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Puerto Rico Islanders
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Puerto Rico Islanders
The Puerto Rico Islanders were a professional soccer team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The team was founded in 2003, and played in several different leagues from 2004 to 2012, when they suspended operations. In their last two seasons they played in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. They played their home games at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. The team's colors were orange and white. The team was dissolved after the 2012 season, and the team was succeeded by Puerto Rico FC.
The Puerto Rico Islanders were first founded in 1995, and made their first appearance in the USISL, now the United Soccer Leagues (USL) that same year. The team played in San Juan. The team was founded by Joe Serralta and other Puerto Rican businessmen and played only seven games on the island.
However, the first iteration lasted only seven games. Various differences with the local league led Serralta and the other businessmen to move the franchise to Houston, Texas, and change the team's name to the Houston Force. The move was also prompted by problems with the Puerto Rican Football Federation and low attendances. The Force folded after one game in Houston.
Added to this, FIFA withdrew its financial support from the Puerto Rico Football Federation, which amounted to $250,000 annually. Things got tough for this group of entrepreneurs.
It wasn't until 2003 that the franchise was restarted, the FIFA subsidy was recovered, and an agreement was reached with the city of Bayamón, with Mayor Ramón Luis Rivera Jr., who supported the idea of incorporating soccer as a sport in that municipality. This support was not only logistical but also financial, as the renovation and adaptation of the then Lubriel stadium to the requirements of the Federation began at an approximate cost of $3,000,000.
Hence, eight years after Serralta's first attempt at professional football, he gave it another go and together with a new group of Puerto Rican businessmen officially created another incarnation of the Puerto Rico Islanders. The team played their first season in the A-League in 2004. The original squad included a large number of local Puerto Rican players as well as a contingent of mainland Americans, Brazilians, Salvadorans and Argentines. The team was coached by Brazilian Vitor Hugo Barros who was replaced several games into the season by Argentine Hugo Hernán Maradona, brother of the legendary Diego Armando Maradona. The team played its first league game on April 17, 2004, against the Toronto Lynx at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium, the Islanders lost 1–0 in front of a reported 6,000 fans. The Islanders had their first victory on January 15, 2004, against the Charleston Battery with a score of 1–0 at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. Led by players like Mauricio Salles, Raúl Díaz Arce and Luis Fernando Zuleta Mechura the Islanders finished the 2004 season in 14th place, with a record of 5 wins, 17 losses and 6 ties.
In 2005, the Islanders still under Hugo Hernán Maradona brought in a new group of players that would become staples in the club for the next couple of seasons (Petter Villegas, Marco Vélez, Dan Kennedy, Caleb Norkus, Alejandro González Pareja and Noah Delgado), and retained several key players like Mauricio Salles. At the end of the season, the Islanders had an improved season record with 10 wins, 10 losses and 8 ties, this time barely missing the playoff.
The Islanders opened their 2006 season with a mix of new players like Argentine Gustavo Barros-Schelotto, Chilean Arturo Norambuena, Canadian Alen Marcina, and homegrown talent Marco Vélez, Alexis Rivera Curet, Rafael Ortiz Huertas, and American Dan Kennedy to create one of the strongest lineups in the club's short history, in a serious attempt to take the USL Div. 1 title for the first time.
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Puerto Rico Islanders
The Puerto Rico Islanders were a professional soccer team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The team was founded in 2003, and played in several different leagues from 2004 to 2012, when they suspended operations. In their last two seasons they played in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. They played their home games at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. The team's colors were orange and white. The team was dissolved after the 2012 season, and the team was succeeded by Puerto Rico FC.
The Puerto Rico Islanders were first founded in 1995, and made their first appearance in the USISL, now the United Soccer Leagues (USL) that same year. The team played in San Juan. The team was founded by Joe Serralta and other Puerto Rican businessmen and played only seven games on the island.
However, the first iteration lasted only seven games. Various differences with the local league led Serralta and the other businessmen to move the franchise to Houston, Texas, and change the team's name to the Houston Force. The move was also prompted by problems with the Puerto Rican Football Federation and low attendances. The Force folded after one game in Houston.
Added to this, FIFA withdrew its financial support from the Puerto Rico Football Federation, which amounted to $250,000 annually. Things got tough for this group of entrepreneurs.
It wasn't until 2003 that the franchise was restarted, the FIFA subsidy was recovered, and an agreement was reached with the city of Bayamón, with Mayor Ramón Luis Rivera Jr., who supported the idea of incorporating soccer as a sport in that municipality. This support was not only logistical but also financial, as the renovation and adaptation of the then Lubriel stadium to the requirements of the Federation began at an approximate cost of $3,000,000.
Hence, eight years after Serralta's first attempt at professional football, he gave it another go and together with a new group of Puerto Rican businessmen officially created another incarnation of the Puerto Rico Islanders. The team played their first season in the A-League in 2004. The original squad included a large number of local Puerto Rican players as well as a contingent of mainland Americans, Brazilians, Salvadorans and Argentines. The team was coached by Brazilian Vitor Hugo Barros who was replaced several games into the season by Argentine Hugo Hernán Maradona, brother of the legendary Diego Armando Maradona. The team played its first league game on April 17, 2004, against the Toronto Lynx at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium, the Islanders lost 1–0 in front of a reported 6,000 fans. The Islanders had their first victory on January 15, 2004, against the Charleston Battery with a score of 1–0 at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. Led by players like Mauricio Salles, Raúl Díaz Arce and Luis Fernando Zuleta Mechura the Islanders finished the 2004 season in 14th place, with a record of 5 wins, 17 losses and 6 ties.
In 2005, the Islanders still under Hugo Hernán Maradona brought in a new group of players that would become staples in the club for the next couple of seasons (Petter Villegas, Marco Vélez, Dan Kennedy, Caleb Norkus, Alejandro González Pareja and Noah Delgado), and retained several key players like Mauricio Salles. At the end of the season, the Islanders had an improved season record with 10 wins, 10 losses and 8 ties, this time barely missing the playoff.
The Islanders opened their 2006 season with a mix of new players like Argentine Gustavo Barros-Schelotto, Chilean Arturo Norambuena, Canadian Alen Marcina, and homegrown talent Marco Vélez, Alexis Rivera Curet, Rafael Ortiz Huertas, and American Dan Kennedy to create one of the strongest lineups in the club's short history, in a serious attempt to take the USL Div. 1 title for the first time.