Puerto Rico Islanders
 |
|
| Full name | Puerto Rico Islanders Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
Tropa Naranja (Orange Troop) Los Isleños (The Islanders) |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Dissolved | 2012 |
| Stadium |
Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
| Stadium capacity |
22,000 |
| Owner | Andy Guillemard |
| League | North American Soccer League |
| 2012 | Regular Season: 3rd, Playoffs: Quarterfinals |
The Puerto Rico Islanders were a professional association football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. They 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.
In 1995, a team called the Puerto Rico Islanders joined the USISL, now the United Soccer Leagues (USL). The team was founded by Joe Serralta and other Puerto Rican businessmen and played only seven games before Serralta decided to move the franchise to Houston, Texas on June 1, changing its name to the Houston Force. The move was prompted by problems with the Puerto Rican Football Federation and low attendances. The Force folded after one game in Houston.
Eight year 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 the current 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.
...
Wikipedia