Puerto Rico national football team

Puerto Rico
Nickname(s)	El Huracán Azul; (The Blue Hurricane)
Association	Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation	CFU (Caribbean)
Head coach	Dave Sarachan
Captain	Nicolás Cardona
Most caps	Andrés Cabrero (39)
Top scorer	Héctor Ramos (18)
Home stadium	Estadio Centroamericano
FIFA code	PUR
First colors	Second colors
FIFA ranking
Current	172 1 (16 September 2021)
Highest	97 (March 1994)
Lowest	202 (November 2004)
First international
	Cuba 1–1 Puerto Rico ; (Havana, Cuba; 12 November 1940)
Biggest win
	Puerto Rico 9–0 Saint Martin ; (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 9 September 2012)
Biggest defeat
	Netherlands Antilles 15–0 Puerto Rico ; (Caracas, Venezuela; 15 January 1959)

The Puerto Rico national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Puerto Rico) represents Puerto Rico in men's international football, and are governed by the Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol (FPF). The team's nickname is El Huracán Azul meaning The Blue Hurricane.^[3] They are members of the Caribbean Football Union, and part of CONCACAF. The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup or the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

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 1980s and 1990s were mainly against the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Martinique.^[4]

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.^[4] 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,^[5] for whom he has since been capped over 50 times.^{[citation needed]}

1995–2007[]

Between 1995 and 2007 Puerto Rico did not record a win, and had only four draws. During this time, the team dropped down in the FIFA Rankings to 202nd.^[4]

2008–2015[]

Puerto Rico (in blue) playing Spain in 2012.

Over the past few years, Puerto Rico has begun to emerge as a contender, like they were in the 1990s. In 2008, they won two games as visitors against Bermuda (1–0 and 2–0), drew 2–2 with Trinidad and Tobago. They also won for the first time since 1994 when they beat the Dominican Republic in the first round of the World Cup qualifiers. Although they lost the first leg 4–0 to 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.^[6] Most capped player Andres Cabrero is the only active player as of 2021 who participated in said 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Puerto Rico was 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 canceled.^[7]

Puerto Rico faced World and European champion Spain in a friendly on 15 August 2012, losing 2–1 in the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.

On 5 June 2015, Puerto Rico played a friendly against Bermuda, their last friendly before the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup ending in a 1–1 draw. After losing to Grenada 2–1 in the second round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Puerto Rico's Interim coach Jose 'Cukito' Martinez resigned 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 11 December 2015, Puerto Rico played a friendly against MLS team New York City, losing 2–1.

2016–2017[]

Carlos Avedissian / Jack Stefanowski era[]

Carlos Avedissian took charge of the team in 2015 forming a roster mainly of players from the Puerto Rico local leagues. On 22 May 2016, Puerto Rico played a friendly match against the United States for the first time ever ending in a 3–1 loss.^[8] For discrepancies with the Federation, Avedissian was substituted by Jack Stefanowski for the second round on an interim basis. With this team mainly of local players, Puerto Rico advanced for the first time to the third round of the 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification when they defeated Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda in the second round, only two games away from reaching the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time. Stefanowski had to leave the technical director position because he was an assistant for Puerto Rico FC.^{[citation needed]}

On 3 September 2016, Puerto Rico faced India for the first time in an international friendly match at the Mumbai Football Arena, but were defeated in the contest 1–4.^[9]

Carlos García Cantarero era[]

After Stefanowski left the team to continue with Puerto Rico FC, Carlos Cantarero assumed as head coach of the national team with Jose Cukito Martinez (who had coached most of the local players in the Puerto Rico League) as assistant coach. The team played three friendlies, two against the Dominican Republic and one against India, prior to the third round matches against Antigua and Barbuda and Curaçao. Coach Cantarero couldn't coach in the friendlies due to VISA problems. After the second friendly against the Dominican Republic Assistant Coach Martinez left the team prior to the trip to India and David Guillemat assumed the position. Regardless of the administrative debacle, and coaching changes, Puerto Rico lost the decisive match against Curaçao after being 2–0 up front for which Curaçao as head of group advanced to the Gold Cup.

Puerto Rico didn't play an international match until the summer of 2017 when they played to a scoreless draw against Indonesia.^[10]

After the devastation of Hurricane Maria in September that left the entire island powerless. On 7 October it was reported MLS club, Orlando City SC announced a Fuerza Puerto Rico’ Friendly for 4 November with all the net proceeds from the match going towards the United for Puerto Rico initiative to raise funds and aid recovery efforts for the island. Reactivating the national team for a 3rd time this year.^[11] The friendly marked Orlando City’s last game of 2017, as well team captain, Kaká with the lions.^[12] Puerto Rico lost the exhibition match 6–1.^[13]

2018[]

In May 2018, the Puerto Rican Football Federation announced that Carlos Cantarero would no longer continue as head coach of the national team, with former Honduran player Amado Guevara taking over as head coach.^[14]

Team image[]

Kit suppliers[]

Provider	Period
Joma	2018–

Schedule and results[]

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Win Draw Loss

2021[]

January 19 Friendly	Dominican Republic	0–1	Puerto Rico	showSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic
17:00 (UTC−4)			Rivera 45+1' (pen.)	Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez Referee: Randy Encarnación (Dominican Republic)

January 22 Friendly	Guatemala	1–0	Puerto Rico	showGuatemala City, Guatemala
16:00 (UTC−4)	Lom 67'			Stadium: Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores Referee: Bryan López (Guatemala)

March 24 2022 FWCQ	Saint Kitts and Nevis	1–0	Puerto Rico	showSan Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
16:00 UTC−4	Nelson 42'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Panamericano Referee: Randy Encarnacion Solano (Dominican Republic)

March 28 2022 FWCQ	Puerto Rico	1–1	Trinidad and Tobago	showMayagüez, Puerto Rico
17:00 UTC−4	Rivera 71'	Report	Jones 54'	Stadium: Mayagüez Athletics Stadium Referee: Adonai Escobedo (Mexico)

June 2 2022 FWCQ	Puerto Rico	7–0	Bahamas	showMayagüez, Puerto Rico
19:30 UTC−4	G. Díaz 3' R. Rivera 13', 43' (pen.) Angking 31' Vega 62' Servania 66' Hayes 90+2'	Report		Stadium: Mayagüez Athletics Stadium Referee: Tori Penso (United States)

June 8 2022 FWCQ	Guyana	0–2	Puerto Rico	showGeorgetown, Guyana
16:00 UTC−4		Report	R. Rivera 12' Angking 25' (pen.)	Stadium: Georgetown Football Stadium Referee: Ismael Cornejo Meléndez (El Salvador)

Coaching staff[]

As of 14 March 2021.^[15]

Role	Name	Since
Sporting director	Jorge Pulido	17 August 2021
Head coach	Dave Sarachan	24 February 2021^{[citation needed]}
Assistant coach	Daryl Shore
Goalkeeping coach	Sebastián Uranga

Coaching history[]

(1959)
(1966)
(1972, Interim 1974 Second Game World Cup qualifier.)
/ (1974–1975)
(1978–1979)
(1979–1982)
(1982–1984)
(1985–1990)
Víctor Hugo Barros (1990–1991)
Arnie Ramirez (1992)
Oscar Rosa (1992)
Cristóbal Vaccaro (1996)
(1999)
(2000)
Toribio Rojas (2002–2003)
Víctor Hugo Barros (2004)
Colin Clarke (2007–2011)
Jack Stefanowski (2011, interim)
Adrian Whitbread (2011)
Jeaustin Campos (2011–2013)
Víctor Hugo Barros (2013–2014)
(2015, interim)
Carlos Avedissian (2015–2016)
Jack Stefanowski (2016, interim)
Carlos García Cantarero (2016–2018)
Amado Guevara (2018–2019)
Elgy Morales (2019–2021)^[16]
Dave Sarachan (2021–)

Players[]

Current squad[]

The following 30 players were called up to the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Bahamas and Guyana on 2 and 8 June 2021, respectively.^[17]^[18]

Caps and goals correct as of 8 June 2021 after the match against Guyana.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ángel Molinari	(2000-07-18) 18 July 2000 (age 21)	3	0	Westchester United FC
18	1GK	Joel Serrano	(1999-05-17) 17 May 1999 (age 22)	2	0	Chicago House AC
12	1GK			0	0	FC Delco

2	2DF	Darren Ríos	(1995-10-14) 14 October 1995 (age 25)	11	0	FC Miami City
15	2DF	Rodolfo Sulia	(2002-08-08) 8 August 2002 (age 19)	8	0	Chicago House AC
-	2DF	Joshua Calderón	(1996-09-11) 11 September 1996 (age 25)	7	0	Metropolitan FA
3	2DF	Nicolás Cardona (captain)	(1999-02-11) 11 February 1999 (age 22)	6	0	Hartford Athletic
23	2DF	Giovanni Padrón	(1998-04-15) 15 April 1998 (age 23)	5	1	Nashville Knights FC
21	2DF	Daniel Rosario	(2002-04-10) 10 April 2002 (age 19)	5	0	Orlando City B
20	2DF	Giovanni Calderón	(2002-02-08) 8 February 2002 (age 19)	3	0	Navy
14	2DF	Jan Mateo	(2003-01-31) 31 January 2003 (age 18)	3	0	Oriente Petrolero
-	2DF	Callum Stretch	(1999-09-19) 19 September 1999 (age 21)	2	0	Indiana Hoosiers
5	2DF	Zarek Valentin	(1991-08-06) 6 August 1991 (age 30)	2	0	Houston Dynamo
-	2DF	Colby Quiñones	(2003-04-14) 14 April 2003 (age 18)	0	0	New England Revolution II

13	3MF	Gerald Díaz	(1999-03-23) 23 March 1999 (age 22)	12	2	Bayamón
6	3MF	Juan O'Neill	(1998-07-12) 12 July 1998 (age 23)	10	0	Santa Clara Broncos
11	3MF	Devin Vega	(1998-12-28) 28 December 1998 (age 22)	8	2	Unattached
10	3MF	Isaac Angking	(2000-01-24) 24 January 2000 (age 21)	6	2	Unattached
19	3MF	Jaden Servania	(2001-07-16) 16 July 2001 (age 20)	6	1	Birmingham Legion FC
4	3MF	Raúl González III	(1994-09-23) 23 September 1994 (age 26)	6	0	Memphis 901
-	3MF	Ryan López	(1998-04-12) 12 April 1998 (age 23)	3	0	Cleveland SC
16	3MF	Jordan Saling	(1996-03-15) 15 March 1996 (age 25)	1	0	Unattached
-	3MF			0	0	Municipal Santa Ana

9	4FW	Ricardo Rivera	(1997-04-17) 17 April 1997 (age 24)	13	4	Union Omaha
-	4FW	Sidney Rivera	(1993-11-15) 15 November 1993 (age 27)	10	3	Morris Elite SC
7	4FW	Wilfredo Rivera	(2003-10-14) 14 October 2003 (age 17)	6	0	Orlando City
-	4FW	Alec Díaz	(2001-12-07) 7 December 2001 (age 19)	5	0	Tacoma Defiance
17	4FW	Kevin Hernández	(1999-07-08) 8 July 1999 (age 22)	5	0	Assumption Greyhounds
8	4FW	Lester Hayes	(1993-09-19) 19 September 1993 (age 27)	2	1	Dalum IF
22	4FW	Eli Carr	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 20)	2	0	Longwood Lancers

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	Cody Laurendi	(1988-08-15) 15 August 1988 (age 33)	9	0	Retired	v. Trinidad and Tobago, 28 March 2021

DF	Reid Strain	(1991-01-04) 4 January 1991 (age 30)	2	0	Friska Viljor FC	v. Dominican Republic, 19 January 2021 ^WD

MF			0	0	Unattached	v. Saint Kitts and Nevis, 24 March 2021
MF	Lucas Arzán	(1999-07-25) 25 July 1999 (age 22)	1	0	F.A. Euro	v. Guatemala, 22 January 2021
MF		(1999-07-22) 22 July 1999 (age 22)	0	0	Holstebro Boldklub	v. Guatemala, 22 January 2021
MF	Brandon Servania	(1999-03-12) March 12, 1999 (age 22)	0	0	FC Dallas	v. Dominican Republic, 19 January 2021 ^WD

FW			0	0	Unattached	v. Saint Kitts and Nevis, 24 March 2021
^INJ = Injury ^PRE = Preliminary ^RET = Retired ^WD = Withdrew

Records[]

As of 28 March 2021

Players in bold are still active with Puerto Rico.

Most capped players[]

Rank	Name	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Héctor Ramos	36	18	2010–present
2	Andrés Cabrero	35	4	2008–2019
3	Joseph Marrero	32	6	2011–present
4	Alexis Rivera	31	0	2004–2016
5	Cristian Arrieta	22	5	2010–2015
5	Noah Delgado	22	3	2008–2012
7	Chris Megaloudis	20	6	2008–2012
8	Emmanuel D'Andrea	19	1	2012–present
8	Andrés Pérez	19	0	2011–2015
10	Juan Coca	18	2	2012–present
10	Marcos Lugris	18	5	1983–1998

Top goalscorers[]

Rank	Name	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Héctor Ramos	18	36	0.55	2010–present
2	Chris Megaloudis	6	20	0.3	2008–2012
2	Joseph Marrero	6	32	0.19	2011–present
4	Marcos Lugris	5	18	0.28	1983–1998
4	Cristian Arrieta	5	22	0.23	2010–2015
6		4	4	1	1988–1993
	Danny Mueller	4	6	0.67	1992–1993
	Raphael Ortiz	4	12	0.33	2000–2010
	Ricardo Rivera	4	13	0.31	2016–present
	Andrés Cabrero	4	35	0.11	2008–2018

Competitive record[]

FIFA World Cup[]

FIFA World Cup record									FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962	Did not enter								Did not enter
1966
1970
1974	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	0	12
1978	Did not enter								Did not enter
1982	Did not enter								Did not enter
1986	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	0	8
1990									2	0	0	2	1	3
1994									4	1	1	2	4	5
1998									2	0	0	2	1	9
2002									2	0	1	1	4	8
2006	Did not enter								Did not enter
2010	Did not qualify								3	1	1	1	3	6
2014									6	2	3	1	8	4
2018									2	1	0	1	1	2
2022									4	2	1	1	10	2
2026	To be determined								To be determined
Total		0/22							29	7	7	15	32	59

CONCACAF Gold Cup[]

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963	Did not enter
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1991	Did not qualify
1993
1996
1998
2000
2002
2003
2005
2007	Did not enter
2009	Did not enter
2011	Did not qualify
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
Total		0/26

CONCACAF Nations League[]

CONCACAF Nations League record
Season	Division	Group	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK
2019–20	C	C	4	2	0	2	6	12		35th
2022–23	C	To be determined
Total			4	2	0	2	6	12	35th

Caribbean Cup[]

Caribbean Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1989	Did not enter
1990	Did not enter
1991	Did not qualify
1992	Did not enter
1993	Group stage	6th	6	3	1	2	14	14
1994	Did not qualify
1995	Did not qualify
1996	Did not enter
1997	Withdrew
1998	Did not qualify
1999
2001
2005
2007	Did not enter
2008	Did not enter
2010	Did not qualify
2012
2014
2017
Total	Group stage	1/19	6	3	1	2	14	14

Pan American Games[]

Pan American Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951	Did not enter
1955
1959
1963
1967
1971
1975
1979	Round 2	5th	4	1	0	3	2	12
1983	Did not enter
1987
1991
1995
1999
2003	Did not qualify
2007	Did not enter
2011	Did not qualify
2015
2019
Total	Round 2	1/18	4	1	0	3	2	12

References[]

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
^ VOCERO, Yamaira Muñiz Pérez, EL. "Se rejuvenece el Huracán Azul". El Vocero de Puerto Rico. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Puerto Rico – List of International Matches". rsssf.com. Rec Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. 31 January 2007. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
^ Lewis, Michael (February 2001). "Now You See Him". Soccer Digest. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
^ "Primerahora.com". primerahora.com. GFR Media LLC. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Torres, Publicado por Javier. "Puerto Rico cae en reñido amistoso ante USA". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
^ "India 4–1 Puerto Rico". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
^ Torres, Publicado por Javier. "Reñido empate ante Indonesia". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
^ "La Selección se activa en beneficio de reconstrucción de Puerto Rico | FutbolBoricua.net". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
^ "Kaká jugará su último partido contra Puerto Rico | FutbolBoricua.net". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
^ Torres, Publicado por Javier. "Cae Puerto Rico 6–1 ante Orlando City SC". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
^ Torres, Publicado por Javier. "FPF anuncia salida de los técnicos nacionales". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
^ "Mayor Masculna". fedefutbolpr.com. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
^ "Puerto Rico – E. Morales – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
^ http://www.fedefutbolpr.com/huracan-azul-completo-primer-entrenamiento-con-sarachan/
^ http://www.fedefutbolpr.com/futbolistas-puertorriquenos-llegan-a-suelo-dominicano/

External links[]

Official website (in Spanish)
Puerto Rico FIFA profile
Puerto Rico List of International Matches at RSSSF.com

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.

[World_Football_Elo_Ratings-2] Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.

[3] VOCERO, Yamaira Muñiz Pérez, EL. "Se rejuvenece el Huracán Azul". El Vocero de Puerto Rico. Retrieved 17 April 2020.

[rsssf.com-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Puerto Rico – List of International Matches". rsssf.com. Rec Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. 31 January 2007. Retrieved 30 June 2010.

[5] Lewis, Michael (February 2001). "Now You See Him". Soccer Digest. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2007.

[6] "Primerahora.com". primerahora.com. GFR Media LLC. Retrieved 30 June 2010.

[7] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[8] Torres, Publicado por Javier. "Puerto Rico cae en reñido amistoso ante USA". Retrieved 17 April 2020.

[9] "India 4–1 Puerto Rico". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 27 June 2021.

[10] Torres, Publicado por Javier. "Reñido empate ante Indonesia". Retrieved 17 April 2020.

[11] "La Selección se activa en beneficio de reconstrucción de Puerto Rico | FutbolBoricua.net". Retrieved 17 April 2020.

[12] "Kaká jugará su último partido contra Puerto Rico | FutbolBoricua.net". Retrieved 17 April 2020.

[13] Torres, Publicado por Javier. "Cae Puerto Rico 6–1 ante Orlando City SC". Retrieved 17 April 2020.

[14] Torres, Publicado por Javier. "FPF anuncia salida de los técnicos nacionales". Retrieved 17 April 2020.

[staff-15] "Mayor Masculna". fedefutbolpr.com. Retrieved 14 March 2021.

[16] "Puerto Rico – E. Morales – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.

[17] ttp://www.fedefutbolpr.com/huracan-azul-completo-primer-entrenamiento-con-sarachan/

[18] ttp://www.fedefutbolpr.com/futbolistas-puertorriquenos-llegan-a-suelo-dominicano/

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show v t Puerto Rico national football team
General	Puerto Rican Football Federation History Managers
Venues	Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium
Players	Footballer records
Performances	Caribbean Cup CONCACAF Nations League
Other Puerto Rican teams	U20 U17 U15 Women's Beach soccer

show v t National 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.