The Puerto Rico Islanders face Alpha United FC tonight at 8:00pm in the semi-finals of the Caribbean Football Union’s (CFU) Club Champions Cup. The Islanders are looking to repeat as CFU champions as well as qualifying to the CONCACAF Champions League.
We were able to ask Guyanese forward Gregory Richardson, playing his first season for the Islanders, about Alpha United FC and about Providence Stadium in Guyana – host venue for this week’s CFU semi-finals and final.
“Alpha United is a very good team. It is basically a team full of star players. They brought together the best players in the country for this club.” said Richardson.
Richardson is currently in Puerto Rico recovering from an ankle injury and is expected to be available again in two weeks. “The weather in Guyana is very similar to Puerto Rico’s, the fans are good and the stadium is of great quality. I trust that the Islanders can get a positive result and make it to the final.” added Richardson.
The Islanders trained at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Monday night and Tuesday afternoon in preparation for tonight's match. “Practiced on the field last night (Monday), it’s a quicker field in good conditions but a bit hard and bumpy in the middle. Haven’t been able to see Alpha United FC play. They will have their fans and it won’t be an easy match. According to the local press they are very confident about winning but we’ve been in this situation before and we’ve won. It’s a very important tournament for us and we’ll continue to defend our title tomorrow (tonight).” remarked Colin Clarke, the Islanders’ coach.
The Tropa Naranja secured their trip to the CFU semi-finals after defeating Walking Boyz Co. of Suriname 7-0 (8-1 aggregate) at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon on Saturday May 14th. With a packed schedule and several injured players, the Islanders will have to give it their all in Guyana in order to secure the Caribbean Championship for the second consecutive year as well as earn a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League for the fourth consecutive year.
The other semi-final will be played between Tempete FC of Haiti and Defense Force of Trinidad & Tobago. The two semi-final winners, as well as the 3rd place team, will secure a spot in the preliminary stage of the CONCACAF Champions League.
On Friday, May 27th, Guyana will continue to be host for the CFU Final (8:00pm) as well as the third place match (6:00pm) – both in the Providence Stadium.
The Puerto Rico Islanders return to Puerto Rico on Saturday May 28th and will begin preparing to host the NSC Minnesota Stars for the match in the ‘Islandera’ on June 1st at 8:05pm. Individual tickets are available on www.ticketpop.com and the new FLEX Pass can be purchased at the Islanders office located in the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon. Call today: 787-520-9684 or e-mail us at flex@prislandersfc.com to secure your FLEX Pass – 12 tickets for only $100, available for any NASL home games.
