Union Takeaways: José Andrés Martínez’s first goal for the team is one to remember forever

Here are our takeaways on the Union’s come-from-behind 2-2 tie at Orlando City on Wednesday.

José Andrés Martínez. Watch his 35-yard, 90th-minute, game-tying blast as many times as you want. It won’t get old.

At least one of those times, take a look at Mikael Uhre’s stunned reaction as he runs away from the 18-yard line after watching the ball fly into the net.

» READ MORE: José Andrés Martínez’s miracle goal steals a 2-2 tie for the Union at Orlando City

Listen to the stunned reactions of the broadcasters: Steve Cangialosi and former Union local TV analyst Danny Higginbotham on Apple’s English broadcast, Ramses Sandoval and Walter Roque in Spanish, and Dave Leno and Sheanon Williams on the Union’s radio broadcast. (Sandoval has seen a lot of big goals lately: he had Univision’s call of the U.S. men’s national team’s Concacaf Nations League final four triumph.)

None of them could believe it, nor could anyone else. For a moment, it seemed Martínez couldn’t either as he raced away to celebrate. It was his 107th career shot for the Union in all competitions, and the first that went in the net. Even more remarkably, all but one of those shots were taken from outside the 18-yard box.

» READ MORE: Five takeaways on the USMNT’s Concacaf Nations League final win over Canada

“We’ve seen him strike before, and he’s gone high, wide and handsome,” Higginbotham said, quoting an old sarcastic adage from his native England. He knew as well as anyone that a lot of Martínez’s blasts 10 rows up the stands were anything but handsome.

“If this was at Subaru Park, the roof of that stadium would have been lifted off,” he said a few minutes later, once everyone had settled back down — broadcasters, fans, and players alike. “Because every time he’s gotten the ball in recent games, everybody’s just saying to him to shoot, and a lot of the time he obliges. It goes nowhere near the goal. He’s had a couple of looks, and sooner or later it was going to come.”

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Martínez did a lot of other great things in the game, on a night when many of his teammates were mediocre. He registered 70 touches, 48-of-55 passing, nine passes into the attacking third, nine defensive recoveries, three tackles, two interceptions, one block, and 11 duels won out of 14 contested.

36.7: The number of yards Jack McGlynn’s shot traveled for the Union’s first goal, as measured from his foot to the goal line, by the official statisticians at Opta.

Believe it or not, that is farther than the 35.3 yards Martínez’s goal traveled from foot to goal line. Because McGlynn’s shot — or cross that just kept going — was diagonal instead of straight on, it traveled a greater distance in the air.

2: The number of saves made by Joe Bendik in the first of his stretch of starts while Andre Blake is gone. He had as many saves as goals conceded.

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“Incredible, incredible goal, obviously, from José. He’s now 1-for-286, I think. The guys are just giving him a lot of stick in the in the locker room. But I couldn’t be more happy for him. I’ve said it before, he’s an All-Star No. 6 in this league, I think he’s the best No. 6 in this league. And for him to contribute with a goal like that at the death of the game, to finish it off that way, was big.”

— Union manager Jim Curtin takes his best guess at Martínez’s Union shot total before Opta provided the official answer.

“He has good technique when he shoots. He actually strikes a very clean ball. That’s as pure as you can strike it. Somebody said Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos were in the building. That had Roberto Carlos vibes. … You can hear the whole bench [saying] ‘No, no, no,’ as the ball bounced to him, but then when he hit it as clean as he did, everybody was ecstatic for him.”

— Curtin invokes two Brazilian legends, who indeed were at the game to promote an exhibition they’re hosting at Exploria Stadium next month. In 1997, Roberto Carlos scored a legendary long-range free kick against France that seemed to arc backwards as it flew toward the net.

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CF Montréal 1, Nashville SC 0. Somebody finally stopped Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar from scoring, and not just any team. Montréal has now posted six straight home shutout wins, just the second time in MLS history a team has achieved that feat.

The Union return home to host Inter Miami on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV, paywalled). It’s been said over and over again that Lionel Messi won’t be here, and we’ll see how many people show up having not paid attention. Officially, Messi has not signed yet with the Herons, and he’s going to take a vacation before an anticipated debut in late July.

» READ MORE: Inter Miami targets July 21 for Lionel Messi’s debut, team owner says