SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes forward Josef Martínez (Venezuela), forward Ousseni Bouda (Burkina Faso) and midfielder Edwyn Mendoza (USA Under-19) have been called up by their respective national teams for the upcoming international window.
Martínez, 31, has been called up to represent the Venezuelan National Team in upcoming qualifiers for the FIFA 2026 World Cup. The forward will join La Vinotinto on Friday, June 6, vs. Bolivia at Estadio Monumental de Maturín in Venezuela, and then vs. Uruguay on Tuesday, June 10, at Estadio Centenario in Uruguay.
At international level, the native of Valencia, Venezuela, has firmly established himself as a key figure for La Vinotinto. Since making his senior team debut in 2011, Martínez has made 67 appearances for his country and scored 14 goals for the Venezuelan National Team, ranking fourth all-time.
One of the most decorated players in Major League Soccer history and an Audi MLS Cup champion and the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2018, Martínez has been an immediate boost to the Quakes’ attack since joining the club via free agency in January, scoring seven goals and notching one assist in 14 MLS games (10 starts) so far for the Black and Blue. With 123 career league goals, the three-time Best XI honoree ranks sixth among all active MLS goalscorers and recently passed Bradley Wright-Phillips (117) on the all-time list. The former MLS MVP still holds the league record for fastest to reach 100 goals, securing the achievement in just 142 matches.
Bouda, 25, will represent Burkina Faso in matches against Tunisia on Monday, June 2, and Zimbabwe on Friday, June 6. A native of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the forward made his international senior debut in a 3-1 victory over Eswatini on June 7, 2022, and featured in Les Étalons’ African Cup of Nations qualifying match in 2023. In all, Bouda has amassed eight caps and scored twice.
The eighth overall selection in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft out of Stanford University, Bouda has played in 53 MLS games (10 starts, 5g/1a) and six Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches (five starts, 2g/0a) across four seasons for San Jose, with a combined seven goals and one assist in all competitions. This season, Bouda has scored three goals and notched one assist in league play as one of only three Quakes to appear in all 17 MLS games thus far.
Mendoza, 19, will be part of a 20-player roster for the team’s first camp of 2025 from June 2-10 in Marbella, Spain. The USA will play host Spain on Saturday, June 7, and Ukraine on Tuesday, June 10. Both matches will be played at Estadio Guillermo Amor in Benidorm, Spain. At international level, the holding midfielder has made 10 appearances for the U.S. U-17 Men's Youth National team, including their 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship run to the final.
Mendoza has appeared in four matches this season for the Quakes’ MLS NEXT Pro team, The Town FC (previously known as Earthquakes II). In 2024, the San Jose native tallied three goal contributions (1g/2a) in 25 appearances, leading the team in minutes and helping them earn their first Pacific Division title and second consecutive Western Conference Semifinals appearance. He played in 20 games for Earthquakes II in 2023, helping guide the club to its first MLS NEXT Pro playoff appearance and the Western Conference Semifinals. A Quakes Academy product by way of Bay Area Surf, Mendoza signed a first-team contract as a Homegrown Player on May 16, 2023.
