Las Vegas (NV) — The Panamanian Soccer Federation announced the 24-man roster for their two upcoming games that their National Team will have in November. That list includes midfielder Cristian Martinez, who closed out the 2019 season with Lights FC.
“He’s clearly a very talented player who was not getting enough playing time with the Chicago Fire and we were able to provide him the minutes to keep him in top form,” said Lights FC manager Eric Wynalda. “Cristian clearly showed that he has a lot of talent and quality. He contributed for us by scoring very important goals, we’re extremely proud of him and wish him well with his National Team where he should always be, because he’s that good.”
Panama will face Mexico in Group B action of the Concacaf Nations League on Friday, November 15 at Rommel Fernández Stadium in Panama City, Panama. They will then host Conmebol member Bolivia on Tuesday, November 19 in an international friendly at the same stadium, in what will mark the end of the 2019 FIFA International Calendar.
Lights FC’s midfield received a boost late in the 2019 USL Championship season with the arrival of Cristian Martinez, who was loaned out by Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire to Las Vegas on August 23rd.
‘C-Mart’ capitalized on his stay with Lights FC by recording two goals and an assist. He had five starts in nine appearances, racking up a total of 488 minutes, second-most with a team for Martinez in a season since making his debut in the United States back in 2016.
He made his debut with the Panama National Team in February 2016 against El Salvador in a friendly match, Martinez was named as part of Panama’s preliminary 35-man roster squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
