The Puerto Rico Islanders continue their pursuit of a 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League berth with a match versus Antigua Barracudas FC in Trinidad & Tobago. The winner of the match secures 3rd place in the CFU competition and an automatic Champions League berth, while the loser will be eliminated. The Islanders have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League each of the past four seasons.
The Islanders are coming off a disappointing 4-1 loss Tuesday night to W Connection of Trinidad & Tobago in the semifinals.
In NASL action, the Islanders lost top spot in the standings, falling 2-0 to San Antonio at the weekend. With no time to dwell on the consecutive losses, the Islanders will have to win Thursday in order the keep the team's impressive run of consecutive CONCACAF hampions League qualifications going.
“Game day is here and how exciting playing for a group with LA Galaxy and Isidro Metapan. There will be a few changes for tonight's game; new personnel will come in to freshen things up. The Players are ready. Talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words,” said Head Coach Adrian Whitbread.
The Islanders entered the competition as the two-time defending champions of the tournament, having won the 2010 and 2011 editions back-to-back. However, the Islanders will have to settle for third place in this year’s competition.
Antigua Barracudas FC of USL PRO is currently tenth in the eleven team league with just six points from ten matches. This past weekend they were defeated by Orlando City SC 2-0 and then followed that up with a 2-0 loss to Caledonia AIA in the CFU semifinals.
