Puerto Rico national football team

This article is about Puerto Rico men's national team. For the women's team, see Puerto Rico women's national football team.

Puerto Rico

Nickname(s)

El Huracán Azul
(The Blue Hurricane)

Association

Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol

Sub-confederation

CFU (Caribbean)

Confederation

CONCACAF
(North America)

Head coach

Jack Stefanowski (Interim)

Captain

Héctor Ramos

Most caps

Alexis Rivera (29)

Top scorer

Héctor Ramos (13)

Home stadium

Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel

FIFA code

PUR

First colours

Second colours

FIFA ranking

Current

152

(May 2016)

Highest

97 (March 1994)

Lowest

202 (November 2004)

Elo ranking

Current

184

Highest

171 (21–25 May 1993)

Lowest

201 (3 February 2001, 21 July 2002)

First international

Cuba 1–1

Puerto Rico
(Havana, Cuba; November 12, 1940)

Biggest win

Puerto Rico 9–0 Saint-Martin

(Port-au-Prince, Haiti; September 9, 2012)

Biggest defeat

Netherlands Antilles 15–0 Puerto Rico

(Caracas, Venezuela; January 15, 1959)

The Puerto Rico national football team is the national team of Puerto Rico and is controlled by Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol. Puerto Rico's national football team is a member of the Caribbean Football Union, part of the CONCACAF.

History

1940–1990

Puerto Rico's first international match was against Cuba in 1940 in which they drew 1–1. They did not record a win until a 3–0 result in 1970 against the Bahamas. In 1972 Puerto Rico recorded a 1–0 win against Panama in a friendly. Wins between the '80s and '90s were mainly against the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Martinique.^[1]

Chris Armas Years (1993–1994)

Chris Armas played for Puerto Rico in the 1993 Caribbean Cup. In the tournament Puerto Rico established a 4-game win streak without conceding a goal.^[1] The competition was not then recognized by FIFA and so his five matches were considered friendlies. As a result, he was later allowed to switch his allegiance to the United States of America,^[2] for whom he has since been capped over fifty times.

1995–2007

Puerto Rico did not record a win, and had only 4 draws. During this time the team almost dropped all the way down in the FIFA Rankings as they went to 202.^[1]

Puerto Rico playing against Spain.

2008–present

Over the past few years Puerto Rico has begun to emerge as a contender, like they were in the 1990s. In 2008, they drew with the Caribbean giants Trinidad and Tobago. They also won for the first time since 1994 when they beat the Dominican Republic in the first round of World Cup qualifiers. Although they lost the first leg 4–0 to Central American powerhouse Honduras, they fought a 2–2 tie in the home leg in the second round. The Puerto Rican Football Federation has announced plans that would allow them to participate in the next editions of the Caribbean Cup and Gold Cup.^[3]

Puerto Rico were supposed to make their debut in the 21st Central American and Caribbean Games in 2010 on home soil in Mayagüez, but due to the controversy of CONCACAF not approving the stadiums, the team couldn't compete in the football event. The team was supposed to play in Venezuela instead but due to the lack of teams, the male event was cancelled.^[4]

Puerto Rico faced World and European champion Spain in a friendly on August 15, 2012, losing 2–1 in the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. On June 5, 2015, Puerto Rico played a friendly against Bermuda their last friendly before the world cup qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup ending in a 1–1 draw. After losing to Grenada 2–1 in the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers round 2 Puerto Rico's Interim coach Jose 'Cukito' Martinez resign and a few days later the uruguayan Carlos Avedissian solved his Visa problems and could finally arrive as the head coach of the national team. On December 11, 2015, Puerto Rico played a friendly against the MLS team New York City FC losing 2–1 after two annulled goals.

Tournament results

Caribbean Cup

1989 to 1990 – Did not enter
1991 – Did not qualify
1992 – Did not enter
1993 – Group stage
1994 to 1995 – Did not qualify
1996 – Did not enter
1997 – Withdrew
1998 to 2005 – Did not qualify
2007 to 2008 – Did not enter
2010 to 2014 – Did not qualify

Gold Cup

1991 to 2015 – Did not enter or Did not qualify

Pan American Games

1979 – Round 2 (5th Place)

World Cup

1930 to 1970 – Did not enter
1974 – Did not qualify
1978 to 1982 – Did not enter
1986 to 2002 – Did not qualify
2006 – Did not enter
2010 to 2018 – Did not qualify

Current squad

The following players were called up for 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification against Anguilla and Guyana in March 2016.

0#0	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Matthew Sanchez	(1994-08-04) 4 August 1994	5	0	Loyola Greyhounds
	1GK	Christopher Echevarría	(1994-11-19) 19 November 1994	0	0	Metropolitan FA
	1GK	Johnny Santana	(1989-04-23) 23 April 1989	0	0	Unattached

2	2DF	Jason Hernandez	(1983-08-26) 26 August 1983	1	0	New York City FC
8	2DF	Emmanuel D'Andrea	(1995-01-20) 20 January 1995	8	1	Sevilla FC C
14	2DF	Juan Velez	(1985-12-05) 5 December 1985	4	0	Criollos de Caguas FC
6	2DF	Alexis Rivera	(1982-10-29) 29 October 1982	29	0	Bayamón F.C.
	2DF	Carlos Rosario	(1994-01-30) 30 January 1994	7	0	Bayamón F.C.
	2DF	Luis Lorenzo	(1993-03-03) 3 March 1993	0	0	Atlántico FC

7	3MF	Andrés Cabrero	(1989-01-04) 4 January 1989	26	4	Kultsu FC
11	3MF	Juan Coca	(1993-05-31) 31 May 1993	9	2	Kultsu FC
5	3MF	Michael Fernandez	(1994-02-09) 9 February 1994	6	0	Bayamón F.C.
19	3MF	Samuel Soto	(1992-08-11) 11 August 1992	13	0	Bayamón F.C.
4	3MF	Marcos Martinez	(1992-03-27) 27 March 1992	4	0	Club Atletico Fajardo

	4FW	Reid Strain	(1994-01-04) 4 January 1994	2	0	A.D. Aserrí FC
10	4FW	Joseph Marrero	(1993-04-09) 9 April 1993	21	6	Puerto Rico FC
18	4FW	Jorge Rivera	(1996-03-24) 24 March 1996	2	1	Puerto Rico FC
16	4FW	Olvin Ortiz	(1990-11-28) 28 November 1990	2	1	Club Atletico Fajardo
17	4FW	Dennis Beltre		2	0	SPDP Spartans

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Alessandro Salvatore	(1987-03-31) 31 March 1987	2	0	Unattached	v. New York City FC, December 11, 2015

DF	Cristian Arrieta	(1979-09-18) 18 September 1979	22	5	F.A. Euro	v. New York City FC, December 11, 2015 ^INJ
DF	Felix Dawson	(1994-01-27) 27 January 1994	3	0	Criollos de Caguas FC	v. New York City FC, December 11, 2015
DF	Alberto Montesino	(1993-06-21) 21 June 1993	2	0	Atléticos de Levittown FC	v. New York City FC, December 11, 2015

MF	Manolo Sanchez	(1991-11-10) 10 November 1991	0	0	San Antonio FC	v. New York City FC, December 11, 2015
MF	Alex Oikkonen	(1993-10-15) 15 October 1993	8	2	Kultsu FC	v. New York City FC, December 11, 2015

FW	Héctor Ramos (Captain)	(1990-05-04) 4 May 1990	28	13	C.D. Águila	v. New York City FC, December 11, 2015 ^INJ

^INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury
^PRE Preliminary squad / standby
^WD Player withdrew from the squad for non-injury related reasons

Results and fixtures

2014

September 3 2014 Caribbean Cup qualification	Puerto Rico	2–2	Curaçao	Bayamon, Puerto Rico
	Marrero 7', 51'	Report	Mathilda 59' Martis 82'	Stadium: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Jhon Pitti (Panama)

September 5 2014 Caribbean Cup qualification	Puerto Rico	1–2	French Guiana	Bayamon, Puerto Rico
	Ramos 39' (pen.)	Report	Gab. Pigrée 60', 90'	Stadium: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Edvin Jurisevic (United States)

September 7 2014 Caribbean Cup qualification	Puerto Rico	2–2	Grenada	Bayamon, Puerto Rico
	Ramos 29' Oikkonen 68'	Report	James 55' Bain 85'	Stadium: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Moeth Gaymes (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

2015

March 30 Friendly	Puerto Rico	0–3	Canada	Bayamón, Puerto Rico
		Report	Ricketts 42' Edwini-Bonsu 60' Larin 77'	Stadium: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium Attendance: 8,952 Referee: Sandy Vasquez (Dominican Republic)

June 6 Friendly	Bermuda	1–1	Puerto Rico	Devonshire Parish, Bermuda
	Simmons 10'	Report	D'Andrea 25'	Stadium: Bermuda National Stadium

June 12 2018 FIFA WCQ	Puerto Rico	1–0	Grenada	Bayamon, Puerto Rico
	Bozkurt 17'	Report (FIFA) Report (CONCACAF)		Stadium: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium Referee: Christopher Reid (Belize)

June 16 2018 FIFA WCQ	Grenada	2–0	Puerto Rico	St. George's, Grenada
	Morales 35' (o.g.) Ja. Charles 82'	Report (FIFA) Report (CONCACAF)		Stadium: Grenada National Stadium Referee: Adrian Skeete (Barbados)

2016

March 26 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification	Anguilla	0–4	Puerto Rico	The Valley, Anguilla
		Report	Coca 16', 53' Rivera 42' Ortiz 62'	Stadium: Raymond E. Guishard Technical Centre Referee: Moeth Gaymes (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

March 29 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification	Puerto Rico	0–1	Guyana	Bayamón, Puerto Rico
		Report	Austin 60'	Stadium: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium Referee: Rodphin Harris (Trinidad and Tobago)

May 22 Friendly	Puerto Rico	v	United States	Bayamón, Puerto Rico
				Stadium: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium

June 1 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification	Grenada	v	Puerto Rico	St. Geroge's, Grenada
				Stadium: Grenada National Stadium

June 4 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification	Puerto Rico	v	Antigua and Barbuda	Bayamón, Puerto Rico
				Stadium: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium

Coaches

Eduardo Ordóñez Munguera (1959)
Raúl Marchant González (1966)
Luis Villarejo (1974–75)
Carlos Martinolli (1978-79)
Joe Serralta (1979–1982)
Juan "Tato" Tullier (1982-84)
Vítor Hugo Barros (?–1991)
Arnie Ramirez (1992)
Oscar Rosa (1992)
Cristóbal Vaccaro (1996)
Raimundo Gatinho (2000)
Toribio Rojas (2002–2003)
Vítor Hugo Barros (2004)
Colin Clarke (2007–2011)
Adrian Whitbread (2-10)
Jeaustin Campos (2011–2013)
Vítor Hugo Barros (2013–2014)
Jose "Cukito" Martínez (2015) (Interim)
Carlos Avedissian (2015–2016)
Jack Stefanowski (2016–) (Interim)

References

1 2 3 "Puerto Rico – List of International Matches". Rsssf.com. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
↑ Lewis, Michael (February 2001). "Now You See Him". Soccer Digest. Archived from the original on 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
↑ "Primerahora.com". Primerahora.com. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
↑

External links

Puerto Rico web page at FIFA.com
Puerto Rico List of International Matches at RSSSF.com
Official Site: Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol
Puerto Rico National Football Team Fan Website

Football in Puerto Rico

Overview

Puerto Rican Football Federation
Venues

National teams

Men	National team U-20

Women	National team

League system

Men	Liga Nacional NASL (Puerto Rico FC) Puerto Rico Soccer League (defunct) Liga Mayor (defunct) Campeonato Nacional (defunct)

Women	WPSL

Domestic cups

Men	Cup of Puerto Rico

Lists

Men's clubs
Men's players
Expatriate players

International association football

FIFA Federations Teams Competitions World Cup U-17 U-20 Confederations Cup Olympics Youth Olympics Universiade World Rankings Player of the Year Ballon d'Or

Asia	AFC – Asian Cup U-23 U-19 U-16 U-14 Regional (ASEAN, EAFF, SAFF, WAFF)

Africa	CAF – Africa Cup of Nations U-23 U-20 U-17 Regional (CECAFA, CEMAC, COSAFA, WAFU)

North America, Central America and the Caribbean	CONCACAF – Gold Cup U-20 U-17 U-15

South America	CONMEBOL – Copa América U-20 U-17 U-15

Oceania	OFC – Nations Cup U-20 U-17

Europe	UEFA – European Championship U-21 U-19 U-17

Non-FIFA	NF-Board – Viva World Cup CONIFA - ConIFA World Football Cup ConIFA European Football Cup IGA - Island Games

Games	All-Africa Games Asian Games Central America Central America and Caribbean East Asian Games Francophonie Games Indian Ocean Island Lusophony Games Mediterranean Games Pan American Games Pan Arab Games Pacific Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games

See also Geography Debuts Codes Player of the Century Women's football

National association football teams of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF)

North America	Canada Mexico United States

Central America	Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama

Caribbean	Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Bermuda¹ Bonaire³ British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Cuba Curaçao Dominica Dominican Republic French Guiana^{2 3} Grenada Guadeloupe³ Guyana² Haiti Jamaica Martinique³ Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint-Martin³ Sint Maarten³ Suriname² Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands

Defunct	Netherlands Antilles

1: Inside the North American zone, but CFU member. 2: South American country, but affiliated to CONCACAF and CFU. 3: Full or associate CONCACAF member, but non-FIFA member.

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