SuperCopa Final: Clash of the Puerto Rican Titans!
By: BoriQa | December 8th, 2010
The Puerto Rico Islanders and River Plate PR have never faced each other on the field.
Yet the fans rivalry between these two teams has been going on for years…
The story of the Islanders is now well known in Borinquen.
Prior to 2010, 2008 was the Islanders best year: The Islanders won the Caribbean’s 3rd berth to the newly created CONCACAF Champions League (CCL). They were the USL Regular Season Champions (winners of the Commissioner’s Cup), USL Subchampion, 2008-09 CONCACAF Champion’s League Semifinalists.
In the 2008-09 CFU/CCL run the Islanders defeated several regional powerhouses: San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad & Tobago), Liga Alajuelense (Costa Rica), Tauro FC (Panama), Marathon (Honduras), Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul (Mexico).
That year (2008) they swept the USL’s awards: Organization of the Year, Progress Award, Fair Play Award , Coach of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Defender of the Year and Most Valuable Player!
In 2009 the Islanders were the Caribbean Football Union’s (CFU) Clubs Championship Subchampions, and on their way to their 2nd straight CONCACAF Champions League they knocked out the MLS’ Toronto FC in the preliminary stage. The Islanders finished 3rd overall in the USL Regular Season and after defeating Rochester in the quarterfinals (their 2nd straight year defeating the Rhinos in USL Playoffs), they fell to the Montreal Impact in the Semifinals.
River Plate PR, thought by some to be one of the other Titans of Puerto Rican soccer, won the (now extint amateur) Premier Football League’s Championship in 2007, were 2008 Puerto Rico Soccer League (PRSL) Sub Champions and 2009 PRSL Regular Season Champions. They also won an obscure weekend event in the Dominican Republic, the Monte Plata Cup, by defeating just two teams: one from the D.R. (Bayagüana) and another from Haiti (Atletic) in 2009.
Both Islanders and River Plate PR participated (along with 2009 PRSL Champion Bayamón FC) in the 2010 Caribbean Football Union’s (CFU) Clubs Championship, with the potencial first meeting between the two Puerto Rico Titans (Islanders and River Plate PR) brewing for sometime in the later stages of the tournament…
But it wasn’t meant to be, and River Plate PR got eliminated in the 2nd round by Trinidad & Tobago’s San Juan Jabloteh.
Meanwhile, the Islanders went on to win the 2010 Caribbean Clubs Tournament, their first CFU Championship ever!
The Islanders then went on as the Caribbean Champions to the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champion League, where they routed 4-1 the mighty MLS’ L.A. Galaxy eliminating them from the tournament. Then in the Groups Stage, the Islanders routed El Salvador’s FAS 4-1, came back from 2-goals behind to defeat the reigning Mexican Champion Toluca 3-2; before falling to Hondura’s Olimpia 3-0 in their final CCL match.
Back in the USSF Div2 league, the Islanders struggled throughout the regular season play to finish on 8th place overall, getting the last playoff berth of the league; to then get into form in the playoffs defeating the Rochester Rhinos in the quarterfinals, the Vancouver Whitecaps in the semifinals and the Carolina Railhawks in the Final match, on their way to the Islanders’ first League Championship ever.
Now the Islanders are 2 games away from earning their 3rd title of the year! The 2010 SuperCopa Championship!
Just one night away from satisfying fan rivalries accross the island with their first match against the infamous River Plate Puerto Rico.
The match will take place Thursday night at 7pm EST (8pm AST) at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, the home of the Puerto Rican Orange Goliath!!!
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