Martin Nuñez
Encyclopedia
Martín Núñez is a Uruguay
an footballer currently playing for Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the North American Soccer League.
when he was nine years old, settling in Miami, Florida
. He attended Miami Sunset Senior High School, with whom he won the Florida State 6A championship in both 2004 and 2005, was named a first team All State in 2005, and was recognized as the Miami Herald Florida Player of the Year class 6A, the Florida State Final Four MVP and the Miami Herald Player of the Year as he led the team with thirty-four goals.
Núñez played college soccer
at Georgia Perimeter College
where he was a 2006 second team National Junior College All American, leading the nation with thirty goals. He left school after his freshman year to pursue a professional career.
, but he chose not to sign with the team. In 2008, he was offered a contract with the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer
, but again he chose to not sign with them; instead, he signed with the Carolina RailHawks of the USL First Division
on March 15, 2008. He immediately cemented a spot in the RailHawks' midfield, playing twenty-eight games and scoring five goals. His efforts were rewarded when he was named one of three finalists for the Rookie of the Year award, an award ultimately won by Osvaldo Alonso
.
In January 2009, Núñez traveled to Puerto Rico
to join the Puerto Rico Islanders
of the USL-1 at their training camp on trial, signing with the club on February 18. He went on to play 14 games for the Islanders in 2009, helping them to the final of the 2009 CFU Club Championship, before being released at the end of the season.
He signed for Miami FC
of the USSF Division 2 Professional League
in 2010 and re-signed with the club, now called Fort Lauderdale Strikers and playing in the North American Soccer League
, on February 8, 2011.
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an footballer currently playing for Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the North American Soccer League.
Youth and College
Núñez moved with his family to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
when he was nine years old, settling in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. He attended Miami Sunset Senior High School, with whom he won the Florida State 6A championship in both 2004 and 2005, was named a first team All State in 2005, and was recognized as the Miami Herald Florida Player of the Year class 6A, the Florida State Final Four MVP and the Miami Herald Player of the Year as he led the team with thirty-four goals.
Núñez played college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
at Georgia Perimeter College
Georgia Perimeter College
Georgia Perimeter College is a two-year associate degree-granting unit of the University System of Georgia. In May 2011, the state Board of Regents approved two bachelor's programs: a Bachelor of Arts in Sign Language Interpreting and a Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics...
where he was a 2006 second team National Junior College All American, leading the nation with thirty goals. He left school after his freshman year to pursue a professional career.
Professional
Núñez was drafted in the second round (22nd overall) of the 2007 USL College Player Draft by Miami FCMiami FC
Fort Lauderdale Strikers is an American professional association football team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
, but he chose not to sign with the team. In 2008, he was offered a contract with the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, but again he chose to not sign with them; instead, he signed with the Carolina RailHawks of the USL First Division
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
on March 15, 2008. He immediately cemented a spot in the RailHawks' midfield, playing twenty-eight games and scoring five goals. His efforts were rewarded when he was named one of three finalists for the Rookie of the Year award, an award ultimately won by Osvaldo Alonso
Osvaldo Alonso
Osvaldo Alonso Moreno is a Cuban footballer who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.-Professional:...
.
In January 2009, Núñez traveled to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
to join the Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto Rico Islanders is a Puerto Rican professional football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
of the USL-1 at their training camp on trial, signing with the club on February 18. He went on to play 14 games for the Islanders in 2009, helping them to the final of the 2009 CFU Club Championship, before being released at the end of the season.
He signed for Miami FC
Miami FC
Fort Lauderdale Strikers is an American professional association football team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
of the USSF Division 2 Professional League
USSF Division 2 Professional League
USSF Division 2 Professional League was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation in 2010 to last just one season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues and the North American Soccer League...
in 2010 and re-signed with the club, now called Fort Lauderdale Strikers and playing in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League (2010)
The North American Soccer League is a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico which began league play on April 9, 2011. It has been provisionally sanctioned as the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, behind Major League Soccer in the...
, on February 8, 2011.
Puerto Rico Islanders
- CFU Club ChampionshipCFU Club ChampionshipThe CFU Club Championship or CFU Club Champions' Cup is the annual international football competition held amongst association football clubs from the Caribbean Islands for clubs that are members of the Caribbean Football Union...
Runner-up (1): 2009