Posted on August 2, 2012

SEATTLE – Whether he gets medal or not in the Olympic men’s soccer tournament, Honduran midfielder Mario Martinez will get a prize after the Summer Games: a new soccer team.

He was acquired by the Seattle Sounders on loan from Real Espana (Honduras) on Wednesday.

The Sounders obtained Martinez’s rights from Real Salt Lake for a conditional selection in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

“He’s a young player who we’ve been tracking for a while now,” Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said. “He has a very good left foot and a good shot from distance. Martinez can play wide and can also play underneath the front runners. He is pretty technical and a player who we think has a big upside.”

Martinez, who has played all three first-round games for Honduras at the Summer Games, has helping the Catrachos to their first trip to the quarterfinals. They will play Brazil on Saturday.

The 23-yearold Martinez has played more than 50 times for Real Espana since joining the club in 2006 in his hometown of San Pedro Sula. He also performed with Valerenga of Norway and Anderlecht of Belgium in 2009-2010.

He also has earned 17 caps for the Honduran National Team.

Photo: Sigi Schmid (above) on Mario Martinez: “He is pretty technical and a player who we think has a big upside.”