This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Juan Manuel Martinez stood on the pavement a few feet from the grass inside Rio Tinto Stadium last August speaking comfortably about his decision to try something new, to blaze a new trail for himself in Major League Soccer.

The former Boca Juniors star forward sported his brand-new Real Salt Lake jersey and riffed on how Salt Lake City was a better fit for him, a one-time Argentina Player of the Year, than the bright lights of New York City or L.A. But less than 18 months later, RSL's first-ever million-dollar player, the man nicknamed Burrito, appears to be moving on.

On Wednesday, the 31-year-old forward said in an interview on ESPN Argentina that he has asked RSL to release him from his contract citing family reasons, signaling the likely end of what ultimately would be a disappointing tenure at RSL for the tantalizing playmaker. Martinez would leave RSL with eight goals and four assists in 36 regular-season starts. During RSL's late-season fade, Martinez managed just one goal and one assist in the club's last 18 matches.

According to salary numbers released by the MLS Players Union, Martinez had a guaranteed cap hit of $1,458,666 in 2016. In the interview on ESPN Argentina, Martinez says he'll return to Argentina for the next phase of his playing career.

If Martinez and RSL do indeed split, the club's wealth of talent in the attacking half has now been severely thinned. Martinez's likely departure comes on the heels of the controversial exit of the team's most-reliable and productive player in history, Javier Morales. Following RSL's 3-1 first-round playoff loss at the L.A. Galaxy on Oct. 26, RSL coach Jeff Cassar revealed that Martinez had been playing through bouts of arthritis in the pubis area for much of the season.

As RSL's promising regular season hit the skids in the last two months of the season, Martinez continually showed his frustration on the field as well as being subbed off by Cassar. When Cassar chose to take Martinez off in the second half in L.A., Martinez refused to shake Cassar's hand.

Cassar later described his relationship with Martinez as "fantastic."

"No one wants to come off the field," Cassar said. "I get that. I was a player and I never wanted to be taken off. I didn't want to be taken out of the lineup. He is a passionate person, and I get that. There's no problem whatsoever between us."

The Martinez signing last summer was arguably the biggest international splash RSL made to date. In came a flashy, technical wide forward to help RSL further into the transition of its move to a 4-3-3 formation. And the club snagged an eager former Boca Juniors player in the prime of his career to do it, to boot.

His first half of 2016 encapsulated why RSL spent big last summer. Martinez routinely embarrassed defenders with his trickery on the ball and showcased an ability to finish calmly inside the opposing penalty box. Martinez manned the right side and forced teams to revolve tactical game-plans around slowing him down. The league eventually adjusted as teams crowded Martinez, who eventually became one of the top-three most-fouled players in MLS.

Now it seems Burrito Martinez won't be part of RSL's long-term future, vacating another sizable position to be filled this offseason.

-Chris Kamrani

Twitter: @chriskamrani