Liga Puerto Rico

Last updated
Liga Puerto Rico
Logo of Liga Puerto Rico.png
Organizing body Puerto Rican Football Federation
Founded2018
CountryFlag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico
Confederation CONCACAF
Number of teams8
Level on pyramid1
Relegation tonone
Domestic cup(s) Copa Luis Villarejo
International cup(s) CFU Club Championship
Current champion(s) Academia Quintana (2nd title)
(2024)
Most championships Metropolitan FA
(4 titles)
Website ligapuertorico.com
Current: 2023 Liga Puerto Rico

The Liga Puerto Rico (LPR) is an amateur football competition organized by the Puerto Rican Football Federation. It is the top division football league on the island. The champion qualifies to participate in the Caribbean Club Shield each season. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Following the absence of a football league in Puerto Rico for the 2017-18 season, the new Liga Puerto Rico was announced via Facebook by the Puerto Rico Football Federation in August 2018. [3] Prior to the announcement, the federation organized a Preparatory Tournament that ran from March until June 2018. [4] Ten teams participated in the tournament which was eventually won by Bayamón FC. [5] The league's official launch event attended by FIFA and CONCACAF delegates was held on August 23, 2018 with the league set to begin play the following month. [2]

The inaugural season saw Metropolitan FA beat Bayamón Fútbol Club in the championship match. The match went to penalty kicks which Metropolitan won 4–1 after a 0–0 draw in regulation time. [6] The second season of the league began but was abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league did not name a champion. [7]

Prior to the 2021–22 season the league unveiled a new championship trophy designed by local artist Milton G. Rodriguez. A replica of the trophy, which is almost three feet tall and over one and a half feet wide, will be given to the champions each season while the original will remain with the Puerto Rican Football Federation. [8]

Competition

Like much of Latin America, Liga Puerto Rico is split into an Apertura and Clausura. Due to the instability of the league, often teams will participate in one half of the season but not the other. Each phase of the season teams play each other twice. After a playoff phase the winner qualifies for the CFU Club Championship.

Clubs

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3 Clubs
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Sol
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Locations of current Liga Puerto Rico clubs

Current clubs

A total of eight clubs currently compete in Liga Puerto Rico.

TeamCityStadiumCapacityFoundedJoinedHead Coach
Academia Quintana San Juan Hiram Bithorn Stadium 18,00019692019 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Geymon Fuentes
Bayamón Fútbol Club Bayamón Bayamón Soccer Complex 1,00019992018 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Delfin Ferreres
Caguas Sporting FC Caguas Parque Villa del Rey 1,20020162018 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Jorge Ariel Caraballo
Don Bosco FC San Juan Parque de Fútbol San Juan Bosco 1,00019522023 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Lionel Simonetti
Metropolitan FA San Juan Parque Reparto Metropolitano 1,00020122018 Flag of Argentina.svg Jorge Silveti
Puerto Rico Sol FC Mayagüez Mayagüez Athletics Stadium 12,17520162018 Flag of the United States.svg Craig Roberts
Guaynabo Gol SC Guaynabo Estadio Charlie Fuentes 1,00020232023 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Jose Lubary
Guayama FC Guayama Cancha de Balompié de Guayama 1,50019592023 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Milton Ortiz

Former clubs

TeamCityStadiumCapacityFoundedJoinedLeft
Ramey SC Aguadilla Pista Atlética Ana Beltrán 1,500194920182020
Club de Balompie Junqueño Juncos Parque de Fútbol Colegio Corazón de María 1,000200420192020
Leal Arecibo FC Arecibo UPR Arecibo 1,000200620192020
Mirabelli SA Carolina Parque de Fútbol Colegio Corazón de María 1,000201020182020
FC Mayagüez Mayagüez Pista Atletica Aguadilla 1,000200320182022

Champions

Below is a list of Liga Puerto Rico Champions. [9]

SeasonChampionsRef.
2018–2019 Metropolitan FA [6]
2019–2020 Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico [10]
2020–2021 [11]
2021 Bayamon FC [12]
2022 Metropolitan FA
2022 Apertura Metropolitan
2023 Clausura Metropolitan
2023 Apertura Academia Quintana
2024 Clausura Academia Quintana

Top goalscorers

SeasonPlayerTeamGoal
2018-19 Flag of Spain.svg Josep BecerraBayamón32

International competition

The following is a list of results for Liga Puerto Rico clubs in international competitions. LPR club scores are listed first.

YearClubTournamentRoundOpponentHomeAwayAgg.
2020 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Metropolitan Caribbean Club Shield Group stage
Flag of Cuba.svg Santiago de Cuba Cancelled [13]
Flag of the Cayman Islands.svg Scholars International
Flag of Suriname.svg Inter Moengotapoe
2021 Caribbean Club Championship [Note 2] Group stage Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Delfines del Este 3–0 [14]
Flag of Bonaire.svg Real Rincon 4–0 [15]
Semi-finals Flag of Suriname.svg Inter Moengotapoe 1–3 [16]
2021 CONCACAF League Preliminary round Flag of Guatemala.svg Santa Lucía 0–3 [17] 1–2 [18] 1–5
2022 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Bayamón Caribbean Club Shield Group stage Flag of France.svg Junior Stars 3–3 [19]
Flag of Dominica.svg South East 6–0 [20]
Semi-final Flag of Curacao.svg Jong Holland 2–1 [21]
Final Flag of Suriname.svg Inter Moengotapoe 2–1 [22]
2022 Caribbean Club Championship CONCACAF League playoff Flag of Jamaica.svg Waterhouse 0–4 [23]

Footnotes

  1. ^
    GPS Puerto Rico began playing in the league in 2018 but merged with the newly formed Puerto Rico Surf SC in July 2020.
  2. ^
    As the most recent Puerto Rico champions, Metropolitan FA were automatically entered into the expanded 2021 Caribbean Club Championship after the 2021 Caribbean Club Shield was cancelled because of a COVID-19 breakout in Curaçao. [24]

Related Research Articles

The Puerto Rico national football team 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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puerto Rican Football Federation</span> Governing body of association football in Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rican Football Federation is the governing body of association football in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1940 and became affiliated to FIFA in 1960, one of the last to do so in the Western Hemisphere. It governs over all football on the island, including the Puerto Rico national football team, the amateur Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico, the scheduled Liga Profesional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico, as well as the Puerto Rico FC who played in the North American Soccer League.

Marco Vélez is a Puerto Rican former footballer who played as a defender and currently works as coach for Puerto Rico Surf SC.

The Puerto Rico Soccer League or PRSL is an association football league in Puerto Rico founded in 2008 and the first unified football league in the island's history. Association football had been growing in popularity in recent years, and this was an attempt to further develop the game on the island. The previous highest league in the country was the Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico. It shares Division I status with Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sevilla FC Puerto Rico</span> Association football club based in Juncos, Puerto Rico

Sevilla FC Puerto Rico was a Puerto Rican professional association football team based in Juncos, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2006, the team used to play in the Puerto Rico Soccer League. The club was founded in 2006 as a farm team for the Puerto Rico Islanders of the North American Soccer League in Bayamón, but in 2008 partnered with the Spanish La Liga club Sevilla FC and moved a year later to Juncos. Sevilla won both the regular season and play-offs in the inaugural season of the Puerto Rico Soccer League in 2008, and also won the regular season in 2011 before losing the play-off final on penalties to Leones.

Bayamón Fútbol Club is a Puerto Rican professional football club. The team is based in Bayamón and founded in 1999. They play their home games at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. The club is a member of David Villa's DV7 Soccer Academy.

Álvaro E. Betancourt is a Puerto Rican retired international footballer who played as a midfielder. He appeared at the senior level for High Performance FC, Conquistadores de Guaynabo, Bayamón, and Metropolitan FA, split around a two-year stint at Valparaiso University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Caribbean Club Championship</span> International football competition

The 2017 Caribbean Club Championship was the 19th edition of the Caribbean Club Championship, the annual international club football competition in the Caribbean region, held amongst clubs whose football associations are affiliated with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), a sub-confederation of CONCACAF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan FA</span> Association football club that plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League

Metropolitan FA is a Puerto Rican association football club from the capital of San Juan that currently plays in the Liga Puerto Rico. The club plays its home matches at the Parque Reparto Metropolitano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copa Luis Villarejo</span> Association football league in Puerto Rico

The Copa Luis Villarejo is an association football league in Puerto Rico. Created in 2016, it is open to all clubs that are affiliated with the Puerto Rican Football Federation.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puerto Rico Sol FC</span> Puerto Rican association football club from Mayagüez

Puerto Rico Sol FC is a Puerto Rican association football club from Mayagüez that currently plays in the Liga Puerto Rico, the highest level of football in the country.

The 2018–19 Liga Puerto Rico season, is the league's inaugural season of Liga Puerto Rico.

Alejandro Javier Rabell is a Puerto Rican international footballer who currently plays for NJIT Highlanders in the NCAA D1 and the Puerto Rico national football team.

Rodolfo Eduardo III Sulia Herrera is a Puerto Rican football player who currently plays as a defender for Puerto Rico Sol in the Liga Puerto Rico.

Mercedes Lyn Bauzá is an American-born Puerto Rican footballer who plays as a forward for Puerto Rico Sol and the Puerto Rico women's national team. Named Queen of the Match by Budweiser in both of her appearances.

The 2020–2021 Liga Puerto Rico was to be the third season of the Liga Puerto Rico, the top tier soccer league on the island. Metropolitan FA were the reigning champions because of their 2018–19 Liga Puerto Rico championship. The 2019–2020 season was abandoned in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and no new champion was named.

Ryan Xavier López Viera is a Puerto Rican footballer who plays as a midfielder for Puerto Rican club Bayamón and the Puerto Rico national team.

Puerto Rico Sol FC is a Puerto Rican association football club based in Mayagüez. The club is a member of the Liga Puerto Rico, the highest level of football in the country. The Sol women’s team is recognized as a model for the development of women's football, both in economic and in cultural terms. Sol hosts its matches at the Mayaguez Soccer Stadium, a stadium of capacity 12,175. The team is the defending champions, having won the Liga PR in 2019, 2021, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ Andino, Jessica Rosa. "FPF estrena reglamento para la Concesión de Licencias de Clubes" (in Spanish). Puerto Rican Football Federation. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 "La Federación lanza su liga elite superior amateur llamada Liga Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). futbolboricua.co. 25 August 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  3. ↑ "La FPF Anuncia Lanzamiento de la Liga Puerto Rico". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  4. ↑ Jusino, Edwin (27 March 2018). "Comienza el Torneo Preparatorio de la Federación" (in Spanish). Futbol Boricua. Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "Bayamón se Corona Campeón del Torneo Preparatorio - Ciudad de Bayamón". 11 June 2018. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 Schöggl, Hans; Stokkermans, Karel. "Puerto Rico 2018/19". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Rosa Andino, Jessica. "Cancelados los Torneos de Futbol" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Andino, Jessica Rosa. "LPR Presenta Nuevo Trofeo Para el 2021" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  9. ↑ Schöggl, Hans. "Puerto Rico - List of Champions". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  10. ↑ Stokkermans, Karel. "Puerto Rico 2019/20". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "En compas de esper la FPF para reiniciar la Liga Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "Bayamon FC es el nuevo monarca del futbol local" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  13. ↑ "Update on Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield and Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship". CONCACAF. 25 August 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  14. ↑ "Delfines Del Este FC 1 Metropolitan FA 1". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "Metropolitan FA 4 SV Real Rincon 0". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "Inter Moengo 3 Metropolitan FA 1". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  17. ↑ "Santa Lucia 3 Metropolitan 0". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  18. ↑ "Metropolitan 1 Santa Lucia 2". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  19. ↑ "Bayamon FC, Junior Stars play to thrilling draw to open CCCS". CONCACAF. 11 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  20. ↑ "Golden Lion, Bayamon attacks take flight as CCCS continues". CONCACAF. 11 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  21. ↑ "Inter Moengo Tapoe, Bayamon punch CCCS Final tickets". CONCACAF. 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  22. ↑ "Ranera's last-second goal lifts Bayamon FC to CCCS title". CONCACAF. 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  23. ↑ "Waterhouse 4 Bayamon 0". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  24. ↑ "Update on 2021 Concacaf Caribbean Club Competitions". CONCACAF. 23 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2021.


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