Islanders Cinderella Story

By: BoriQa | February 25th, 2009

The “Orange Troops are no longer a Cinderella” was El Nuevo Dia’s Spanish headline last year at a time the Puerto Rico Islanders were on a 16-game undefeated streak, 12 games in the USL and 4 wins in the CONCACAF Champions League (a 1-1 draw & a 2-1 win against Liga Alajuelence from Costa Rica, a 2-1 win over Tauro FC from Panama, and a 3-1 win over Santos Laguna from Mexico). Eventually the incredible Islanders finished 2nd in Group D action and qualified to the Champions League Quarterfinals to close their 2008 magical season.

The Puerto Rican fairy tale story now resumes in 2009. The Islanders were drawn to play Marathon from Honduras in the quarterfinals. The first leg of this match is set to take place on February 26 at the Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium in Bayamón, with the 2nd leg taking place on March 4 in Honduras.

In preparation for the match against the Marathon, the Islanders played 4 MLS teams in the preseason, finishing with a 1-1-2 (W-T-L) record. The Islanders lost 1-0 to the Chicago Fire, drew 0-0 with the MLS Sub-Champ New York Red Bulls, defeated 2-0 the MLS Champ Columbus Crew, and closed the preseason with a 1-0 loss to DC United.

It was a .500 MLS preseason for the rusty Islanders who will be facing a limping Marathon team on Thursday night. Honduran news media published that 3-4 of the Green Monsters regular players were injured and wouldn’t make the trip to Puerto Rico. This may be a small advantage for the Islanders.

Time is now running out… Marathon is in Puerto Rico, and Wednesday both teams will have their last practice before the big match. Most in the soccer world pick Marathon to defeat the surprising Islanders. But they also picked the favorite Costa Ricans, Panamanians and Mexicans; who each in turn fell to the Boricuas at home in Bayamón.

America loves Cinderellas and underdogs, and the Islanders are the ultimate underdog. The Cinderella story shall continue again and again…