Who are ya? - Puerto Rico Islanders

By: Bob Kellett | April 16th, 2008

The Details: Portland v Puerto Rico Islanders, Thursday, April 17, 7pm, PGE Park. Audio broadcast. Video webcast

Last season: The Puerto Rico Islanders finished in sixth place in 2007 with a (10-8-10) record, making the playoffs for the second consecutive year. After a dramatic comeback against the Montreal Impact in the first round of the playoffs, the Islanders were eliminated by the Seattle Sounders in the semifinals. In 2007, Puerto Rico scored 35 goals and gave up 34 goals. They were 3-5-6 on the road.

Familiar faces: The Islanders have two former Timbers on their roster. Midfielder Edwin Miranda is in the starting unit and midfielder Noah Delgado is the team captain. There are probably about three of you out there who even remember Noah Delgado.

Changing faces: Puerto Rico has some serious changes to its defense. Gone are Marco Velez (Toronto FC) and Jay Needham (Alta Idrettsforening), as well as their keeper the past two seasons, Josh Saunders (Miami FC Blues). The new man in goal is Bill Gaudette who appeared in 17 games for the Columbus Crew over the past couple of seasons.

Keep an eye on:

Fabrice Noel - There aren’t too many players from Haiti floating around the USL First Division. Noel has played for his national team ten times. He had a cup of coffee with the Colorado Rapids before joining the Islanders last season, scoring four goals in 14 games. He is a young striker, 22 years old, with a ton of potential.

Victor Herrera – A Panamanian playmaker, Herrera has some serious skill. He was slowed down by injury last season, but when he is on his game he is a fun player to watch.

Peter Villegas – Another playmaking midfielder, the Ecuadorian was a regular feature for New York back when they were not named after an undrinkable beverage. Like many of his fellow Islanders, Villegas has become a member of Puerto Rico’s national team.

The series: The Timbers and the Islanders have played each other seven times with the Timbers winning all four matches at PGE Park and the Islanders winning the three encounters in Puerto Rico. Last season the Timbers won the home opener 3-1 behind a pair of goals from Andrew Gregor (who also missed a pair of penalties) and lost 1-0 to Puerto Rico on the road.

Final random thoughts: The best time of year to face Puerto Rico is early in the season. They traditionally get off to slow starts and their players have a difficult time adjusting to Portland’s spring weather. The expectations for both sides are different this year. Last season the Timbers were an unknown factor coming off the franchise’s worst year in history. The Islanders were expected to make a run at the title. It didn’t quite work out that way. This year the pressure is on Portland and there is little buzz about Puerto Rico. Portland has had a lot of success against Puerto Rico at PGE Park and the Timbers haven’t lost at home since September 7, 2006. The Timbers are 4-2-1 in home openers. With their roster full of players from South and Central American, Puerto Rico brings a different style than most teams in USL First Division. When they are clicking, they can be a joy to watch.

Pick a Winner Photo: Allison Andrews/Soccer City USA