Late Wednesday night Primera Hora’s soccer journalist, Esteban Pagan, reported through his Twitter account and also in a brief note that the president of the Puerto Rico Futbol Federation (FPF for their Spanish acronym) confirmed to him that the USL is interested in two Puerto Rico Soccer League clubs as potential USL-1 teams. We reported earlier how Ponce River Plate and Sevilla FC-Puerto Rico had reacted to the offer. While Sevilla essentially saw the interest as an invitation into the USL, Ponce was more cautious and admitted that there’s nothing concrete at this point. Ponce’s club president told us on Wednesday that the team has been contacted through a third party to express USL’s interest and to set up a meeting for next week.
Particularly interesting among Pagan’s comments on this news was that the Puerto Rico Islanders had no idea of USL’s interest in these other two Puerto Rican clubs. Pagan also touched upon the issue of the Islanders having exclusive rights to the Puerto Rico market in the USL. In the end, the Islanders would have to give their approval for Ponce and Sevilla to join the league. One of the PR Islanders owners contacted the FPF president to let him know they were willing to sit down and discuss the possibility of USL expansion in Puerto Rico.
You can access the complete note by Esteban Pagan in Primera Hora: here.
Classic. Typical USL:
Holt says no interest to USL expansion in Puerto Rico. Economides says he was unaware. The Sevilla and RPPR says that they have been approached by an “intermediary”. Islanders say that they are “willing to talk”.
The first lawsuit has been filed. Rochester, Baltimore and Tampa Bay (who have never even had a player as much as kick a ball) are now engaged in a legal battle. Minnesota Thunder–the life support machine has pretty much been unplugged.
What a mess!
I think that it would be best for the 2 teams to stay in the Puerto Rico Soccer League. It’s only been 2 years since the creation of the league. Why leave it now?