First it was Columbus Crew midfielder Lucas Zelaráyan in Matchday 18 from nearly 61 yards out. Then it was Real Salt Lake midfielder Pablo Ruiz in Matchday 19 from over 68 yards out.
Now, in Matchday 20, it's Philadelphia Union midfielder José Martinez's turn to throw down a bonafide AT&T 5G Goal of the Year contender – this time an outside-the-box volley hit with venomous pace and bend.
Orlando City SC were beating the Union 2-1 heading into the 90th minute of a tense Eastern Conference clash between Audi MLS Cup Playoff hopefuls at Exploria Stadium. Then Kai Wagner whipped a searching cross into the box that was seemingly headed away from danger by Antônio Carlos.
But that clearance fell to MartÃnez, the Union's no-nonsense defensive midfielder known more for his crunching tackles than his goals. Without hesitation, the Venezuelan international smashed a first-time volley directly off his laces that bent into the upper 90 before Orlando goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar could get anywhere near it.
"Incredible, incredible goal, obviously, from José," Philadelphia head coach Jim Curtin said postgame. "He's now 1-for-286, I think, so the guys were just giving him a lot of schtick in the locker room.
"...Everyone's incredibly happy for him because again, he has good technique when he shoots. He actually strikes a very clean ball, that's as pure as you can strike it," Curtin added, before shouting out two Brazilian legends. "Somebody said Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos were in the building. So that had Roberto Carlos vibes."
The stunning equalizer was MartÃnez's first goal in 82 MLS regular-season matches, sealing a 2-2 draw Wednesday evening.
While not quite a carbon copy of Roberto Carlos' memorable strike against France, there were certainly shades of it:
