But that lead was not to last long… Saprissa came back 9 minutes later on a goal by birthday boy Jairo Arrieta (26 years old yesterday) to tie the score 1-1; and again on the 40th minute on a goal by veteran midfielder Walter Centeno, to seal a 2-1 Saprissa halftime lead. Saprissa caught a break on their first goal as the shot hit the top pole and bounced down just inside the goal line before bouncing outside of the goal posts.

Andres Nuñez added an insurance goal on the 49th for the Costa Ricans.

The Islanders nearly got back into the game in the 73rd minute, but the Costa Rican goalkeeper did well to put a Scott Jones attempt from the left side of the box onto the post. Just as it appeared the ball was going to cross the line, it somehow spun in reverse on the stadium carpet.

Sandy Gbandi hit the bar in the 80th minute after a defensive header by Saprissa’s Douglas Sequeira fell in his direction.

It was not to be Puerto Rico’s night, as they posted their second loss in two games, and dropped to last place in Group C.

The Islanders meet next the Minnesota Thunder on Saturday August 29th at Juan Ramon Loubriel stadium in a regular season USL game.

The Islanders will resume CCL play against Cruz Azul from Mexico on September 15th.

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.

Islanders will travel to Costa Rica without Bill Gaudette

Saturday – August 22, 2009

Esteban Pagán Rivera / Primera Hora

The Puerto Rico Islanders will travel tomorrow (Sunday) to Costa Rica to face Saprissa without their star goalkeeper, Bill Gaudette.

The orange goalkeeper, a fundamental part of the Islanders defense, will serve a one-game suspension due to yellow cards accumulation. Backup goalie Mike Behonick and the 3rd goalkeeper Justin Myers will make the trip.

“I’ve been with the Islanders for a couple years and we all know each other very well. I’ve played between 10 to 12 games, so it won’t be a new situation for me. I know it will be a dificult environment and team (Saprissa), but if we keep our game plan, everything will go well”, said Behonick via a telephone interview to Primera Hora.

The game will be the 2nd for the Orange Troops in the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. The Orange Troops lost the first encounter in the group stage to the Columbus Crew 2-0 last Tuesday. After the first week of play, Columbus and Cruz Azul from México lead Group C with 3 points, while Saprissa and the Islanders will fight on Tuesday for the first points in the round.

The Puertorican club will depart to San José tomorrow at 7:00 a.m., while DT Colin Clarke is already in Costa Rican soil to watch Saprissa, who plays a league game tonight.

The Islanders will face Vancouver tomorrow night at Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium in Bayamón in the Puerto Rican’s season opener, in what some call the 2nd-leg of the 2008 USL Final.

The 2005 & 2006 middle-bottom table (standings) Puerto Rico Islanders lost 4 games in a row to Vancouver. The 2007 playoff quality Islanders tied 2 games that year against the Whitecaps. 2008 was our best season yet, when the championship contender Islanders went undefeated against them with a regular season 1-2-0 [W-T-L] record, defeating Vancouver for the first time ever 1-0 on their last regular season encounter with a late-goal by Noah Delgado on the 89th minute.

That goal by Delgado on the 89th minute against Vancouver gave birth in Puerto Rican Spanish to a new word: the “alajuelazo“. While this new Boricuan Spanish soccer term made reference to a previous Islanders opponent, the Liga Deportiva Alajuelence from Costa Rica in the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League, the term itself was coined after the Vancouver win by El Nuevo Dia’s reporter Osman Pérez Méndez.

Below is a quote (translated to English) of Osman’s newspaper article on the Vancouver win:

Last night at the Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium in Bayamón there was another well expected duel, this time between the best two teams in the current USL-1 season, the Puerto Rico Islanders and the Vancouver Whitecaps, and the “Orange Troops” applied the “alajuelazo formula” to the Canadian team with an 89th minute goal that sealed the 1-0 Islander win, before a crowd that once again saw a frenetic game ending finish, celebrating on their feet.

The previous alajuelazo infered in the article, and after which the term was coined, took place just two nights before against Liga Alajuelence. In that game, with the Islanders down 0-1 in the 87th minute, a slow rolling ball into the box was dived on by the goalkeeper at the corner with his momentum carrying him over the line. Kendall Jagdeosingh charged at the play and as the netminder tried to take his hand off the ball so as to not handle it outside the box, the striker stole it, turned and fired it into the far side netting from the right flank of the box to tie the game 1-1.

Then in the 89th minute a lofted free kick from Jonathan Steele was met inside the box by the head of an Alajuelense defender, but the deflection sent the ball backwards toward goal and into the chest of Taiwo Atieno, who made sure to bury this attempt as it dropped to his feet, giving the USL-1 Islanders a 2-1 shocking victory as they held on to down the 2004 CONCACAF Champions Cup winners.

Tomorrow the Whitecaps face this season’s heavy favourites, one of the best 4 teams in the CONCACAF, a Champions League Semifinalist, the best team in the CONCACAF outside of Mexico; the 2009 USL-1 Champions to be Islanders.

To the USL-1 teams, watch out, an unstopable train is coming; to the Whitecaps, move over, you are the first ones in the way…

Cruz Azul lead the Islanders 2-0 after 90 minutes to tie the aggregate, even though the Aztecs were a man down for the last 59 minutes of regular time, to send the series into overtime.

One minute into overtime the magical moment arrived, Sandy Gbandi scored a golazo to put the Islanders up 3-2 in the aggregate, once again giving the Puerto Rico fans one of those Cinderella story moments that have delighted us throughout their CCL run.

But this time it was not meant to be…

Cruz Azul scored 8 minutes later to tie the aggregate again (3-3) and eventually force the match into the dreaded penalty shots round. Unfortunately, Gbandy’s gem came just a minute too late, overtime away goals don’t count double, as they do in regular time.

Just last week the Islanders played a friendly penalty shutout against the Austin Aztex after their 0-0 scrimmage draw. The Islanders didn’t fare well, losing that shootout 3-0.

Last night in the shootout:
- after the 1st Cruz Azul (C.A.) penalty goal, and Arrieta scored to equalize
- C.A. scored their 2nd, and Noah Delgado hit the right post for a miss, giving C.A. a 2-1 lead
- C.A. scored their 3rd, and Jagdeosingh scored, C.A. leads 3-2
- C.A. missed their 4th shot high, and Krausse also missed over the top bar failing to equalize
- finally C.A. scored their 5th shot to take a 4-2 penalties lead, away from the Islanders’ reach

The Islanders exit the CCL championship race in the semifinals stage; after playing 12 games; with a combined 6-3-3 record (including a 5-0-1 [W-D-L] home record) in the first ever CCL; left behind four Central American champions in their path: Liga Ajuelense, Tauro FC, Municipal and Marathon; and defeated both Mexican teams faced (Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul) at home.

There is no shame in the Islanders’ exit out of the tournament. The Islanders had a great run, and accomplished more than anyone in the established soccer world expected from them.

We are very proud of you!

See you in CCL#2 (2009-10) this fall!

Go Islanders Go!

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!

Boricuas play great soccer, not just baseball…

Ironically a major upset for Puerto Rico on Tuesday night in the World Baseball Classic was offset by an amazing 2-0 win for the Islanders over the favourite Mexican Cruz Azul, to continue the Puerto Rican Cinderella Champions League run in the 1st leg of the semifinals at the Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium.

In front of an all-time record crowd of 12,751 (previous record: 12,098 in the 2007 USL Semifinal against the Seattle Sounders) the “MLS rejects“, I mean the USL Regular Season Champion Islanders shocked the Mexican subchampion by breaking the score open early in the 4th minute with a goal by Sandi Gbandi, who converted on a pass by Joshua Hansen at the top of the penalty area.

The Islanders doubled up the lead on the 36th minute after Gbandi curled a free kick into the box, where Nicholas Addlery knocked the ball home to score his third goal in three consecutive Champions League match since joining Puerto Rico.

Bill “The Wall” Gaudette played another phenomenal game as he kept a clean sheet for the 2nd time in row in this edition of the CONCACAF Champions League. Gaudette had 11 saves out of 15 Mexican shots.

The Islanders have now scored home wins over two of the three Mexican teams still alive (the other was a 3-1 win over Santos Laguna in the group stage), leaving Atlante as the only semifinalist yet to face the Fabulous Islanders. Atlante lost to Santos Laguna 2-1 in the 1st leg of the 2nd semifinal. Should the Islanders and Atlante move on to the Finals of the Champions League, they will meet for the first time ever, after missing a preseason friendly rumoured to take place late in 2007.

In other news, it was announced this week that the Puerto Rico Islanders will play a preseason friendly against the new USL-1 addition Austin Aztex on April 3rd, before the 2nd leg of the semifinals against Cruz Azul in Mexico City four days later (April 7th).

The Islanders must be doing something right! It is no accident that they have reached this far…

The Puerto Rican team does not respect the history, nobility or titles of their opponents when they meet them at the Loubriel. On the field both teams are on equal terms. The Islanders fear no-one, and have nothing to lose at this stage. They play with a lot of heart!

Champion after champion has steped onto the field in Bayamón being the clear soccer world’s favorites to defeat and exterminate the boricuas; but have yet to get that precious crest, “The Islanders’ Kill” insignia.

The Chupacabras (goat sucker), a misterious local Sasquatch that prowls the island, will be in an orange disguise present at the event tonight, looking to deal the infamous Blue Hare, the same fate as the (Honduran) Green Monster’s in Puerto Rico.

Another (former) famous champion is going down tonight…

The Puerto Rico Islanders will meet Mexico’s Cruz Azul on Tuesday March 17th in the 1st leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals, at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon.

The Puerto Rico Islanders, 2008 USL First Division regular season champions and playoff runners-up, advanced to the semifinal round with victories in both legs of their quarterfinal series against Honduran league leaders Marathon, downing the winners of the “Group of Death” (Group A) in the Champions League. Puerto Rico won at home rallying from behind for a 2-1 victory in the first leg, and edged Marathon on the road with a strike seconds into stoppage time for a 3-1 aggregate score.

It was Marathon who sent Cruz Azul to the CCL quarterfinals, by eliminating Costa Rica’s Saprissa. Cruz Azul finished second to Marathon in Group A, falling 2-0 on the road and drawing 1-1 at home in their head-to-head encounters. Cruz Azul is the only remaining Mexican club that has not faced USL opposition as the two other, Atlante FC and Santos Laguna, advanced from the groups featuring the two USL sides.

The 2nd leg of the semifinals will be held at Estadio Azul in Mexico City three weeks later on Tuesday, April 7th.

The Islanders will face Mexico City’s Cruz Azul in the semifinals, and shall the Puerto Ricans succeed and bury the Blue Hare, then the Boricuas will face the winner of the Atlante FC and Santos Laguna semifinal match, in the Champion’s League first ever final.

Cruz Azul is an 8-time Mexican champion and 5-time CONCACAF Champions Cup winner, but the last of all those championships was in 1997.

“They (Cruz Azul) are the ones with the pressure”, said Colin ‘General’ Clarke. “We will use the same approach in the game as we have used before, but we have to win here (in Puerto Rico), and then we will see what happens when we visit them with all that matter about the height above sea level”, added the Puerto Rican Head Coach.

The 1st leg of the semifinal will be on March 17th at the Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium (the Central American Cemetery) where there is a Blue grave ready, just in case…

Meanwhile the Islanders announced today that they added American Kyle Veris to the roster, to strengthen the Puerto Rican defense for the Cruz Azul semifinals match, and the upcoming 2009 USL-1 season.

“Kyle Veris is a very versatile player who will strengthen our defensive line and also be a threat in the box on set pieces”, said Colin Clarke.

The 6′4″ central defender will bring MLS as well as European experience to the Islanders. Veris was drafted in the 2006 MLS Superdraft by the L.A. Galaxy with the 25th overall pick and played 18 games during his time in L.A. He spent the 2008 season playing for IL Hødd of the Norwegian First Division where he played 17 matches as a central defender and right back.

On other news, Colin Clarke traveled to Mexico to watch our next opponent, Cruz Azul play Santos Laguna for this weekend’s FMF-1 match between the two.