer
Player of the Year.
Kyle left UVa after his junior season, signing a
Project-40 contract with MLS and entering the 2002
MLS Superdraft, where the Columbus Crew selected him
eighth overall. Martio tallied 2 goals and 5 assists
in 22 appearances and winning the MLS Rookie of the
Year Award, while running the Crew offense for much
of the season. His following season was something of
a disappointment, as Martino failed to develop into
the dominant offensive force that many had expected,
although he maintained a spot in the Crew's starting
lineup. His third season began like the second with
Martino failing to stimulate the offense, but a move
up to withdrawn forward saw a resurgence of his
offensive abilities, and through the 2004 season
Kyle led the Crew to the longest winning streaks in
MLS history. Martino had a down year in 2005, not
scoring a goal. In early 2006, Martino was dealt to
the Galaxy in a four-player deal. He and John
Wolyniec were traded to the LA Galaxy, while Joseph
Ngyewa and Ned Grabavoy were sent to the Columbus
Crew. Ironically, during the first match between the
Crew and the Galaxy, it was Martino who scored the
only goal in the last few seconds for the Crew,
delivering a crushing defeat to his soon-to-be
teammates.
In November 2006 Martino had a trial at Dutch
Eredivisie side NEC Nijmegen, but apparently did not
earn a contract, despite initial indications that he
would be signed in January of 2007. Martino also had
a trial at Leeds United.
Martino played for the United States at the 2001
World Youth Championship in Argentina. He has
currently seen little playing time for the senior
national team, getting his first cap on December 7,
2002 against El Salvador. He scored his first
international goal against Panama on October 1, 2005
in a World Cup qualifier.
On Monday, March 03, 2008 Los Angeles waived Martino
to meet MLS roster and salary budget rules.
