Puerto Rico FC Looks Ahead To CFU Tournament
Photo credit: Puerto Rico FC
Puerto Rico FC is ready to make some noise in international competition.
The NASL club that is owned by Carmelo Anthony, the star of the NBA’s New York Knicks, made its debut in the league in the Fall Season. After a strong finish in league play, Puerto Rico FC continued to play on in the Luis Villarejo Cup.
On Nov. 20, Puerto Rico FC earned the club’s first piece of silverware with a 4-1 defeat of Criollos FC in the final of the Cup. It was the first edition of the Puerto Rico Federation tournament. Puerto Rico FC had already claimed a berth in the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship by reaching the final and now the side is one step closer to playing in the CONCACAF Champions League.
“The CFU tournament is really important,” Tom Payne, the club’s president, told NASL.com. “I always tell the story of when I moved here back in December. The first meeting I had was with 40 to 50 supporters, fans who are now part of our group and had previously supported the other team [the Puerto Rico Islanders]. They picked on me about how the Islanders beat [the Los Angeles] Galaxy when I was there.
“The Villarejo Cup is a local tournament that is meaningful from a perspective that it’s good to play those games on the island and play teams from all over island. The expectation is to win the tournament. We really shouldn’t lose. We won, and the real positive is the CFU tournament. It’s important to our fan base and we have a chance to go to CONCACAF Champions League. For our fans those are as big as our NASL games.”
Puerto Rico FC closed out its first season in the NASL by winning four of its last seven league games going 4W-1D-2L overall. The club finished in ninth place in the Fall Season Standings, making great strides week to week.
With the CFU tournament expected to begin with a group stage some time in February, Payne and the team staff know they must get back to work relatively quickly. The players will have six weeks off into January, then begin preparations for the tournament. Puerto Rico FC will be the first NASL club to compete in an international club tournament since the Puerto Rico Islanders did so in 2012.
“It’s an important tournament,” he said. “We need to stay in it, we want to win and qualify for the Champions League. The CFU gives us some good games leading into the new NASL season. It’s a real challenge. Over here we’ll have a tournament where the results count, and it will be a good preseason preparation for us.”
