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Sports in Puerto Rico can be traced from the ceremonial competitions amongst the pre-Columbian Native Americans of the Arawak (Taíno) tribes who inhabited the island to the modern era in which sports activities consist of an organized physical activity or skill carried out with a recreational purpose for competition. One of the sports which the Taíno's played was a ball game called "Batey". The "Batey" was played in U-shaped fields two teams; however, unlike the ball games of the modern era, the winners were treated like heroes and the losers were sacrificed.
The Puerto Rico Islanders were a professional association football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. They played in several different leagues from 2004 to 2012, when they suspended operations. In their last two seasons they played in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. They played their home games at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. The team's colors were orange and white. They were succeeded by Puerto Rico FC.
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.
William Gaudette is a retired American-born Puerto Rican footballer who played for several MLS teams and the Puerto Rican national team.
Salinas Valley Samba was an American soccer team based in Salinas, California, United States. Founded in 2004, the team played in the Western Division of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.
Club de Fútbol Fraigcomar is a Puerto Rican association football club, located in San Francisco, a subbarrio of San Juan Antiguo, which is a barrio of San Juan, Puerto Rico. On February 28, 2017; the club announced it will return for the first time since 2007 to a higher category and will be in the Excellence Cup III.
Teófilo "Teo" Cruz Downs was a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. After playing college basketball, Cruz played in Puerto Rico's top-level league, the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) with Cangrejeros de Santurce, Indios de Canóvanas, Mets de Guaynabo, Cardenales de Río Piedras, and Taínos de Mayagüez. Cruz also played in Spain with Picadero Damm, and in Belgium with Racing Club Mechelen.
Nicholas Addlery is a former Jamaican football player who is a former assistant for PDL club Peachtree City MOBA.
Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre Atiles, more commonly known as Pancho Coimbre, was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player. He was born in the municipality of Coamo and moved to Ponce early in his life. It was in Ponce where he would begin to actively participate in sports, both in sprinting and baseball. Coimbre played thirteen seasons in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League (LBPPR), with the Leones de Ponce. During this period the team won five league championships. He finished his career with an average of .337, and had an average of 2.2 strikeouts per season, this included four consecutive seasons from 1939 to 1942, without any strikeouts. Coimbre also won two LBPPR batting titles and the league's Most Valuable Player Award in 1943.
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.
Puerto Rico Capitals was a women's soccer team based in Ponce, Puerto Rico. They played in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), the third tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada, from 2008–2010. The team played in the Sunshine Conference.
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.
Cody Laurendi is a Puerto Rican former professional footballer.
Puerto Rico United is a Puerto Rican association football team based in Aguada, Puerto Rico founded in 2007. The team has played professionally in the Puerto Rico Soccer League (PRSL) and briefly in the American USL Professional Division. The team last competed in a professional league in 2011.
Football is one of the leading sports of Puerto Rico, ranking only behind baseball, basketball and boxing in national popularity and is the number one participation sport on the island. There has been a significant growth in the sport in recent years, as traditionally football has played a very small role in Puerto Rico. The sport on the island is governed by the Puerto Rican Football Federation, an affiliate of FIFA.
Eric Reyes is an American-born, Puerto Rican former soccer coach and player. He previously played as a professional goalkeeper and appeared for the Puerto Rico national football team.
Michelle Olivia Cruz is a Puerto Rican-American soccer defender who most recently played for Seattle Reign FC in the National Women's Soccer League. She previously played for Apollon Limassol in Cyprus.
Lynda Morales is a Puerto Rican indoor volleyball player who plays for Criollas de Caguas in the Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino (LVSF). She was a member of the Puerto Rican national team from 2011 to 2016. She participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2014 FIVB World Championship.
Efraín Andrés Morales Badillo is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Atlanta United. Born in the United States, he represents Bolivia internationally.
References
- ↑ Adam Vose-O'Neal (2006-11-02). "LIFE'S A BEACH FOR YURI MORALES: Ex-UMass star leads US in FIFA event". New England Soccer News.
- ↑ Guzman, Isaiah (2007-04-15). "Using his brain and his foot: Morales helping upstart pro soccer club as its forward and account executive". Santa Cruz Sentinel . Retrieved 2009-08-13.
