We’re on hiatus!

September 23, 2010

Hey folks,

So if you were/are a frequent visitor here – you might have noticed I haven’t posted in a while. The good news is that I’m still alive. The reason I haven’t been posting is because I’ve taken my passion for soccer to the next level and am now getting an MBA/MA degree in Sports Business Management. So I’ve been terribly busy but look forward to having the time again in the future to start posting again regularly.

In the meantime, I’m always sending out updates via de PasionNaranja twitter account: Twitter

So follow me there and hopefuly I can keep bringing you relevant news and commentary regarding the Islanders and soccer in Puerto Rico.

Thanks for visiting,

Kristian Vazquez


Brief update: Puerto Rico Islanders CFU Champions!

May 9, 2010

The Islanders are champions of the Caribbean!!

More on this later…


Match preview: Islanders at Baltimore

April 24, 2010

The first Islanders game on the road for 2010 is also the first time the Puerto Rican club meets the newcomer Crystal Palace Baltimore. Baltimore lost their season opener 1-0 at home against the visiting Tampa Bay.

It will be an interesting match to watch but certainly hard to predict. Baltimore will be looking to score for their home crowd as well as for their first win of the season. On paper, the Islanders come in as favorites but with a new squad that has yet to play away from home together – anything can happen.

Coach Clarke has been moving the team in a positive direction and will probably field a squad pretty similar to the one that started on Wednesday.

Prediction: Islanders wins 2-0.


Match report: Islanders vs Minnesota 3-1

April 24, 2010

Last Wednesday night the Puerto Rico Islanders started their season with a bang by downing the visiting Minnesota stars 3-1. There’s not much to say on the match as a whole other than it was a great way to kick things off.

It’s evident that the team has many new faces as the squad on the field went through ups and downs in terms of how they gelled together. Surprisingly, Minnesota dominated (slightly) possession while the Islanders’ midfield at time looked very disorganized.

The defense did their job quite well and coach Clarke gave the fans what they wanted, an offensive minded team.

Still, there will be questions surrounding the team until they come out victorious against some of the top clubs in the league.


Brief update: Islanders win season opener 3-1

April 21, 2010

With goals from Foley, Telesford, and Gbandi – the Islanders started their season with a bang winning 3-1 at home vs the Minnesot Stars.

More on this match later…


Brief preview: PR Islanders vs NSC Minnesota

April 21, 2010

For the 2010 season we will continue posting our match previews before each game (time permitting). Tonight’s season opener though is quite an interesting match to try and preview. On one hand, the Islanders haven’t had much of a pre-season and there really hasn’t been much communication roster-wise from the club’s front office. Then on the other, we have a Minnesota team in it’s first season.

Minnesota so far has played 2 games (both away) where they lost one to Vancouver (2-0) and won one against the Railhawks (1-0). Puerto Rico hasn’t played any DivII matches but won decisively in their Caribbean club competition match-up. With several key players back for the 2010 season (such as Delgado, Gaudette, Velez), and playing at home – the odds are that the Islanders will win their season opener tonight.

I would expect something around a 3-1 score – but then again, no one is quite sure yet what to expect of this 2010 version of the Islanders.

What are your predictions? Join the conversation on twitter: @pasionnaranja


Puerto Rico Islanders roster 2010

April 21, 2010

Below you will find the current 2010 roster for the Puerto Rico Islanders as released by the team’s front office.

Number     -     Name     -     Position     -     Nationality

4  – Marco Velez – Defense – Puerto Rico

6  – Alexis Rivera – Defense  – Puerto Rico

3  – Richard Martinez – Defense – Puerto Rico

2  – Scott Jones  – Defense  – Puerto Rico

19  – Kevon Villaroel  – Defense – Trinidad & Tobago

21  – Logan Emory  – Defense  – USA

18  – Osei Telesford  – Midfield/Defense  – Trinidad & Tobago

5  – Noah Delgado  – Midfield  – USA/Puerto Rico

15  – Sandy Gbandi  – Midfield  – Liberia

8  – Christopher Nurse  – Midfield  – Guyana/UK

12  – Anthony Allison  – Midfield  – USA

16  – Joseph Salem  – Midfield  – USA

14  – Junior Sandoval  – Midfield  – Honduras

22  – Shaka Bangura  – Midfield/Forward  – Sierra Leone/USA

11  – Nicholas Addlery  – Forward  – Jamaica

10  – Kendall Jagdeosingh  – Forward  – Trinidad & Tobago

20  – Joshua Hansen  – Forward  – USA

7  – David Foley  – Forward  – UK

1  – William Gaudette – Goalkeeper  – USA

The following players are still in the process of finishing their registration and approval by the USSF DivII:

9  – Jonathan Faña Frias  – Midfield/Forward  – Dominican Republic

23  – Cody Laurendi  – Goalkeeper  – USA

13  – David Horst  – Defense  – USA


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