|
February 23, 2023 -- Garden Grove, CA - Flash Football Club - Flash FC (UPSL) starting center back Eugene “Pele” Martinez goes professional starting the 2023 season, joining Vancouver FC, a Canadian Premier League team. “It is a dream come true to join Vancouver FC and continue my playing career as a professional. The Flash provided a perfect playing platform for me to continue to stay in playing form after my college season” said "Pele". “I believe in my ability and look forward to proving myself within my new team and within the Canadian Premier League.” The right-footed six-foot-one central defender signed for Flash FC in 2022 after his collegiate season ended with Pomona. He was born in Belize, a country in Central America with a population of around 500,000. The Flash community and United Premier Soccer League is proud to see "Pele" elevate himself to the next level and become a professional player.
Flash Head Coach Jose Lopez stated, We want to thank “Pele” for his playing contributions with the club as he really helped us dominate in the recent UPSL Regional Cup. Pele has a lot of talent and the sky's the limit for him. We wish “Pele” the best in his journey now as a professional player and are very proud of the fact that he wore a Flash badge.”
“Pele” was named the best defender at his high school Delille Academy in Belize, from which he graduated in 2015. Besides soccer, he also played basketball and volleyball for his school. After high school, he moved to the USA and studied at Cerritos College. In his first year at Cerritos college, he was named on the second team of the All-South Coast Conference, played in 16 games in the season, contributed with three assists, and scored the crucial goal in a 1-0 win over Oxnard College in the playoff. In his second year at Cerritos, he played in 23 games, starting in 22, and recorded two goals and four assists. His first collegiate goal came in a 3-1 win over Fullerton.
After his second year at Cerritos, “Pele” transferred to Cal Poly Pomona University, a public university in Pomona, 30 minutes away from Los Angeles. The Coronavirus in 2019 halted play in 2020, but in the 2021 season, “Pele” came out shining again, helping his team keep nine clean sheets. He played in 18 NCAA games and scored a goal in a tie against Point Loma. Martinez played for Flash FC in the 2023 United Premier Soccer League SoCal Spring Regional Cup, where he played a pivotal role in Flash reaching the semi-finals, conceding only four goals in the tournament. To date, Martinez has participated in four international matches, including two FIFA matches and two non-FIFA matches for Belize national team.
Although Martinez has achieved a lot on the field, and a lot may be yet to come, one of his most outstanding achievements has been off the field. He owns Pele Soccer Foundation in Belize City, Belize, which recently partnered with Flash FC. Pele Soccer Foundation offers an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of soccer, collect new clothes and equipment to ensure one can play and instill the importance of education.
| 
