Puerto Rico Islanders

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the baseball team, see
Puerto Rico Islanders (EPBL)
.

Puerto Rico Islanders
Full namePuerto Rico Islanders Football Club
Nickname(s)Tropa Naranja (Orange Troop)
Los Isleños (The Islanders)
Founded1 January 2003
Dissolved27 October 2012
StadiumJuan Ramón Loubriel Stadium
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Capacity22,000
OwnerAndy Guillemard
LeagueNorth American Soccer League
2012Regular season: 3rd,
Playoffs: quarterfinals

The Puerto Rico Islanders were a professional

American soccer pyramid. They played their home games at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. The team's colors were orange and white. They were succeeded by Puerto Rico FC
.

History

Further information on Puerto Rico Islanders FC: History of Puerto Rico Islanders FC

USISL franchise

In 1995, a team called the Puerto Rico Islanders joined the

Houston, Texas on June 1, changing its name to the Houston Force. The move was prompted by problems with the Puerto Rican Football Federation and low attendances.[1] The Force folded after one game in Houston.[2]

Early years (2003–2005)

Mauricio Salles scored 25 goals for the Islanders in their first two competitive seasons

Eight years after Serralta's first attempt at professional football, he gave it another go and together with a new group of Puerto Rican businessmen officially created another incarnation of the Puerto Rico Islanders. The team played their first season in the

Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. Led by players like Mauricio Salles, Raúl Díaz Arce and Luis Fernando Zuleta Mechura the Islanders finished the 2004 season in 14th place, with a record of 5 wins, 17 losses and 6 ties.[6]

In 2005, the Islanders still under Hugo Hernán Maradona brought in a new group of players that would become staples in the club for the next couple of seasons (Petter Villegas, Marco Vélez, Dan Kennedy, Caleb Norkus, Alejandro González Pareja and Noah Delgado), and retained several key players like Mauricio Salles. At the end of the season, the Islanders had an improved season record with 10 wins, 10 losses and 8 ties, this time barely missing the playoff.

Jorge Alvial Era (2006–2007)

The Islanders opened their 2006 season with a mix of new players like Argentine

Dan Kennedy
to create one of the strongest lineups in the club's short history, in a serious attempt to take the USL Div. 1 title for the first time.

Formed under the management of then head coach Jorge Alvial, the 2006 Islanders had a record of 3–2–1 up to early June, when Alvial put in his resignation to become a scout for the English club Chelsea. The club lumbered across the last half of the season barely making the playoffs, under the new head coach Toribio Rojas, Jorge Alvial's assistant coach, finishing the season in 6th place and with a record of 10–8–10.

In the weekend before the 2006 playoffs, the Islanders hosted

Miami FC twice, who had Brazilians Romário and Zinho
in their line up. The Islanders needed four points to qualify for the Playoffs. After going down 0–2 in the first half the Islanders managed to come back and win 4–2 in front of 8,600.

In the final game of the season against Miami on September 10, 2006, they attracted a record crowd of nearly 11,000 fans. Early in the second half Miami took the lead. It wasn't until the 43rd minute of the second half that the Islanders equalized with an Arturo Norambuena penalty. A draw was sufficient for the Islanders to qualify in front of Seattle and Atlanta.

In the first round of the playoffs, the team played a home-away series against the Charleston Battery. Unfortunately for the Islanders, Charleston won the series 3–2, ending the 2006 season for the Puerto Ricans.

The team came into the 2007 season on a high, they had just played a preseason tournament against MLS teams and achieved very successful results. They also had signed several dangerous players like Panamanian trio

Gustavo Avila, and Alberto Zapata, a new goalkeeper Josh Saunders, rookie Jay Needham,[7] plus a return of players like Marco Vélez, Petter Villegas and Noah Delgado
. The squad was considered serious contenders for the title.

After one early success, the team took a turn for the worse. It was evident that Toribio Rojas had lost his edge and after an embarrassing 2–1 loss against bottom table Minnesota Thunder was let go from his coaching position and given the post of Youth System Director, when he left the team with a record of 1–3–3. Also, attendance declined.

Clarke Era (2007–2011)

Cristian Arrieta was a two-time USL Defender of the Year, and the 2009 USL-1 MVP

Acting quickly, the club replaced Rojas with former

Colin Clarke, who had found himself without a job after the Virginia Beach Mariners went out of business.[8]
He immediately established himself as a hard and hotheaded coach demanding discipline from his players. Shortly after he was nicknamed "El General" by the media and fans because of the way he led the squad during practice. This change also translated in a change of fortunes for the club, in the first match under Clarke the club beat the
Fabrice Noel, then Englishman, now Kenyan International, Taiwo Atieno Willie Simms on loan from New England Revolution
, and John Krause, who played briefly for Clarke on the Mariners. The club would finish comfortably in 6th place, two spots on top of the last playoff spot.

The Islanders managed to edge out Montreal during its Quarterfinals series with an aggregate score of 5–3, but fell 4–2 in penalties against regular-season champions Seattle Sounders after losing the home leg and tying the series in Seattle.[9]

The 2008 season would be Clarke's first full season as the club's manager and he worked quickly to revamp the club's line-up, bringing back just a few players from the 2007 squad. He would bring in players like

Portland, the club had a slow start with a record of 1 victory, 2 ties and 3 losses in its first 6 games, but by the end of July the Islanders were on a 5-game victory streak that would lay the foundation for their first Commissioner's Cup run. On August 8 the club would beat Rochester 4–0 putting them for the first time at the top of the table,[10]
a position they would compete for against Vancouver for the rest of the season.

The Islanders would finish the season with a 15–9–6 record clinching the first position and the Commissioner's Cup.[11] On top of that they achieved this even with a crowded schedule that had them playing 4 games a week between the CCL and the USL-1 Regular season and the Playoffs.

The Islanders would be seeded in the semifinals of the league's Playoffs where they would beat Rochester on an aggregate of 3–2 winning them a spot in the finals against Vancouver. In a controversial decision, the league awarded Vancouver the right to host the finals. After a 3–0 defeat against Santos Laguna in the CCL the club headed to Vancouver where after a hard-fought game, the Islanders lost 2–1.[12] The club would also sweep the USL-1 individual awards starting with Coach of the Year Colin Clarke, Defender of the Year (Cristian Arrieta), Goalkeeper of the Year (Bill Gaudette), and USL-1 MVP (Jonny Steele).

The Islanders just coming off a successful 2008 season started preparations for 2009 early in February where they traveled to Florida for a group of friendlies against teams like

Colin Clarke[13]
to a three-year contract as a way to bring continuity to the squad.

Before the CCL's Quarterfinals Clarke, as a way to strengthen the squad brought in midfielder

Carolina Railhawks
.

Almost two weeks after their defeat in the CCL the club entered the USL 1 season as heavy favorites opening their season against defending Champions Vancouver Whitecaps on April 18 with a 2–1 victory at

North American Soccer League for the 2011 season.[14]

Clarke left the Islanders at the end of the 2011 season after accepting the job as

Minnesota Stars
in the playoffs.

Suspension of play and Puerto Rico FC (2012–2015)

The Islanders announced in late 2012 that they would sit out the spring half of the 2013 North American Soccer League season;[17] later, they announced that they would sit out the entire 2013 season with the aim of restructuring and returning for 2014.[18] This came on the heels of a season where the Islanders were forced to play home games at Bayamon Soccer Complex while Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium was being renovated and subsequently averaged just 1,864 fans. In August 2013, club management informed the league that the Islanders would not resume league activities in 2014 due to an inability to secure adequate funding.[19] In 2015, Puerto Rico FC was founded and the Islanders' supporter groups were revived. The new club began play during 2016 North American Soccer League season.

International performance

In 2006 the Islanders venture into the international stage participating in the

W Connection (Trinidad and Tobago) and Fruta Conquerors (Guyana), the latter dropped out of the tournament weeks before group play. The Islanders beat Hoppers FC 3–1 but lost to W-Connection 0–1 ending the squads first international appearance.[20]

In October 2007, the Islanders came into the

Harbor View FC, which later became the tournament's champions, and two victories. In this tournament, the team also broke several of their on-field records, it achieved its highest score line, a 10–0 victory over Hitachi Centre SAP FC, in the same game Fabrice Noël
scored the team's first ever hat trick with a tally of four goals. This would be the last time the Islanders would play to try to qualify to this incarnation of the confederations top club tournament, since this competition format was abandoned in 2008.

2008–2009 CONCACAF Champions League

The team played in the new

San Juan Jabloteh
(the 2007 local Trinidad & Tobago League Champions), the two teams that lost in the semifinals, played a Home-Away Series to determine who would take the last spot, which ended in a 1–0 aggregate in favor of the Islanders.

Islanders starting line-up vs Marathon at the Juan Ramon Loubriel during the 2008–2009 CCL.

The Islanders were later matched up against regional powerhouse

Club Santos Laguna, Tauro F.C., and C.S.D. Municipal.[24] In the first game of this round, the team defeated Tauro F.C. by one goal, with a final score of 2–1.[25] On September 23, the Islanders defeated Santos Laguna, 3–1.[26] In the third game, the team tied with Municipal with two goals each. On the return matches, the team lost to Santos FC 3–0 in Torreón, Mexico playing with their "bench" team preparing for their respective USL semi-finals matches. After in a close game back in Puerto Rico it was C.S.D. Municipal's turn in a 0–1 loss with a goal near the end of the match. These two losses had the team in a tight position as they were also going through their USL finals match. It was a must win situation for the last match against Tauro F.C. in Panama or at least a tie in order to qualify for the next stage in the tournament. On October 29, 2008, Islanders FC vs Tauro F.C. ended in a battled 2–2 match which resulted in favor of Islanders FC and qualified them for the final eight of the CONCACAF Champions League. On December 10, 2008, the Islanders were paired against C.D. Marathón in the final eight draft. On February 26, 2009, the team defeated C.D. Marathón 2–1, playing at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. In the second date of this stage, they pulled off a last-minute victory, one goal to none, in a game that took place at San Pedro Sula. On March 17, 2009, The Islanders defeated Cruz Azul, two goals to none, in the first leg of the semifinals in Bayamón. On the second leg, played on April 7, 2009, Cruz Azul won 2–0 and drove the game into extra time, where it ended 3–1, the away goal not being a tie breaker because the away goals rule
do not apply in extra time in CONCACAF. The game was decided on penalties and ended 4–2 in favor of Cruz Azul.

2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League

The Puerto Rico Islanders started the

CONCACAF Champions League 2009-10 on July 29, 2009, against Toronto FC in preliminary round action.[27] The Islanders won the first match 1–0 with a goal from Kendall Jagdeosingh
. The return match was played to a goalless draw, and so the Islanders advanced to the group round.

In the Group Phase, the Islanders lost away to the Crew 2–0, then lost away at Saprissa. They were able to draw at home against Cruz Azul in Matchday 3, albeit after giving up the lead late in the match. On matchday 4, they were again ahead at home, but allowed a goal at the buzzer to leave the game a 1–1 draw vs Saprissa. On match day 5, the Islanders lost to Cruz Azul in Mexico City, 2–0. This loss officially eliminated the Islanders from advancement in the tournament.

2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League

The Islanders began the Champions League on July 27, 2010, with a 4–1 away win at

Club Deportivo Olimpia
, getting eliminated from the competition.

PRSL Supercopa 2010

2010 was the first year that the Puerto Rico Islanders played in a tournament from the

Caguas Huracán 11 to nothing.[30]
The Islanders finished in second place in the Supercopa.

Colors and badge

During the club's first two years (2004–2005) they played in all white and all blue kits, with no clear distinction between which was considered its home kit. In 2006 the club adopted orange, dark blue and white as their primary colors. That year they wore dark blue with thick vertical orange stripes and dark blue shorts as their home kits and orange with white thick vertical stripes and orange shorts as their away kit. In 2007 the club switch to orange with white vertical pinstripes and orange shorts as their home kits and dark blue with orange vertical stripes that curve towards the sleeve and dark blue shorts as their away kit. The current home kits is an all orange one, while the away kit is white with gray horizontal pinstripes and white shorts.

Since 2006 the club has also added a third kit which was white until 2007. In 2008 the club used a neon green kit with two lighter neon green vertical stripes and black shorts. For the present year, 2009, the third kit is solid royal blue shirt and shorts.

History of the kit

2004–05
2006
2007
2008
2009
2011–12

Stars on kit

The club decided to add a gold star to their logo following the USSF Division 2 Professional League play-off title win in 2010. Also, an additional two stars are embroidered on the left shirt sleeve to signify the CFU Club Cup successes of 2010 and 2011.

Kit manufacturers

Shirt sponsors

Stadium

Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium

This incarnation of the Islanders has always played their home games at

Bayamón FC
.

The stadium has a capacity of 12,500 spectators. In 2008, the USL did not allow the #1-seed Islanders to host the USL-1 Championship match, citing that the Stadium was unsuitable. The match was played in Vancouver, where Puerto Rico lost to the Whitecaps, 2–1. On December 8 of 2008, the Finance Vice-President of the club Jorge Pierluisi, established a preliminary meeting with the firm CMA Architects and Engineers along with Positive Impact-Sports and Entertainment Management Consultants to discuss and evaluate improvements to the stadium and the remodeling of such.

Club culture

Orange Star Ultras

Supporters

The Islanders have a loyal fan base in Puerto Rico and a small but strong following in the States. Fans come from all over the Island to watch the club play in Bayamón, something uncommon for Puerto Ricans, who tend to be very regionalistic [citation needed] when it comes to supporting professional sports. The team averages between 4,000 and 6,000 fans per game in its home stadium, Juan Ramon Loubriel. The club's supporter group is known as "La Barra Naranja" led by the O.S.U. or Orange Star Ultras. The Islanders also have an away game independent supporters group known as "La Legion Extranjera" or the Foreign Legion which is mostly composed of Islanders fans of Puerto Rican origin who live in the United States and travel to the cities in which the team plays.[32]

Rivalries

The club's main rivalry was against the Charleston Battery, going back to the Islanders' first year in the A-League. Charleston was the first team the Islanders beat and since then the Islanders have routinely beaten or tied Charleston. In 2006, Charleston stopped the Islanders' playoff run, giving them their only victory in the series. In 2007, the Islanders beat the Battery in the last game of the season, stopping Charleston's hope for a playoff berth. The Islanders currently have a record of 10 wins, 1 loss and 7 ties against their South Carolina rivals. From 2008, the Islanders have met with the Rochester Rhinos in the USL-NASL playoffs with the Islanders eliminating the Rhinos from the series in both 2008 and 2009.

The Islanders' main rivals within Puerto Rico are

Supercopa DirecTV 2010
finals in 2010. River won both games and went on to win the championship.

Puerto Rico Islanders C

The

Bayamón FC
.

Puerto Rico Islanders Academy

The Puerto Rico Islanders Soccer Academy or PRISA was founded in 2006 and it is made up of U6, U8, U12, U14, U15, U17 youth teams and the Islanders C squad (U20).[33] In 2008 the Islanders opened another academy in the northern city of Arecibo under the PRISA umbrella called the Arecibo Islanders Soccer Academy, which is composed from U5 to U20 teams.[34]

Mascot

Populoso was the mascot of the Puerto Rico Islanders soccer team. Populoso was a large bear who wears the same color kit uniform as the Islanders: navy blue, orange, and white. When the Islanders score Populoso is there to encourage the fans. Populoso has the Puerto Rico dance, which is called the Islanders FC mascot dance. Populoso does his dances with the cheerleaders of the Puerto Rico Islanders.[citation needed]

Broadcasting

For the 2011 season, the company

OneLink Communications
broadcast all Puerto Rico Islanders home games in Spanish only for Puerto Rico. They broadcast in English via the official website of the Puerto Rico Islanders with live streaming for free.

Notable personnel

Notable former players

For details of former players, see List of Puerto Rico Islanders players

For a list of all former and current Puerto Rico Islanders players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:Puerto Rico Islanders players.

Managers and head coaches

Information correct as of match played September 21, 2008. Only competitive matches are counted

Name Nat From To Record
P W D L F A %W
Vitor Hugo Barros Brazil April 2004 May 2004 8 0 2 6 — — 0.00%
Hugo Hernán Maradona Argentina May 2004 January 2006 48 15 12 21 — — 31.25%
Jorge Alvial Chile January 2006 May 2006 6 3 1 2 — — 50.00%
Toribio Rojas Costa Rica May 2006 May 2007 33 9 11 13 — — 27.27%
Colin Clarke
 Northern Ireland May 2007 December 2011 66 32 19 14 — — 48.48%
Adrian Whitbread England December 2011 2012 — —

Achievements

Domestic

CONCACAF

  • CFU Club Championship

Record

Year-by-year

Main article:
Puerto Rico Islanders statistics
Year Division League Regular season Playoffs
CFU Club Championship
 CONCACAF Avg. attendance
2004 2 USL A-League 9th, Eastern did not qualify
CFUCC
 did not participate
CCC
 did not participate 3,889
2005 2 USL First Division 7th did not qualify
CFUCC
 did not participate
CCC
 did not participate 5,003
2006 2 USL First Division 6th Quarter-Finals
CFUCC
 Group stage
CCC
 did not participate 5,378
2007 2 USL First Division 6th Semi-Finals
CFUCC
 3rd place
CCC
 did not qualify 4,725
2008 2 USL First Division 1st Runner-up
CCC
 did not qualify
CCL
 Semi-Finals 4,423
2009 2 USL First Division 3rd Semi-Finals
CFUCC
 Runner-up
CCL
 Group stage 3,293
2010 2 USSF D-2 Pro League 8th, Overall; 5th, USL Champions
CFUCC
 Champions CCL Group stage 2,358
2011 2 North American Soccer League 2nd Semi-Finals CFUCC Champions CCL Preliminary round 2,161
2012 2 North American Soccer League 3rd Quarter-Finals CFUCC 3rd place CCL Group stage 1,864

References

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  2. ^ "United Soccer Leagues Statistical History, Part 2 (1994–1996)". USA Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  3. ^ "Islanders Coach Finally Gets His Big Chance; Serralta Elected Soccer Federation President". PUERTO RICO HERALD. April 23, 2004. Archived from the original on November 22, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  4. ^ "Mayaguez Has Much To Gain From Hosting 2010 CAC Games; Islanders Bring In The Other Maradona". PUERTO RICO HERALD. May 14, 2004. Archived from the original on November 22, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  5. ^ "Official Match Information: Toronto Lynx at Puerto Rico Islanders 1:0". USL. April 17, 2004. Archived from the original on November 22, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  6. ^ "Puerto Rico Islander 2004 Season Stats". USL. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  7. ^ "United Loses Needham". The Washington Post. February 15, 2007. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  8. ^ "Mariners soccer franchise terminated by league; season canceled". The Virginian-Pilot. March 29, 2007. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  9. ^ "Sounders return to USL-1 Final". USL. September 23, 2007. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  10. ^ Esteban Pagan Rivera (August 9, 2008). "Victoria histórica". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
  11. ^ Esteban Pagán Rivera (September 20, 2008). "¡Ganan la primera de muchas Copas!". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
  12. ^ "Gbeke Stars As Vancouver Wins USL-1 Championship". Goal.com. October 12, 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  13. ^ Vázquez, Keyvan Antonio Heydari (April 7, 2009). "Team from Puerto Rico is in the Land of the Soccer Giants". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  14. ^ Puerto Rico Islanders Join NASL Archived February 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Colin Clarke Named RailHawks Head Coach". nasl.com. December 6, 2011. Archived from the original on June 11, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  16. ^ "Adrian Whitbread Named New Head Coach of the Puerto Rico Islanders". nasl.com. December 8, 2011. Archived from the original on June 13, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  17. ^ "Puerto Rico Islanders will not compete in Spring Season of NASL's 2013 split regular season | Sports | Indy Week". Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  18. ^ "Puerto Rico Islanders to sit out 2013 season". February 11, 2013. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  19. ^ Esteban Pagán Rivera (August 19, 2013), "Tambalea el futuro de los Islanders", Primera Hora (in Spanish), archived from the original on August 19, 2013, retrieved August 26, 2013
  20. ^ "CONCACAF NEWS February 2007 Volume 17/Number 1" (PDF). CONCACAF. Retrieved July 27, 2008. [dead link‍]
  21. ^ Alex Figueroa Cancel (June 12, 2008). "Islanders se enfrentarán a Costa Rica". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  22. ^ Esteban Pagán Rivera (August 28, 2008). "Islanders empatan". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
  23. ^ Esteban Pagán Rivera (June 12, 2008). "¡Qué clase de tablazo!". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  24. ^ "Islanders pull upset with miracle comeback". Soccer America. June 12, 2008. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  25. ^ Carlos Narváez Rosario (September 23, 2008). "Inspirada la 'Tropa Naranja'". El Vocero (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  26. ^ Esteban Pagán Rivera (September 24, 2008). "¡Santo tablazo de los Islanders!". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  27. ^ "Toronto FC to host Puerto Rican side". The Star. July 1, 2009. Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  28. ^ [1] Archived November 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ "Islandersfc.net". Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
  30. ^ -11-0-in-supercopa.html
  31. ^ "Rumbo a Costa Rica—la Champions de CONCACAF" (in Spanish). Puerto Rico Islanders. August 23, 2008. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  32. ^ "Nace la Legión" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. July 15, 2009. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  33. ^ PRISA Archived July 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ AISA Archived November 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
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