The Puerto Rico National Team landed in Orlando earlier this week to prepare for the Fuerza Puerto Rico Friendly -- a charity event hosted by Orlando City SC to aid hurricane relief efforts.
The friendly between Orlando City and Puerto Rico will take place this Saturday, Nov. 4 at Orlando City Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Read up on the Puerto Rico National Team below.
CONCACAF Membership
Puerto Rico’s national soccer team is a member of the Caribbean Football Union, part of CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). Which means Puerto Rico is eligible for competition in CONCACAF tournaments -- such as the Caribbean Cup and Gold Cup. Puerto Rico became affiliated with CONCACAF in 1964 after becoming a FIFA member association four years earlier. The Puerto Rico National Team, however, has never qualified for a World Cup.
Puerto Rican Football Federation
As an unincorporated territory of the United States, competitive soccer in Puerto Rico, from a governance standpoint, has a unique format.
The Puerto Rican Football Federation is the sole governing body of soccer in Puerto Rico. The Federation oversees all national and club soccer on the island -- including both men’s and women’s national squads, the P.R. U-20 national team and two competitive club leagues: Liga Profesional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico and Liga Nacional de Fútbol (amateur league).
NASL and USL Players
Puerto Rican players Héctor ‘Pito’ Ramos, Jorge Rivera, Joseph Marrero and Michael Ramos play for PRFC and will be among the 21 players representing Puerto Rico in the friendly against Orlando City. ‘Pito’ Ramos is the top goal-scorer in Puerto Rico National Team history with 18 goals in 33 appearances.
Also featuring in the Puerto Rico squad against Orlando will be USL (United Soccer League) players Emanuel Sanchez (Harrisburg City) and Jeremy Hall (Sacramento Republic).
