Monday, May 26, 2008

TAMPA, FL -- Holding a 1-0 lead from Fabrice Noel's first leg goal in Puerto Rico, the Islanders held their ground on the road Sunday in Trinidad for a scoreless draw against T&T's San Juan Jabloteh to qualify as the third club from the Caribbean for the CONCACAF Champions League.

It was a very evenly contested match. First half they came out in the first 15-20 minutes and put on a lot of pressure looking for the series equalizer, but the Islanders dealt with it very well and Jabloteh never created any clear cut chances.

As the half wore on. Puerto Rico took more control of the game, particularly the midfield. The best chance of the first half came when a through ball from Cristian Arrieta found Fabrice Noel, who managed to get there just before the on-rushing goalkeeper and knocked it past him. Unfortunately, it ran agonizingly to the wrong side of the post.

The second half was again evenly contested with neither team creating any clear openings. But as the half wore on and Jabloteh became more desperate for the tying goal, they pushed more players forward, and as a result, won numerous corner kicks and free kicks with the help of some controvercial referee decisions.

The Islanders held strong and did not allow Jabloteh any clear sights of goal and got the result that they thoroughly deserved over the two legs.

"We are absolutely delighted after all the hard work the players put in that they come away with a deserved victory," said head coach Colin Clarke. "I feel this is a great step forward for the Puerto Rico Islanders and soccer in Puerto Rico. It gives the fans a great opportunity to watch the Islanders play against a premier international team in the next round."

The Islanders join Harbour View FC of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago’s Joe Public FC as the Caribbean Representatives to the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League™ this coming August.

The Caribbean playoff was determined after the Islanders and Jabloteh lost in the semifinals of the CFU Club Championship against Joe Public and Harbour View, respectively, last year. Harbour View went on to claim the CFU Title by defeating Joe Public in the final.

The new CONCACAF Champions League format is a continuation of the Champions Cup format that recently concluded. The defending champion Pachuca CF of Mexico won their third CONCACAF Champions’ Cup™ after defeating visiting Costa Rica’s Deportivo Saprissa, 2:1, in the second-leg of the 2008 Final at the Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca on 30 April, and, therefore, capturing the series 3:2 on aggregate.

The Islanders may be joined by another USL First Division club via the new Canadian club competition called the Nutrilite Canadian Champions League. The Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps are facing each other in a six-game tournament for a spot in the newly formed CONCACAF Champions League.

Along with a chance to represent Canada in the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League and hopefully a chance to represent the confederation in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup, the first-place team will be awarded the Voyageurs Cup trophy. The Voyageurs Cup trophy, which has been awarded to the top professional Canadian team since 2002, has been donated to the Canadian Soccer Association for the new Nutrilite Canadian Champions League.

The Nutrilite Canadian Champions League kicks off 27 May at the new Saputo Stadium in Montreal as the Impact will host Toronto FC. On June 17, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC will visit Montreal and on June 25, the Impact will play the return match at Swangard Stadium. The Impact will then play the final match of the tournament against Toronto FC, at BMO Field, July 22.