The New Martz In Town

Photo Credit: Mark Guthrel

From 1999 to 2005, Mike Martz patrolled the sidelines for the St. Louis Rams, as the offensive coordinator of “The Greatest Show on Turf” and then as head coach. Now, in the “other football”, there’s a new Martz making waves in the Lou.

Unrelated to Mike, Austin Martz has established himself as a player to watch for Saint Louis FC this season. He’s enjoying his time with the club and in the city. “My favorite part about playing in St. Louis is the team and fan culture,” Martz explains. “As a team, this entire group gets along. It’s the closest atmosphere to a college team I’ve had since becoming a pro. Nobody wants to be exclusive. Same with the fans. They are extremely supportive in nature and feel it’s their job to give back to the community to see it grow. I’m a fan of planting small seeds to reap a harvest!”

The 25-year-old midfielder is playing his second season in the USL, after a very unique professional stop right out of college. Martz played for Pembroke Athleta in the Maltese Premier League. “Malta, do you even know where that is? That question sums up my experience pretty well. I hardly knew anything prior to my plane touching down in this tiny little island. This was out of the norm for me but certainly a highly anticipated adventure. Living on the Mediterranean Sea is unrivaled- the climate is exceptional, the water and land is beautiful, and the food is awesome,” he recalls.

“Expectations were high for myself and a few other American players on my team because we had signed with a newly, first-time promoted team to the Maltese Premier League. This was a great level for me once graduating from Georgetown. Fortunately, success followed as I earned league player of the month honors in 2 of the first 3 months of the season. Goals were coming, and everything looked promising. Unfortunately, I won’t say too much in respect for the club, but unforeseen circumstances and questionable business decisions, as well as interests back home, caused me to end my contract early and I returned home excited to join Wilmington Hammerheads for the 2016 USL season.”

Modeling his game after Craig Bellamy, the longtime Premier League forward, Martz has started four matches this year for Saint Louis FC, who can really use his strength and aggressiveness in the attack. Another strength for Martz is his faith, leading him to a unique jersey number. He explains, “#77 is unique to my faith. I believe in loving people the way Jesus loves me. While 7 is the number of perfection, 77 is the number for forgiveness, and stated by the gospel of Luke as the number of generations between Adam and Jesus. It reminds me that soccer isn’t my identity, that I play for something much bigger than myself!”

Martz will absolutely have a long career in soccer, but what if he played “the other football” like the other famous Martz coached. “I actually played kicker in high school! Been there, done that. But if I had to choose another position, I’d say safety or slot receiver. Because of my pace and ability to anticipate space, I feel those would be my best suited positions,” Austin says.