Puerto Rico national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Puerto Rico

Nickname(s)	El Huracán Azul (The Blue Hurricane) Los Boricuas (The Boricuas)
Association	Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation	CFU (Caribbean)
Head coach	Dave Sarachan
Captain	Ricardo Rivera
Most caps	Héctor Ramos (36)
Top scorer	Héctor Ramos (18)
Home stadium	Estadio Centroamericano
FIFA code	PUR
First colors Second colors
FIFA ranking
Current	179 (7 February 2019)
Highest	97 (March 1994)
Lowest	202 (November 2004)
Elo ranking
Current	189 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest	171 (21–25 May 1993)
Lowest	201 (3 February 2001; 21 July 2002)
First international
Cuba 1–1 Puerto Rico  (Havana, Cuba; 12 November 1940)
Biggest win
Puerto Rico 9–0 Saint-Martin  (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 9 September 2012)
Biggest defeat
Netherlands Antilles 15–0 Puerto Rico  (Caracas, Venezuela; 15 January 1959)

The Puerto Rico national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Puerto Rico) 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.

History

1940–1990

Puerto Rico's first international match was against Cuba in 1940 in which they drew 1–1. They did not record a win until a 3–0 result in 1970 against the Bahamas. In 1972, Puerto Rico recorded a 1–0 win against Panama in a friendly. Wins between the 1980s and 1990s were mainly against the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Martinique.

Chris Armas years (1993–1994)

Chris Armas played for Puerto Rico in the 1993 Caribbean Cup. In the tournament, Puerto Rico established a 4-game win streak without conceding a goal. The competition was not then recognized by FIFA, and so his five matches were considered friendlies. As a result, he was later allowed to switch his allegiance to the United States, for whom he has since been capped over 50 times.

1995–2007

Between 1995 and 2007 Puerto Rico did not record a win, and had only four draws. During this time, the team dropped down in the FIFA Rankings to 202nd.

2008–2015

Puerto Rico (in blue) playing Spain in 2012.

Over the past few years, Puerto Rico has begun to emerge as a contender, like they were in the 1990s. In 2008, they won two games as visitors against Bermuda (1–0 and 2–0), drew 2–2 with Trinidad and Tobago. They also won for the first time since 1994 when they beat the Dominican Republic in the first round of the World Cup qualifiers. Although they lost the first leg 4–0 to Honduras, they fought a 2–2 tie in the home leg in the second round. The Puerto Rican Football Federation has announced plans that would allow them to participate in the next editions of the Caribbean Cup and Gold Cup. Most capped player Andres Cabrero is the only active player as of 2021 who participated in said 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Puerto Rico was supposed to make their debut in the 21st Central American and Caribbean Games in 2010 on home soil in Mayagüez, but due to the controversy of CONCACAF not approving the stadiums, the team couldn't compete in the football event. The team was supposed to play in Venezuela instead but due to the lack of teams, the male event was canceled.

Puerto Rico faced World and European champion Spain in a friendly on 15 August 2012, losing 2–1 in the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.

On 5 June 2015, Puerto Rico played a friendly against Bermuda, their last friendly before the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup ending in a 1–1 draw. After losing to Grenada 2–1 in the second round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Puerto Rico's Interim coach Jose 'Cukito' Martinez resigned and a few days later, the Uruguayan Carlos Avedissian solved his visa problems and could finally arrive as the head coach of the national team. On 11 December 2015, Puerto Rico played a friendly against MLS team New York City, losing 2–1.

2016–2017

Carlos Avedissian / Jack Stefanowski era

Carlos Avedissian took charge of the team in 2015 forming a roster mainly of players from the Puerto Rico local leagues. On 22 May 2016, Puerto Rico played a friendly match against the United States for the first time ever ending in a 3–1 loss. For discrepancies with the Federation, Avedissian was substituted by Jack Stefanowski for the second round on an interim basis. With this team mainly of local players, Puerto Rico advanced for the first time to the third round of the 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification when they defeated Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda in the second round, only two games away from reaching the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time. Stefanowski had to leave the technical director position because he was an assistant for Puerto Rico FC.

On 3 September 2016, Puerto Rico faced India for the first time in an international friendly match at the Mumbai Football Arena, but were defeated in the contest 1–4.

Carlos García Cantarero era

After Stefanowski left the team to continue with Puerto Rico FC, Carlos Cantarero assumed as head coach of the national team with Jose Cukito Martinez (who had coached most of the local players in the Puerto Rico League) as assistant coach. The team played three friendlies, two against the Dominican Republic and one against India, prior to the third round matches against Antigua and Barbuda and Curaçao. Coach Cantarero couldn't coach in the friendlies due to VISA problems. After the second friendly against the Dominican Republic Assistant Coach Martinez left the team prior to the trip to India and David Guillemat assumed the position. Regardless of the administrative debacle, and coaching changes, Puerto Rico lost the decisive match against Curaçao after being 2–0 up front for which Curaçao as head of group advanced to the Gold Cup.

Puerto Rico didn't play an international match until the summer of 2017 when they played to a scoreless draw against Indonesia.

After the devastation of Hurricane Maria in September that left the entire island powerless. On 7 October it was reported MLS club, Orlando City SC announced a Fuerza Puerto Rico’ Friendly for 4 November with all the net proceeds from the match going towards the United for Puerto Rico initiative to raise funds and aid recovery efforts for the island. Reactivating the national team for a 3rd time this year. The friendly marked Orlando City’s last game of 2017, as well team captain, Kaká with the lions. Puerto Rico lost the exhibition match 6–1.

2018

In May 2018, the Puerto Rican Football Federation announced that Carlos Cantarero would no longer continue as head coach of the national team, with former Honduran player Amado Guevara taking over as head coach.

Team image

Kit suppliers

Provider	Period
Joma	2018–

Schedule and results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss

2022

Nations League June 9	Cayman Islands	0–3	Puerto Rico	George Town, Cayman Islands
18:00 UTC−5		Report	Angking  23', 64' (pen.) Valentin  84'	Stadium: Truman Bodden Sports Complex Referee: Sergio Reyna (Guatemala)

Nations League June 12	Puerto Rico	6–0	British Virgin Islands	Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
18:00 UTC−4	Ríos  12' Rivera  15', 39', 49', 51' Díaz  31'	https://www.concacaf.com/en/nations-league/game-details?matchid=626339		Stadium: Estadio Centroamericano Referee: Germán Martínez (El Salvador)

Friendly September 22	Puerto Rico	Cancelled	Dominican Republic	Westchester, United States
UTC−4				Stadium: Riccardo Silva Stadium

2023

Nations League March 23	British Virgin Islands	v	Puerto Rico	British Virgin Islands
				Stadium: TBD

Nations League March 26	Puerto Rico	v	Cayman Islands	Puerto Rico
				Stadium: TBD

Coaching staff

Role	Name	Since
Sporting director	Andrew Mojica
Head coach	Dave Sarachan	24 February 2021
Assistant coach	Daryl Shore
Goalkeeping coach	Bradley Ospina

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

Current squad

The following 24 players were called up to the squad for the 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League matches against British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands on 9 and 12 June 2022, respectively.

Caps and goals correct as of 12 June 2022, after the match against Cayman Islands.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Serrano, JoelJoel Serrano	(1999-05-17) 17 May 1999 (age 23)	4	0	Bayamón FC
	1GK	Sebastián Uranga	(1990-09-16) 16 September 1990 (age 32)	0	0	Metropolitan
	1GK	Aurie Echevarría		0	0	Memphis 901 FC
	2DF	Ríos, DarrenDarren Ríos	(1995-10-14) 14 October 1995 (age 27)	13	1	Michigan Stars FC
	2DF	Sulia, RodolfoRodolfo Sulia	(2002-08-08) 8 August 2002 (age 20)	9	0	Puerto Rico Sol
	2DF	Cardona, NicolásNicolás Cardona	(1999-02-11) 11 February 1999 (age 24)	8	1	Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
	2DF	Valentin, ZarekZarek Valentin (captain)	(1991-08-06) 6 August 1991 (age 31)	4	1	Houston Dynamo
	2DF	Quiñones, ColbyColby Quiñones	(2003-04-14) 14 April 2003 (age 19)	2	0	New England Revolution II
	2DF	Parker O'Ferral	(2003-12-18) December 18, 2003 (age 19)	0	0	North Carolina Tar Heels
	3MF	Díaz, GeraldGerald Díaz	(1999-03-23) 23 March 1999 (age 24)	14	3	CD Buñol
	3MF	O'Neill, JuanJuan O'Neill	(1998-07-12) 12 July 1998 (age 24)	11	0	Project 510
	3MF	Angking, IsaacIsaac Angking	(2000-01-24) 24 January 2000 (age 23)	7	4	Columbus Crew 2
	3MF	Roberto Ydrach	(2001-05-26) May 26, 2001 (age 21)	2	0	UCF Knights
	3MF	Brian Flores	(2003-08-25) 25 August 2003 (age 19)	1	0	New York City FC II
	3MF	Ian Silva	(2004-11-06) November 6, 2004 (age 18)	1	0	Orlando City B
	4FW	Rivera, RicardoRicardo Rivera	(1997-04-17) 17 April 1997 (age 25)	15	8	Union Omaha
	4FW	Rivera, WilfredoWilfredo Rivera	(2003-10-14) 14 October 2003 (age 19)	8	0	Indy Eleven
	4FW	Servania, JadenJaden Servania	(2001-07-16) 16 July 2001 (age 21)	8	1	North Carolina FC
	4FW	Díaz, AlecAlec Díaz	(2001-12-07) 7 December 2001 (age 21)	7	0	Toronto FC II
	4FW	Kevin Hernandez	(1999-07-17) 17 July 1999 (age 23)	7	0	Vinaròs CF
	4FW	Lester Hayes III	(1993-09-19) 19 September 1993 (age 29)	3	1	Middelfart Boldklub
	4FW	Leandro Antonetti	(2003-01-01) January 1, 2003 (age 20)	2	0	Lugo
	4FW	Christopher Dilam	(1999-02-19) 19 February 1999 (age 24)	1	0	The Villages SC

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
DF	Diego Rossi	(2005-05-19) 19 May 2005 (age 17)	0	0	Parma	v.  Cayman Islands, 9 June 2022 WD
MF	Alejandro Silvestrini	(2005-06-26) 26 June 2005 (age 17)	0	0	Argentinos Juniors	v.  Cayman Islands, 9 June 2022 PRE
MF	Jordan Saling	(1996-03-15) 15 March 1996 (age 27)	2	0	Flower City Union	v.  Cayman Islands, 9 June 2022 PRE
MF	Devin Vega	(1998-12-28) 28 December 1998 (age 24)	8	1	Des Moines Menace	v.  Cayman Islands, 9 June 2022 WD
FW	Jeremy de León	(2004-03-18) 18 March 2004 (age 19)	0	0	CD Castellón	v.  Cayman Islands, 9 June 2022 WD
FW	Jan Mateo	(2003-01-31) 31 January 2003 (age 20)	4	0	Jarabacoa FC	v.  Cayman Islands, 9 June 2022 PRE
FW	Joel Burgos	(1999-10-29) 29 October 1999 (age 23)	0	0	Cañoneros	v.  Cayman Islands, 9 June 2022 PRE
Notes INJ = Withdrew due to injury PRE = Preliminary squad / standby RET = Retired from the national team SUS = Serving suspension WD = Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Records

Players in bold are still active with Puerto Rico.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962	Did not enter									Did not enter
1966
1970
1974	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	12
1978	Did not enter									Did not enter
1982
1986	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	8
1990										2	0	0	2	1	3
1994										4	1	1	2	4	5
1998										2	0	0	2	1	9
2002										2	0	1	1	4	8
2006	Did not enter									Did not enter
2010	Did not qualify									3	1	1	1	3	6
2014										6	2	3	1	8	4
2018										2	1	0	1	1	2
2022										4	2	1	1	10	2
2026	To be determined									To be determined
Total		0/22								29	7	7	15	32	59

CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963	Did not enter
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1991	Did not qualify
1993
1996
1998
2000
2002
2003
2005
2007	Did not enter
2009
2011	Did not qualify
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
Total		0/26

CONCACAF Nations League

CONCACAF Nations League record
Season	League	Group	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK
2019–20	C	C	4	2	0	2	6	12		35th
2022–23	C	D	2	2	0	0	9	0
Total			6	4	0	2	15	12	35th

CONCACAF Nations League history
First match	Puerto Rico 0–5 Guatemala  (10 September 2019; Mayagüez, Puerto Rico)
Biggest win	Puerto Rico 6–0 British Virgin Islands  (12 June 2022; Mayagüez, Puerto Rico)
Biggest defeat	Puerto Rico 0–5 Guatemala  (10 September 2019; Mayagüez, Puerto Rico)  Guatemala 5–0 Puerto Rico  (16 November 2019; Guatemala City, Guatemala)
Best result	—
Worst result	—

CFU Caribbean Cup

CFU Championship & Caribbean Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1978	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	1	2
1979	Did not enter									Did not enter
1981	Fourth Place	4th	3	0	1	2	1	9		Qualified as host
1983	Did not enter									Did not enter
1985
1988
1989
1990
1991	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	3	6
1992	Did not enter									Did not enter
1993	Group stage	6th	3	0	1	2	7	14		3	3	0	0	7	0
1994	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	1	2
1995										3	0	1	2	3	14
1996	Did not enter									Did not enter
1997	Withdrew									Withdrew
1998	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	7
1999										3	0	0	3	0	9
2001										2	0	1	1	1	2
2005										3	0	1	2	3	11
2007	Did not enter									Did not enter
2008
2010	Did not qualify									6	3	0	3	10	8
2012										6	2	0	4	15	12
2014										3	0	2	1	5	6
2017										6	1	2	3	11	11
Total	Fourth Place	2/25	6	0	2	4	8	23		43	10	8	25	61	80

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951	Did not enter
1955
1959
1963
1967
1971
1975
1979	Round 2	5th	4	1	0	3	2	12
1983	Did not enter
1987
1991
1995
1999
2003	Did not qualify
2007	Did not enter
2011	Did not qualify
2015
2019
Total	Round 2	1/18	4	1	0	3	2	12

See also

• Puerto Rico national under-20 football team
• Puerto Rico national under-17 football team
• Football in Puerto Rico