Puerto Rico FC facts for kids
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| Full name | Puerto Rico Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | La Tropa Naranja ("The Orange Troop") Naranjas ("Oranges") |
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| Short name | PRFC | |||
| Founded | June 9, 2015 | |||
| Dissolved | 2017 | |||
| Stadium | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
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| Stadium capacity |
22,000 | |||
| Owner | Carmelo Anthony | |||
| President | Vacant | |||
| Head coach | Vacant | |||
| League | North American Soccer League | |||
| 2017 | Spring: 8th Fall: 6th Combined: 8th Playoffs: Did not qualify |
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Puerto Rico FC was a professional soccer team from Bayamón, Puerto Rico. It was started in 2015. The team played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). This league was the second-highest level of soccer in the United States and Canada.
The team first played in the fall season of 2016. Their home games were at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. However, Hurricane Maria badly damaged the stadium in September 2017. The team stopped playing after the 2017 NASL season.
Contents
History of the Club
In June 2015, National Basketball Association (NBA) star Carmelo Anthony announced exciting news. He said he was bringing professional soccer back to Puerto Rico. He was starting a new team in the North American Soccer League. This announcement happened in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. This city would be the home of Puerto Rico FC. The team planned to start playing at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in the fall of 2016.
The 2016 Season
On August 14, 2015, Adrian Whitbread became the team's first coach. Later, on November 10, 2015, Thomas Payne was named the club's president.
Playing in the NASL
Puerto Rico FC played their first home game on July 2, 2016. It was at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. They tied 1–1 with Indy Eleven. About 6,474 fans came to watch. Hector Ramos scored the team's very first goal in the 74th minute.
Their first win came on July 23, 2016, against Rayo OKC. They won that game 1–0. The team won four of their last seven games. This helped them move from 12th place to 9th. They finished their fall season with 24 points. Their record was 5 wins, 9 ties, and 8 losses.
Hector Ramos, a player from Puerto Rico, was the team's top scorer. He scored 8 goals.
The 2017 Season
On January 26, CONCACAF announced that Puerto Rico FC would host a tournament. This was the 2017 CFU Club Championship. Group D games would be played at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium starting March 14.
CFU Club Championship
Puerto Rico FC's first game in the tournament was against S.V. Transvaal from Suriname. They won 1–0. Hector Ramos scored with a penalty kick in the 28th minute. Their second game was against Portmore United from Jamaica. They lost this game 1–0 in the 88th minute.
Before their third match, Puerto Rico FC was out of the tournament. This happened because Portmore United won all their group games. Even so, PRFC played well in their last match. They beat Scholars International SC from the Cayman Islands 4–0. Goals were scored by Mike Ramos, Sidney Rivera, Brian Bement, and Cristiano Dias.
Puerto Rico FC finished the tournament with 2 wins, 0 ties, and 1 loss.
Playing in the NASL
On May 19, 2017, Puerto Rico FC announced some changes. Coach Adrian Whitbread was no longer coaching. Neil Sillett was no longer the technical director. Marco Velez became the interim (temporary) Head Coach.
Tom Payne, the club president, decided to leave the club. He did not renew his contract at the end of November 2017.
Club Stops Playing
On February 27, 2018, the NASL announced that the 2018 season was canceled. They hoped to have a season in 2019. Some other NASL teams joined different leagues. However, Puerto Rico FC has not played any games since then.
Head coach Marco Velez later took a job with the Puerto Rico national football team. He then moved on to coach the Puerto Rico national under-17 soccer team.
Team Colors and Look
The team's main colors were orange and white.
Kit Designs
Here are the home and away uniform designs.
- Home
      2016–2017
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- Away
 2016
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   2017
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Sponsors
Nike was the official company that made the team's uniforms for their first season.
| Season | Uniform Maker | Shirt Sponsor |
| 2016–present | Nike | Front: Claro Back: Samsung Secondary: |
Home Stadium
Puerto Rico FC played their home games at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. This stadium is in Bayamón, about 10 miles from the capital city of San Juan. People often called it "The JRL."
The stadium was first built for baseball. In 2003, it was changed into a soccer stadium for the Puerto Rico Islanders. It could hold 22,000 people. Before Hurricane Maria damaged it, the stadium was also home to the Puerto Rico national football team and Bayamón FC.
Team Culture
Supporters
Puerto Rico FC had two main groups of fans who supported the team. They were called La Barra Naranja and La Legión Extranjera. These fan groups actually started when the Puerto Rico Islanders team was playing.
Rivalries
The team's main rival was the New York Cosmos. They even announced a "PR/NY Derby" for the first game of the 2017 season. Puerto Rico FC never beat their New York rivals. Their record against them was zero wins, four losses, and one tie.
Watching Games
On June 29, 2016, Puerto Rico FC made a deal with a local TV channel, WAPA TV. All of Puerto Rico FC's home and away games were shown on WAPA 2 Deportes.
Players and Staff
After the NASL canceled its 2018 season, Puerto Rico FC told its players to find other teams to play for.
The club had many staff positions that were vacant (empty) at the end. This included the head coach, assistant coach, and president.
The owner of the team was Carmelo Anthony.
Team Awards
Puerto Rico FC won a few awards during its time.
- Copa Luis Villarejo
- Winners: 2016
- Bayamon City Cup
- Winners: 2017
Team Records
Top Goal Scorers
The player who scored the most goals for Puerto Rico FC was Héctor Ramos. He scored 12 goals in total. Other players like Sidney Rivera and Tyler Rudy also scored goals for the team.
Team Captains
Here are the players who were captains for Puerto Rico FC in official games:
- Cristiano Dias (2016–2017)
- Yuma (2017)
Coaches' Records
Here's how the coaches performed in competitive matches:
- Adrian Whitbread coached from August 2015 to May 2017.
- Marco Vélez was the interim coach from May 2017 to August 2017. He then became the main coach.
Images for kids
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The official logo of Puerto Rico FC.
See also
In Spanish: Puerto Rico FC para niños
