The first 10 minutes of the second half was a different story. The Islanders seemed more efficient offensively, getting their only corner and making a few offensive runs into the box. Most of those runs where made by Noah Delgado. The positivity was short lived after some suspect defending on a set peice which allowed a goal from the Crew’s tall stiker in the 58′, Lenhart. The 79′ goal by Rogers killed the Islanders confidence and it was all downhill from there.

The Formation

Most Islanders fans have figured out that our squad loves to defend away from the JRL (sometimes more for their own good) . They go in the game with a so called 4-4-2. I only call it “so called” because to me, it looks more like a 4-5-1 during 80% of the game. Be that as it may, this formation and strategy has brought us a handful of success stories to chat about on and off the island. Unfortunately, tonight was an exception. The lack of offensive coordination was a huge factor in tonight’s loss. Bad passes, bad support but this was all due to The Crew’s tight and physical defending. They didn’t allow much space for the Islanders so la tropa naranja was forced to play wide. Once they played wide, the service was just not there.

The Lone Ranger

The Jamaican boy Addlery had a rough game. It was just so gruesome to watch those defenders wipe the floor with Addlery; however, how can you blame him? The attacking plan was placed on his shoulders but the Crews CB’s; Marshall and Brunner, nearly broke his spine. Pushes from the back, hard aerial contact, you name it, Addlery felt it. He seemed overwhelmed by the physicality and credit is due to the Crew.

The Missing Link <

The Islanders missed Kendall Jagdeosingh more than a 13 year old boy misses the girl of his dreams when summer camp is over. The suspect red that he received in the return leg against Toronto had its affect tonight. Point is that KJ is a very big piece of the Islanders puzzle and no one could fill in that space tonight. The Addlery-KJ pairing is very dangerous. Addlery, the physical striker (not so much tonight) and KJ, the Islanders fast paced striker/winger. They compliment each other very well making life hard for most CB’s and the pair was surely missed.

The “cut the crap” Yellow Card

Bill “The Wall” Gaudette fell victim to his reputation tonight. That reputation being one that he loves to waste time. The 28th minute had Gaudette seeing yellow due to “time wasting” The yellow card was a message from the CONCACAF Champions League officials. One could debate that their wasn’t much foul play. Just before the booking, Gaudette went in for a 50/50 ball against Schelotto, he won made the save but was slightly clipped by Schelotto’s left foot. On my clock, it took 10-12 seconds max after the incident for Gaudette to take the goal kick. Hardly much time, especially for a player who was shaken up.

To add insult to injury, the Columbus fans where chanting “Columbus reject” after the incident. Ouch! All I have to say about that is not even a statement but a question. How many Columbus Crew Goalkeepers contributed at least half the saves The Wall has which has ended in a semifinal finish in the CONCACAF Champions League? Some reject huh? Yellow card aside, Gaudette had a good game tonight. The result could have easily been 4-0 without him. All in all, good performance from Columbus, they had more chances and they took them. A well deserved 3 points but some poor officiating on both sides.

Not a good start to the tournament but it is not the end of the world. Now the Islanders must plan for their next group stage match away to Saprissa.

In less than half an hour of game, the Islanders already had 3 yellow cards: Cristian Arrieta (18′), Nick Addlery (19′) and Bill Gaudette 28′.

The Islanders best opportunity to score came on the 36′ when Petter Villegas missed a shot after a pass from Nick Addlery.

After a scoreless halftime; just within a minute of the Islanders making their first substitution of the night on the 57′ (Domenic Mediate for Petter Villegas), Steven Lenhart scored a goal (58′) for the Columbus Crew. Assist by C. Marshall.

Then on the 79′ Robbie Rogers scored the second Columbus Crew on a defensive mishap by Cristian Arrieta. Alejandro Moreno got the assist.

Colin “General” Clarke was missing from the bench as he was serving the 3rd and final game suspension due to an incident at the end of the CFU Championship game.

Kendall Jagdeosingh was missing from the roster due a dubious red card he received on the last CCL game against Toronto FC.

The answer is simple!

The level of play in the USL (as an alternative league) is closer to that of the MLS, than many (in the USSF and MLS) would like to admit to.

= Prelude =

In the 2008-09 CCL, the two classified USL teams showed heart and desire to succeed, while most of the MLS teams looked uninterested and took for granted their perceived superiority and got blown away by “so called” (inside of their bubble) lesser teams.

Many in the United States and Canada (and the world) cheered and watched as the USL’s Montreal Impact and Puerto Rico Islanders became quaterfinalists and semifinalists, taking on and advancing through the tournament defeating some Central American and Mexican favorites.

Eventually the USL cinderella teams fell to the Mexican greats: Montreal collapsed in front of Santos Laguna in the quarterfinals; and the Islanders went down via penalty kicks to Cruz Azul in the semifinals.

The USL cinderellas didn’t drop their guard until they had slayed giants like: Liga Alajuelence (Costa Rica), Municipal (Guatemala), Marathon (Honduras), Tauro FC (Panama) and CD Olimpia (Honduras).

Other notable feats by the USL teams included big home wins against Mexicans Santos Laguna (3-1 in PR & 2-0 in Montreal) and Cruz Azul (2-0 in PR in front of a 12,751 Puertorican record crowd).

The USL actually enjoyed the largest home crowd to a single CCL game in the entire 2008-09 tournament: 55,000+ fans at Montreal’s Olympic stadium in the Impact’s 2-0 quaterfinal win over Santos Laguna.

In big contrast, 3 of the 4 MLS teams in the tournament fared horribly. In the preliminary round the New England Revolution was humiliated 1-6 (aggregate) by Trinidad’s Joe Public; while Chivas USA fell 1-3 (aggregate) to Panama’s Tauro FC.

To add insult to injury, these two MLS slayers were themselves slayed by the USL teams: the Islanders had a 4-3 (aggregate) over Tauro FC; and Montreal had a 6-1 (aggregate) over Joe Public. Neither Tauro FC or Joe Public came out alive of the Group Stages. Both USL teams did!

Two MLS teams were pre-classified to the CCL Groups Stage. One of them, DC United failed to win a single game (1 draw & 5 losses) in what was called the Group of Death.

The MLS may argue that DC United was placed in the toughest group with Mexico’s Cruz Azul, Costa Rica’s Saprissa and Honduras Marathon. But that theory goes down the drain with the USL Puerto Rico Islanders wasting Marathon 3-1 (aggregate) in the quarterfinals; and tying Cruz Azul 3-3 after 120 minutes only to fall to the Mexicans in penalty kicks.

Only the MLS Houston Dynamo was able to save face for the league, surviving the Group Stage, before falling to the eventual CCL Champion Mexico’s Atlante in the quarterfinals.

The USL teams last year not only enjoyed a great cinderella run, but also the luck that had they met, it would have been in the CCL Championship match. The Islanders and Montreal were drawn on different brackets in the finals and therefore couln’t face eachother until the end.

One would imagine that the success of the North American based USL would have made the USSF and MLS proud, but such couldn’t be the case. The MLS is recognized by the USSF as the 1st division of soccer in the U.S.A. The success of the USL (another American league) was just an embarrasement to the MLS who got mocked all over the CONCACAF region for their awful level of international play when compared to the “inferior” (inside the USSF/MLS bubble) USL.

The problem (from the USSF and MLS perspective) is that the USL success and world gained recognition thanks to the CCL tournament was achieved by two teams that were not “U.S.A.” teams. The Puerto Rico Islanders classified to the CCL via the Caribbean Football Union’s Championship; and the Montreal Impact via the Nutilite Canadian Championship.

Two non-American teams showed how close the USL level is to the MLS at the international level (where it actually really counts!).

The CCL participation destiny of these two USL teams could not be negatively influenced by the USSF or the MLS. These two USL teams didn’t need to compete in a big (40+ teams) and difficult tournament (the U.S. Open Cup) for just ONE spot to the CCL!!!

Meanwhile, thanks to the USSF, the MLS with its proven inferior international quality gets to embarrass itself with three free undeserved CCL spots.

What could the USSF/MLS do to prevent such an embarrassment in the 2000-10 CCL tournament?

If the MLS couldn’t show off their USL counterparts on the field, then get rid of the USL teams off the field!

Have the USL teams drawn against each other in the CCL preliminary round!

At least one of the two USL teams wouldn’t make it to the Group Stages.

But sometimes the best-laid plans go awry…

[Part 2 - The Conspiracy! to be continued...]

Marco Vélez was seen on the bench for both Islanders-TFC Champions League games. Although he did not play for the TFC, his participation with the Islanders in the group stage of the CCL is unlikely.

According to Concacaf Champions League rules:
#5.3 Once having been properly inscribed on a Roster List for one Team, in any Phase, a player may not be inscribed on the Roster List for any other Team in the CCL in the same season of competition, in any Phase.

Yesterday, the same newspaper published an article where the Islanders DT Colin ‘General’ Clarke confirmed the Puertorican team is seeking to get Vélez on loan from TFC to relieve the team’s regular central defenders John Krause and Nigel Henry for the remainder of the USL season.

[Translation from Spanish Text:] “We need depth in that position and we do not have it. The players have played a lot and there are many hits and injuries there, so we have to reinforce to enter the final phase of the (USL) season”, said Clarke.

Marco Vélez played for the Islanders between 2005 and 2007 before been transfered in 2008 to the Toronto FC. Vélez was captain of the Puerto Rico National team lead by Colin Clarke that saw action against the Dominican Republic and Honduras in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Vélez played in the 1-0 win over the Dominican Republic on March 26, 2008 and in the 4-0 loss in Honduras on June 4, 2008. Vélez was ejected (two yellow cards) from the match in Honduras and was unable to play in the 2-2 draw against Honduras in the return leg in Puerto Rico one week later.

So far in the 2009 MLS season, Marco Vélez has played as a defender in 15 games (8 as starter) for the TFC for a total of 780 minutes, has 3 shots (2 on goal), has commited 5 fouls and suffered 7 fouls. He has received one yellow card this season.

In 2008 Vélez started in 23 regular season games for the TFC for a total of 1,973 minutes, scored 2 goals out of 6 shots (4 on goal), commited 23 fouls and suffered 5 fouls. He was cautioned 3 times, and red-carded twice.

Marco Vélez scored (22′) his first MLS goal on May 1, 2008 at home in a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls. He recorded his second goal (72′) on the road on October 11, 2008 in a 2-2 draw against FC Dallas.

On May 27, 2008 Vélez scored (72′) on the road in the opening game of the 2008 Nutrilite Canadian Championship against the Montreal Impact in what proved to be the game winning goal in the 1-0 TFC victory.

This time there would be no miracle finish for TFC, as they could manage only a scoreless draw on the return leg against the Puerto Rico Islanders, and Toronto FC was bounced from the Champions League, making the Canadian Champions the first MLS club eliminated from the CONCACAF tournament.

Additionally, the first ever USL vs MLS two-leg tie between representatives of the two leagues goes to the USL.

Toronto FC looked worse than the last time these two teams met, looking kind of tired, listless and disinterested; Puerto Rico, by contrast, looked better, taking more shots and actually having the edge in possession in the first half.

Throughout the 2nd half (even with Toronto’s goalie joining the attack in extra time and with the Islanders a man down) Toronto could not put the ball in the net and as a result, TFC earns the distinction of becoming the first MLS team ever eliminated by a USL team from the Champions League.

After improbably scoring six times in one game to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League, Toronto FC bowed out of the tournament without scoring a single goal.

Toronto FC’s first foray into international competition is over as they couldn’t get past the USL sides.

Here’s are the Toronto FC CCL-wannabee scores against all the first squad USL teams this year (Canadian Championship & 2009-10 CCL [excluding the B(or C)-team fielded by Montreal Impact in the TFC 6-1 fake miracle]):

TFC vs Vancouver Whitecaps – 1:0
TFC vs Montreal Impact – 1:0
TFC @ Vancouver Whitecaps – 0:2
TFC vs Puerto Rico Islanders – 0:1
TFC @ Puerto Rico Islanders – 0:0

TFC vs USL – GF: 2, GA: 3, GD: -1

The big Orange Darth Vader tifo (above) and Bill Gaudette (below right) say it all: (Islanders) I am your Father! (to the TFC [and the MLS]).

The hero for the island squad was undoubtedly goalkeeper Bill “The Wall, The Saint” Gaudette. The Islanders move on to the group stages of the CONCACAF Champions League and owe this triumph largely to the heroics of goalkeeper extraordinaire Bill Gaudette, whose saves proved decisive while keeping TFC scoreless in both legs.

Kendal Jagdeosingh (the Islanders’ goal scoring hero at BMO field in the first leg) was given a red card at the 88-minute mark to put the Islanders down a man. The reason for the flag was not visually apparent.

The Puerto Rico Islanders now have an alltime international record of 7-1-2 [W-T-L] at home. With the scoreless draw, the Islanders mantain their 15-7 goals lead against CONCACAF opponents at “la Islandera”:

1. 0-1 loss against W Connection (TRI), 2007
2. 3-1 win against Hoppers (ANT), 2007
3. 1-0 win against San Juan Jaboleth (TRI), 2008
4. 2-1 win against LD Alajuelense (CRC), 2008
5. 2-1 win against Tauro FC (PAN), 2008
6. 3-1 win against Santos Laguna (MEX), 2008
7. 0-1 loss against Municipal (GUA), 2008
8. 2-1 win against Marathon (HON), 2009
9. 2-0 win against Cruz Azul (MEX), 2009
10. 0-0 tie against Toronto FC (CAN), 2009

Toronto FC gets buried at the JRL cemetery as the first CONCACAF team ever to tie the Islanders at home. Here are the CONCACAF video highlights of the 1-0 and 0-0 that saw TFC buried among other greats that fell at JRL.

The Islanders will join Group C where it will face either Cruz Azul again or Herediano of Costa Rica, as well as another team from Major League Soccer, the MLS Cup winners Columbus Crew, and Saprissa of Costa Rica. Cruz Azul won the first leg of its Preliminary Round series against Herediano 6-2.

Unlike the beer throwing hooligan fans back in Toronto, the TFC fan-delegation that traveled to Puerto Rico for the game proved that there can be friendship in defeat between rival fan groups. They were very decent and enjoyed a few post-game Medallas with the Islanders’ Bravada in celebration of the friendship under the bridge of the Tren Urbano (Puerto Rican Subway) next to the stadium.

The most important result (to this blog anyway) was the Islanders 1-0 away win over the MLS’ers Toronto FC.

The ‘underdog’ (¿?) Islanders were sub-estimated by the ’superior’ (¿?) MLS opponent, and the latter paid the price.

The Islanders now take a 1-0 lead home to Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium in Bayamon, where special arrangements are been made to bury the ‘beer throwing hooligan‘ TFC among other more prominent and classier Central American adversaries. A win or a tie will see the Islanders through to the group stage.

The two other MLS teams fared a little bit better, but also failed to get positive results in the Preliminary round.

In Trinidad, New York came back from a 1-0 deficit with two goals to take the lead, only to surrender a 72nd minute equalizer and allow W. Connection to rally and draw 2-2 with the Red Bulls.

The other MLS team, 2-time CCL wannabee DC United had to come back to salvage a 1-1 home draw with El Salvador’s Firpo.

Week #1 USL/MLS Summary: USL 1-0-0 & MLS 0-2-1 [W-T-L]

The 3rd Caribbean team, San Juan Jabloteh fell 2-0 San Francisco FC courtesy of an early minute 5′ and a late min 84′ Panamanian goals.

Week #1 CFU Summary: Islanders win, W. Connection tie, San Juan Jabloteh loss

In the rest of the Preliminary Round action, other home winners were: Mexico’s Pachuca 3-0 over Guatemala’s Jalapa; Liberia from Costa Rica 3-0 over Honduras’ Real España ; and Olympia also from Honduras 2-1 over Arabe Unido from Panama.

The only other away win besides the Islanders’, was the 6-2 trouncing Mexican Cruz Azul gave to Costa Rica’s Herediano.

Still smarting from a heartbreaking decision against the Columbus Crew last weekend, Toronto suffered another major setback Wednesday night with a 1-0 loss to the visiting Puerto Rico Islanders in the first game of their CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round series at BMO Field.

Kendall Jagdeosingh turned 270 degrees near the line to the right of the goal after chasing a free kick by Jonathan Steele in the 67th to score the only goal of the match as the Islanders defeated Toronto FC 1-0 on the road.

It was the first game ever between a USL side and an MLS team in CCL history. The USL now leads 1-0-0 the MLS in the Champions League head-on series.

Toronto FC is now on the verge of elimination in CONCACAF’s showcase club tournament at the hands of the USL-1 Puerto Rico Islanders. The Islanders will take a 1-0 lead home to Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium in Bayamon (a.k.a. Central American Cemetery), where special arrangements are been made to bury the TFC among other prominent adversaries like Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul from Mexico, CD Marathon from Honduras and Liga Alajuelense from Costa Rica, among others.

It’s worth noting that the Puerto Rico Islanders have an alltime international record of 7-0-2 [W-T-L] at home, and that NO CONCACAF opponent has ever scored more than a single goal at “la Islandera”:

1. 0-1 loss against W Connection (TRI), 2007
2. 3-1 win against Hoppers (ANT), 2007
3. 1-0 win against San Juan Jaboleth (TRI), 2008
4. 2-1 win against LD Alajuelense (CRC), 2008
5. 2-1 win against Tauro FC (PAN), 2008
6. 3-1 win against Santos Laguna (MEX), 2008
7. 0-1 loss against Municipal (GUA), 2008
8. 2-1 win against Marathon (HON), 2009
9. 2-0 win against Cruz Azul (MEX), 2009

On a separate note, Toronto native Dwayne De Rosario elected (¿¿¿really???) to surrender his spot in the MLS all-stars starting 11 so that he could play for Toronto FC against the Puerto Rico Islanders on Wednesday night. But his presence didn’t help in the TFC loss. BTW: The MLS all-stars fell to Everton 4-3 in a penalty shootout (1-1 tie at end of regulation time).

Scoring Summary:
1. PRI: K. Jagdeosingh (C. Arrieta) 67′

Cautions:
1. PRI: B. Gaudette 79′
2. TFC: C. Robinson 84′
3. PRI: S. Jones 90′

Puerto Rico Islanders Lineup:
B. Gaudette (GK), J. Krause, C. Arrieta, N. Henry, S. Jones, D. Gargan, J. Marcelin, N. Delgado, S. Gbandi (A. Rivera 90′), J. Steele (K. Veris 82′), K. Jagdeosingh (N. Addlery 73′)

Subs not used: Behonick (GK), Villegas, F. Noël, J. Hansen

PRI Coach: Adrian Whitbread (Assistant Coach)

Toronto FC Lineup:
S. Frei (GK), N. Garcia, M. Wynne, J. Brennan, E. Gomez, D. De Rosario, C. Robinson (D. Dichio 85′), S. Cronin, C. Barret (O. White 74′), A. Gerba, P. Vitti

Subs not used: Edwards (GK), M. Velez, Serioux, Sanyang, Gala

TFC Coach: Chris Cummins (Interim Head Coach)

Referees: H. Cruz (CR), A. Azofeifa(CR), M. Ramirez (CR), S. Petrescu (CAN)

Attendance: 20,758

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 will face Toronto FC on July 28th in Toronto for the 1st-leg; and they will play the return leg in Bayamón on August 4th.

They said it couldn`t be done. It had been generally conceded that there was no chance that Toronto FC could win the Nutrilite Canadian Championship by defeating the Montreal Impact by four goals Thursday night.

Well guess what??? Toronto FC won by 5!!!

Toronto, which had only won one game by four goals in its history, needed a four-goal victory at Montreal or hand the title to the Vancouver Whitecaps and miss out on the Champions League for a second straight year. Incredibly Toronto defeated Montreal 6-1 to win the Canadian Championship and to clinch Champions League berth.

“Tonight’s result is extremely disappointing,” said Impact President Joey Saputo. “The players wearing the Impact jersey have to show pride and they did not tonight. Even though the match had no significance, we can’t hide our heads in the sand. This is not the way this club should perform in front of our fans, in our stadium. Being first and foremost a fan, I know that this is not acceptable.”

The 2009 Nutrilite Canadian Championship ran 6 May to 18 June in Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver. Toronto FC won the championship with nine points and a +5 goal differential, jumping ahead of Vancouver Whitecaps FC (nine points and +4 goal differential) on the final day. The Impact de Montréal finished last with no points in four games.

Toronto FC’s Dwayne De Rosario was selected the most valuable player of the 2009 Nutrilite Canadian Championship. De Rosario sparked Toronto FC’s unbelievable victory to claim the Canadian championship. He scored three goals – the first hat trick in the competition. He finished with three goals and one assist in four games.

The USL’s Vancouver Whitecaps and the MLS Toronto FC are still on the run for the 2009 Nutrilite Canadian Championship.


.
Vacouver leads Toronto in the Nutrilite standings 9 points to 6, while the defending 2008 Canadian Champion Montreal Impact (0 points in the tournament) is already eliminated.

The Montreal Impact has very good chances of spoiling Toronto FC’s CCL hopes for a 2nd year in a row. To win the Canadian Championship, Toronto FC needs not only to beat Montreal, but to beat them by at least 4 goals! Otherwise the Whitecaps will win the Championship on goals differential.

Toronto’s fate will be decided on June 18th in Montreal, Quebec. The 2008-09 CCL quaterfinalist Montreal Impact has struggled in the 2009 USL season, where they are in 6th place with a 3-2-4 [W-T-L] record, and have yet to score in three loses in this year’s Canadian Championship.

Should the Islanders defeat the Canadian Champion in the Preliminary round, the Puerto Ricans will play in Group C of the 2009-10 CCL, with an opportunity for revenge against the Mexican Cruz Azul (should they defeat Herediano from Costa Rica in the premifinals). The MLS Columbus Crew and Costa Rica’s Saprissa complete the group.

Group C
Columbus Crew (USA)
Saprissa (CRC)
Cruz Azul (MEX)-Herediano (CRC) winner
Canada Champion (Toronto FC or Vancouver Whitecaps)-Puerto Rico Islanders (PUR)

The 2008-09 CCL Semifinalist Puerto Rico Islanders had a very promising 2-2-0 [W-T-L] start this season, defeating both Canadian USL teams (Vancouver Whitecaps & Montreal Impact), then struggled losing 3 of their next 4 games (including one loss to the Whitecaps), and are now 4th in the USL standings with a 4-4-3 record.

The Puerto Rico Islanders and Vancouver Whitecaps rivalry that has been brewing since last year’s USL final is almost set.