Martin Núñez Is Confident And In Goal-Scoring Form For The Rowdies

Midway through the 2015 NASL Spring Season, Tampa Bay Rowdies midfielder Martin Núñez is rounding into good form.

Fresh off his second goal in as many games, Núñez was named to the NASL Team of the Week for the second consecutive week Wednesday morning.

“It feels good to see that the league is choosing someone from our team, which usually means we had a positive result in the match,” Núñez said. “The team is playing well, and it feels like we’re building something special every day. I’m honored by the award and happy that we’re getting results.”

On April 25 against Jacksonville, Núñez was given his first start of the season. Tampa Bay trailed 2-1 in the second half of that match until the Uruguyan native created a little bit of space for himself outside the box to smash an equalizing goal from about 24 yards out to put the Rowdies back in the match.

Last Saturday in North Carolina, the Rowdies again fell behind only for Núñez to score the game-tying goal. In the 19th minute, Georgi Hristov played a cross from just outside the box to Núñez near the penalty spot. Núñez met the ball with his right foot and rifled it into the net with his first touch to tie the match.

“I come in every day and try to put the work in on the training field, and it’s been paying off on the weekends,” Núñez said. “Hopefully we can continue building and working hard every week, and we’ll see some more goals.”

At the midway point of the Spring Season, the Rowdies sit in second place, three points behind the New York Cosmos. Núñez feels that the Rowdies, having already played New York, are in decent position with five games to go before someone clinches the first berth into The Championship, the NASL’s four-team postseason tournament.

“We’re sitting in second place right now, and I think we’ve got some of the hardest games out of the way already,” he said. “It’s just going to be about getting consistent results for the rest of the Spring [Season], starting with a win Saturday.”

Last season, Núñez scored six goals for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, including two occasions in which he scored in back-to-back weeks. He’s a bit of a streaky scorer and will look to make it three consecutive weeks with a goal Saturday afternoon in Ottawa against Fury FC.