That night the Islanders faced the Costa Rican powerhouse Liga Alajuelense, who took the lead on the 28th minute on a goal by Argenis Fernández. To the surprise of the Costa Ricans, on the 64th minute the Orange troops tied the score on a goal by Osei Telesford.

Then came the infamous 90th minute, Liga Alajuelense’s Yendrick Ruiz went inside of the box and was taken down by defender Nigel Henry, for a penalty call. It was Alajuelense’s last oportunity to score, win the game and save themselves the embarrassment of losing a result to an unknown Puerto Rican side.

Alajuelense’s Windell Gabriel was the one selected to take the penalty kick and to cut the Islanders throat! But to the surprise of the world, Gabriel kicked straight to Bill “The Wall” Gaudette who correctly guessed the shot and jumped to his left for the big save! It was over!

The Islanders had drawn Liga Alajuelense 1-1, and got a positive result in Costa Rica, something no MLS team had been able to do in 8 tries.

Tonight, in their 2nd encounter ever on Costa Rican soil, the Islanders will meet for the first time the Purple Monster of Saprissa in their 2nd game in the Group Stage of the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League.

Saprissa, believed by many to be the best and most succesful team in Central America, is for the 2nd consecutive year in what is called: “the Group of Death” of the CCL. Last year Saprissa finished 3rd in the group, after Marathon from Honduras and Cruz Azul from Mexico.

Both of those teams crossed the path of the Islanders last year: Marathon fell 3-1 (aggregate) in the quarterfinals, while Cruz Azul took down the Islanders on penalty kicks after a 3-3 (aggregate) draw.

But unlike in the last CCL edition, Saprissa is not the same feared team it was last year. A strong team never the less, Saprissa has their weaknesses this year: they have lost some of their regular players due to contracts elsewhere, their defense is weaker than last year, their main goalkeeper is out due to an injury, and their backup goalkeeper is no performing too well.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster for Saprissa against the 2008-09 Semifinalists, the cinderella Islanders! Unfortunately things are not all perfect in the Orange camp…

Bill Gaudette, the 2008 star goalie that shocked Liga Alajuelense last year, is suspended tonight due to yellow cards accumulation. Islanders’ captain Noah Delgado is unavailable due to a dental infection. Andres Cabrero and Fabrice Noël are unavailable, en route from France, where they were trying out for Le Mans Union Club 72. Osei Telesford, who scored the tying goal against La Liga last year, is still on the disabled list.

Finally, 2008 USL MVP Jonathan Steele has a hamstring injury. Steele is in Costa Rica, and may be able to play, but it’s uncertain at this time.

Along with Steele, the Islanders count with: Behonick (GK), Myers (GK), Arrieta, Henry, Krause, Jones, A. Rivera, Veris, Gargan, Mediate, Gbandy, Marcelin, Villegas, Addlery, Fraser and Jagdeosingh.

Both Saprissa and the Islanders lost their first encounter in the group stage by a 2-0 score, so both teams are desperate to get their first points.

The Islanders will be ‘winners’ with either a win or a draw in Costa Rica. On the other hand, without a win tonight, Saprissa will be in a big predicament, before traveling on September 22nd to Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium in Bayamón, where the Central American Cemetary with the grave of Liga Alajuelense awaits them…

My prediction is a 1-1 draw tonight. But with Jagdeosingh back in the lineup after serving a one game supension in the game against Columbus, I’m inclined to think the Islanders leave Costa Rica with a 2-1 win.

The quest for regional club crown kicked off Tuesday night (July 28) as Mexico’s Pachuca overwhelmed Jalapa (Guatemala) 3-0, and the disappointing MLS’ers D.C. United salvaged a 1-1 draw against El Salvador’s Firpo.

Islanders Head Coach Colin ‘General’ Clarke played the underdog card against TFC: “We were underdogs last year, but it was a new tournament, and we were a bit of an unknown to people. People didn’t know what to expect. Now, the secret’s out. There are no surprises.”

Toronto FC is shaking off a disappointing 3-2 loss to Columbus by gearing up for the Islanders, who lost themselves 4-2 to the Vancouver Whitecaps in their last match.

Both Toronto and Puerto Rico have issues heading into the clash. Toronto will miss Honduran international midfielder Amado Guevara (bruised ribs in Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Columbus), Canadian international defender Adrian Serioux (also injured in Columbus), and defender Nana Attakora (previous hamstring injury). The Islanders will be without Head Coach Colin Clarke on the bench due to his expulsion from the title match of the CFU Club Champions Cup in May.

Tonight it’s the first USL vs MLS match in CONCACAF Champions League history, and the Puerto Rico Islanders are the chosen ones to defend the USL Pride!

TFC is going down…

The Islanders come into the game with consecutive 1-0 (and 1-0) wins this past weekend at Juan Ramon Loubriel stadium; and along the way they leap-frogged Charleston into first place in the USL standings.

The Islanders handed the Battery their first two losses of the year and Bill “The Wall” Gaudette was named Player of the Week for the two shutout wins. John Krause also made the Team of the Week for his ‘alajuelazo‘ (last minute goal) scored in stoppage time to win the first of the two games this past weekend.

The former 2009 USL league leaders Charleston Battery, once the Islanders main rival (rivalry defined due to the many games both teams played in contrast to other teams) have become a Puerto Rican punching bag. The teams have faced each other 20 times in 6 years, with the Islanders wining 11 of the encounters, tying 8, and losing 2 to the Battery.

The Battery’s only win came at home in Charleston over the Islanders was a 2-1 result four years ago (July 22, 2005). Charleston’s other win was 1-0 result in the return leg of the 2006 USL Quarterfinals in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.

The Islanders have outshot Charleston 27 to 15 alltime. The Puerto Ricans have shutout the Battery 11 times (5 wins and 6 draws) and have only allowed Charleston to score 2 goals three times ever (1 loss and 2 draws).

The Islanders have gone undefeated against Charleton in 4 of the last 5 regular USL seasons. What the Puerto Ricans have not accomplished is to win all their matches against the Battery in a single season.

That feat will be accomplished tonight in Charleston!

The first goal was accomplished last night: to earn a return ticket to the CONCACAF Champions League, by defeating the Haitian Champ Tempête FC 2-0 in the semifinals.

The 2nd goal is to win their First ever Caribbean Crown. Tomorrow the Islanders will be in their frst CFU Club Champions Cup match ever, and they will be facing a known opponent, W. Connection, in front of a local T&T crowd at 6:30pm in the Marvin Lee Stadium, in Macoya.

The Islanders and W. Connection met once before, on December 13, 2006 in the Group Stage of the 2006-07 CFU Club Championship Cup, where the Puerto Ricans lost 1-0 at Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium, on a 5th minute goal by Andre Toussaint.

The Islanders 21-players delegation in Trinidad includes: Bill Gaudette (GK), Scott Jones, James Marcelin, Fabrice Noël, Nigel Henry, Noah Delgado, Nick Addlery, Kendall Jagdeosingh, John Krausse, Sandy Gbandy, Josh Hansen, Petter Villegas, Jonathan Steele and Cristian Arrieta, Chris McLellan (GK), Alexis Rivera, Kyle Veris, Kevon Villaroel, Andres Cabrera, Sean Fraser and Martin Nuñez. The 18-player roster for the final will only be announced shortly before the match.

The top three teams in the CFU Club Champions Cup qualify to the CCL, and both the Islanders and W Connection have a guaranteed spot to represent the Caribbean in the 2009-10 CCL as they can finish no worse than 2nd place. Now it’s only a matter of which one will represent the Caribbean wearing the Crown.

This Friday May 15th they will face Tempête FC from Haiti, in a single-game semifinal at Marvin Lee Stadium, in Trinidad.

The Islanders, who finished 3rd place in the 2007-08 CFU tournament, will play against Tempête FC, the current 2008 Haitian Digicel National Champion, for the first time ever. Tempête FC last played in a CFU Club Champion’s Cup in 1989, when they lost in the 1st round to the Racing de River Pilote from Martinique 3-2 in penalties (2-2 aggregate).

The Islanders, who are the current 2008 USL-1 regular season champions, are one win away from qualifying for their second trip to the CONCACAF Champion League (CCL). In the 2008 CCL edition the Islanders had a 6-3-3 record, which included wins over Liga Alajuelense (Costa Rica), Tauro FC (Panama), Santos Laguna (Mexico), Marathon (Honduras), Cruz Azul (Mexico) and a draw in Guatemala against Municipal. The Islanders lost in the semifinals to Cruz Azul 4-2 in a penalty shootout, after tying the aggregate 3-3 with the Mexicans.

In the 2009 edition of the CFU Club Champions’ Cup, Tempête FC has so far eliminated Alpha United from Guyana (3-1 aggregate) and the Green Hoppers from Antigua (8-0 aggregate) in the 1st round and the quarterfinals respectively.

The Islanders are currently in 5th place of the 2009 USL-1 standings with 8 points after 5 matches; while Tempête FC is tied in 1st place (with Violette AC) in the 2009 Haitian Championnat National standings with 11 points after 6 matches.

Tempête FC will face AS Mirebalais this Wendesday May 13th in the Haitian Championnat National, before traveling to Trinidad to face the Islanders on Friday.

The fabulous Puerto Rico Islanders will host the mighty Montreal Impact tonight at Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium, in what could have been a USL-dream final to the 2008-09 Champions League (CCL).

The Islanders and Impact had impressive runs in the 1st ever CCL, reaching the semifinals and quarterfinals of the tournament respectively, before sucumbing to Mexico’s height, to “giants” that were proven mortal at sea level (Montreal is only 187 feet above sea level). Both USL teams had their Mexican opponents on the ropes after posting ‘2-0‘ first-leg wins at home respectively, but the two were unable to deliver the final knockout punch.

The Islanders were leading Cruz Azul 3-2 (aggregate score) in the 2nd-leg of their CCL-Semifinal at Mexico City early in Overtime, before falling 2-4 in a penalty shootout (3-3 after OT); while the Impact were leading Santos Laguna 4-3 (aggregate score) in the 2nd-leg of their CCL-Quartefinal in Torreón at the end of regular time (90′), before crumbling to two Santos goals that saw the Montrealers drop 4-5 from the tournament in the few added extra minutes (90+).

In the USL front, the Impact have an overwhelming alltime 10-4-0 [W-T-L] record over the Islanders; although most of that lead is against the pre-championship-contender shape Puerto Rican team. Between 2004-06 the Impact were undefeated with a 7-2-0 record over the Islanders.

But the 2007 USL-Semifinalist and 2008 USL-Finalist Islanders were a much better match for the Impact. In 2007-08 the Islanders went 2-2-3 [W-T-L] against the Montrealers, including the 2007 ‘3-0′ USL-Quarterfinal win at Bayamón that pushed the Islanders to the Semifinals (against the Seattle Sounders) with a 3-2 aggregate score.

This will be the third game for each team in the young 2009 USL season. The Islanders are undefeated with 1-1-0 [W-T-L] record so far, while the Impact is winless with a 0-1-1 record in 2 games.

Starting with 2009 the USL can boast they have 3-Top-Class CONCACAF matches within their regular season schedule. The MLS can’t say that.

The last time Puerto Rico and Rochester met was in the 2008 USL Semifinals. And what a memorable semifinal was it!

After falling 2-0 in Rochester in the first leg, the Islanders went home to Juan Ramón Loubriel and won it all!

At the end of regulation the Islanders had won the 2nd leg 2-0, tying the semifinal’s aggregate 2-2. The game went into 30 minute overtime, and in the very last minute of overtime Cristian Arrieta scored the winng goal, an alajuelazo, to send the Islanders to the 2009 Final!

The Islanders were 2-1-0 [W-T-L] against Rochester last year in the regular season, and have a 6-4-7 record against the Rhinos alltime.

The Islanders last regular season loss to Rochester was on August 12, 2007.

Both teams have only played on game in 2009 so far. The Islanders won their season opener 2-1 against Vancouver Whitecaps, while the Rhinos lost their opening match 1-0 to the Carolina Railhawks.

They meet Cruz Azul in Mexico City for the 2nd leg of the semifinals fo the CONCACAF Champions League!

The New York Times said it, not me: The Islanders are in the land of Soccer Giants! And the Islanders are on their way to slay another Giant, this time Cruz Azul, who can’t do anything but lose these days. Just this weekend they lost 3-2 to Pumas UNAM, the same team that Cruz Azul eliminated with a pair of 1-0 wins in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Some call the Islanders the last American hope in the Champions League. The CONCACAF site calls it the way they see it: The Islanders are looking to foil an all-Mexican party in Champions League final. And so they are, coming in with a 2-0 lead, the Islanders have very good chances of terminating Cruz Azul tonight!

Let us not forget what happened to our USL sister team Montreal Impact against Santos Laguna… But with that thought in mind, our tough squad, our reinforsements, St. Gaudette (yes, in Puerto Rico Bill has already been elevated to Sainthood) and General Clarke, an “impactada” is unlikely to happen.

The facts are that Cruz Azul (C.A.) needs to score 3 goals more than the Islanders, plus 2 more for each Islanders goal scored at Estadio Azul; to revert the damage done in Borinquen. One goal for the Islanders will need 4 by C.A. Two Islander goals will require 5 by C.A. 3 Islanders goals will require a 6 goal thrumping by Cruz Azul, and so on. Cruz Azul hasn’t thrumped (win by 3 goals or more) anybody at Estadio Azul in years. And tonight they ain’t going to break that streak.

Any win or draw for the Islanders, and they will be back in Mexico to dispute the game that will send the Boricuas to the World Clubs Championships… Cruz Azul can win by 1 or 2 goals (i.e. 3-1, 3-2, 4-2, but not 2-0) and they are still going to the gallows.

A 2-0 Cruz Azul win is the least desirable result to the Islanders, so they will go with all it takes to score first and stun the Mexicans, who will then just perish by a slow death.

Lets not talk about the World Club Championships, and the chance to play the best European team yet. Although on a recent UEFA preview they actually said and I quote: “How amazing would it be that the Islanders from USL-1 would face off against the European Champions in January?”

I’m just going to keep it simple and say: Cruz Azul, it’s checkmate tonight!

That the Puerto Rico Islanders are one of the hottest teams in the CONCACAF is a fact! But the new USL-1 team Austin Aztex recognizes the Islanders as one of the hottest teams in the world!

In fact the Aztex will face the strong Puerto Rican contingent in a friendly game tomorrow April 3rd in Austin. It will be the last scrimmage game for the Aztex before their debut in the USL-1 against the Minnesota Thunder in their regular-season opener on April 18th.

For the Islanders this will be the last scrimmage game before the return leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals against Cruz Azul on April 7th in Mexico City. The Islanders USL-1 regular-season opener is also on April 18th, at home in the Juan Ramón Loubriel, in what some will imagine to be the “what if 2nd leg of the 2008 USL Finals” against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

After the fan outcry due to the USL controversy last year by awarding the 1-game final to Vancouver (over the regular-season Commissioner’s Cup winner Puerto Rico Islanders), the USL changed the Finals format going forward to include two legs (home and away), just ilke in the USL quarter and semi finals.

Listen to the Islanders & Aztex coaches (Colin Clarke & Adrian Heath) radio interview earlier today in Austin. (19 minute audio)

March 3, 2009

The Puerto Rico Islanders arrived in San Pedro Sula, Honduras via Miami for their return leg against CD Marathon in the Quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Both flights were good and there was not any inconvenience during the trip. After going through Immigration and Customs, there were approximately 25 local reporters who had the opportunity to interview players, coaching staff and directives.

The team left the airport on their way to the hotel to drop their bags and have a light meal before having their first training session in Honduras at 4:30 PM. The closed door session took place at Francisco Morazan Stadium and was relatively light given that its purpose was to loosen up the players legs after the trip.

The team returned to the hotel afterward to shower and get ready for dinner which took place at an Italian restaurant close to the hotel. The players were cited at 8:30 AM today Tuesday for breakfast. At 10:00 AM, the team will have their morning training session at the same stadium. Around 6:00 PM, the “Tropa Naranja” will have their field recognition at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano which will be the match venue against CD Marathon.

The following players traveled to San Pedro Sula:

GOALKEEPERS: Bill Gaudette, Justin Myers

DEFENDERS: Nigel Henry, John Krause, Alexis Rivera, Scott Jones, Cristian Arrieta, Kevon Villaroel

MIDFIELDERS: Petter Villegas, Jonathan Steele, Noah Delgado, Osei Telesford, James Marcelin, Sandi Gbandi

FORWARDS: Kendall Jagdeosingh, Nicholas Addlery, Joshua Hansen, Sean Fraser