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Puerto Rico Prepares for Galaxy Will Play First Leg of CONCACAF Champions League Tuesday
Puerto Rico Islanders Press Release
July 26, 2010
After a thrilling 3-1 home win against the Rochester Rhinos Saturday night, the Islanders left Puerto Rico Sunday to face off against the MLS’ L.A. Galaxy in the first leg of the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) preliminary round.
The Islanders, who are the most successful Caribbean team in the CONCACAF Champions League, captured the 2010 Caribbean Football Union’s (CFU) Club Championship in May. The Islanders are the only non-Mexican team to challenge the Aztecs in CCL Semifinals (2008-09). Atlante and Pachuca from Mexico won the title in the first two editions of the tournament (2008-09 and 2009-10 respectively).
Under the direction of Northern Irish head coach Colin Clarke, the Islanders have qualified for all three years of the CONCACAF Champions League, one of just seven teams able to make that boast. Cruz Azul [Mexico], Olimpia & Marathon [Honduras], San Francisco FC [Panama], Isidro Metapan [El Salvador] and Saprissa [Costa Rica] are the other teams in that distinguished list of seven.
In the past two editions of the tournament, the Puerto Rico Islanders eliminated Alajuelense of Costa Rica and Toronto FC (TFC) of MLS in the Preliminary Round.
This year will be Los Angeles CCL debut. The Galaxy are currently 12-2-4 (40 points) and lead the 2010 MLS Western Conference and overall standings.
The Caribbean Champions on the other hand, who have struggled this year in league play, are currently in a three-way tie for 7th place overall in the USSF D-2 Pro League standings with a 6-7-5 record (23 points). Still, the Islanders are 2nd in most shots and most goals in the league this year.
It looks to be another David vs Goliath engagement for the Islanders in the CCL. But this is exactly how the Islanders have built a “Giant Killers” reputation, after taking down the likes of Liga Alajuelence (Costa Rica), Marathon (Honduras), Tauro FC (Panama), San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad & Tobago) and Toronto FC (Canada).
Mexican giants like Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul have also bowed down to the Islanders at home in Puerto Rico. This is exactly what the Islanders are counting on, their supremacy at home in Bayamón.
The Islanders’ goalkeeper Bill Gaudette said it best: "They (L.A.) have wonderful players all around the park. It's going to be a difficult game for us. We have two chances to give them a game, and we're going to see what happens. We'll go out to LA and give it our best and they have to come down to Puerto Rico, which not many teams like to do."
Kickoff is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.
2-0 PR Adlery With a good goal . Galaxy is focused on attacking PR but they cant seem to get through that 10 man defense. PR is pulling an Inter on them , Pack defense and counter attacks.
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Me name MIDDLEAGEBALLA NOW, man dem nuh stop call man likkle youth pon di forum iyah.
cracker from outside the box. PR were efficient the scored all their shots on target. Galaxy just couldn't get around the compact defense and suffered on the counter. Donovan was poor tonight you would think Mr America would try something individual but he lacks that killer instinct.
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Me name MIDDLEAGEBALLA NOW, man dem nuh stop call man likkle youth pon di forum iyah.
Addlery just scored another wicked goal in the 81st minute seal the deal for PR. 4-0
Wicked Goal fi real...Addlery Impressive again...not sure why he's stuck in USL. surprised he hasn't gotten another a look by by a MLS Side?
Galaxy get a proper ass whipping tonight.. 2 out a the 4 goals were crackers. Bruce Arena need to bring in some new blood (Trade) in the back four during midseason break. dem a leak goals on a reg over the last Month or so. Addlery had way too much time to set up his Shot on that last goal
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Addlery scores 2, Puerto Rico Islanders top LA Galaxy 4-1 in CONCACAF play
By Associated Press
12:12 AM EDT, July 28, 2010 Advertisement Click here to find out more!
CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Nicolas Addlery scored two goals to lead the Puerto Rico Islanders to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy in the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions' League on Tuesday night.
David Foley and Josh Hansen also scored for the Islanders, a member of the United Soccer League's first division. The Galaxy scored on an own goal by Puerto Rico defender Richard Martinez.
Islanders goalkeeper Bill Gaudette, who played for the Columbus Crew during the 2005-06 season, made seven saves.
The winner of the two-game series, determined by overall goals scored, will advance to the group stage. The second game will take place August 4 in San Juan.
Foley gave Puerto Rico a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. Galaxy defender A.J. DeLaGarza headed David Horst's 14-yard header off Hansen's corner kick away from the net, but Foley converted the loose ball from 2 yards.
Horst kept Los Angeles from scoring the tying goal in the 31st minute by clearing Sean Franklin's 8-yard shot away from an open net.
Addlery made it 2-0 in the 45th minute with an 8-yard shot off Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders' hand.
Hansen's 29-yard line drive in the 56th minute extended the lead to 3-0. Addlery scored his second goal in the 81st minute on a 19-yard line drive for a 4-0 advantage.
Martinez deflected Edson Buddle's shot into his own net in the 83rd minute.
Wicked Goal fi real...Addlery Impressive again...not sure why he's stuck in USL. surprised he hasn't gotten another a look by by a MLS Side?
You will remember he was to go to Cruz Azul but the Islanders didn't agree to the move. Maybe a better question is why he doesn't get the respect he deserves in the Jamaica set up.
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Galaxy doesn't show much interest The Galaxy's lone goal comes in the 83rd minute when a shot by Edson Buddle deflects off Puerto Rico defender Richard Martinez. July 27, 2010|By Grahame L. Jones It fell somewhere between a yawn and a chasm.
Call it a yawning chasm and you'd be on the money, and the Galaxy fell right into it Tuesday night.
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The final score at the Home Depot Center? Puerto Rico Islanders 4, Galaxy 1.
Yes, Major League Soccer's top team, a team playing at home, a team featuring two current and two former World Cup players, a team that was unbeaten in Carson since September, a team captained by Landon Donovan and powered by Edson Buddle, lost to a minor league outfit.
Put that another way. It was beaten.
"Their effort was excellent and ours wasn't good enough," was the way Coach Bruce Arena summed it up.
What it all means is that if the Galaxy wants to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League, it will have to score at least four goals and allow none in the second game of the qualifying series in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 4 or it will not make it through to the final 16 of soccer's North and Central American and Caribbean regional club championship.
Not that it matters much.
By Aug. 5, the Galaxy will be flying home and thinking about the Aug. 7 game against Real Madrid in Carson. By Aug. 8, Arena and company will be back to focusing on what really matters — winning the MLS Cup.
Of course, if the Galaxy does become MLS champion, it will qualify automatically for the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League and could be right back where it left off Tuesday night.
Routed and humbled.
The Islanders, a Division 2 team without a recognizable standout, played with confidence and ability and were deserving winners. Unlike the Galaxy, Puerto Rico finished its chances.
David Foley gave the Islanders the lead in the 26th minute when he banged in a shot from close range after Galaxy defender A.J. DeLaGarza had cleared David Horst's header off the goal line after a corner kick.
The visitors, coached by former FC Dallas coach Colin Clarke, doubled their lead in the final minute of the half when the Galaxy defense was again caught napping.
A cross from the left by Scott Jones reached Nicolas Addlery, who fired the ball into the back of goalkeeper Josh Saunders' net while defender Gregg Berhalter appealed in vain for an offside call from Jamaican referee Raymond Bogle.
The crowd — for want of a better word — booed the players off the field as the half ended, but whether the 6,873 spectators were unhappy with Bogle or with the Galaxy was uncertain.
There were three more goals in the second 45 minutes, each of them scored by Puerto Rico.
Josh Hansen made it 3-0 10 minutes into the second half with a looping shot from 28 yards that went in off the right post, and Addlery made it a rout by beating Saunders with a stinging shot in the 81st minute.
With the Galaxy firing shots high and wide with minor league proficiency, the Islanders provided the home fans with a small consolation when Richard Martinez accidentally deflected the ball into his own net seven minutes from the end.
So when the MLS teams beat their chest about beating a lower division England side in a friendly they talk about the strength of their league. What does this game say about USL's level rising or MLS's level dropping?
If Ricketts had played the game, it would have been a different outcome, Josh Saunders has only played 2 games all season, u cant put him in this situation, this is the concacaf champions leaue u need to play your strongest team at all times.
Ricketts should have played. Yes he has an MLS All star game to play but every single year at half time they give both keepers 45 minutes.
