kids encyclopedia robot

Puerto Rico national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Puerto Rico women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Puerto Rico
Shirt badge/Association crest
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 Charlie Trout
Captain Zarek Valentin
Most caps Héctor Ramos (36)
Top scorer Héctor Ramos (18)
Home stadium Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel
Estadio Centroamericano
FIFA code PUR
First colors
Second colors
FIFA ranking
Current 179 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 97 (March 1994)
Lowest 202 (November 2004)
Elo ranking
Current 189 Decrease 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

PUR vs Spain
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.

2016–2020

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.

Amado Guevara era

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.

2020s

On March 19, 2023, just days before the Nations League, the Puerto Rican Football Federation announced Charlie Trout as the new head coach of the national team.

2022–23 Nations League

In the second season of the CONCACAF Nations League, Puerto Rico would again be apart of the C-League. This time being inserted to Group D alongside the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands. The team would go on to beat the British Islands 3-1 and then later beat the Cayman Islands 5-1. The team would go on to win the group stage, thus earning a Gold Cup prelims invitation and promotion into the B league for the next Nations league. Puerto Rico has a soccer team but it isn’t public to the World Cup.

In the Gold Cup prelims, the team would draw against Suriname 0-0 and later winning in a penalty shootout 4-3. In the second round of the prelims, Puerto Rico would face Martinique. The team would lose 2-0 and be eliminated from the tournament.

Team image

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplier Period
Spain Joma 2018–2024
Denmark Hummel 2024–

Results and fixtures

Main article: Puerto Rico national football team 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       Fixture

2023

2024

2025

Coaching staff

Role Name Since
Sporting director England Steve McCullogh 14 January 2022
Head coach England Charlie Trout 19 March 2023
Assistant coach England Adekunle Adeleye 19 March 2023
Goalkeeping coach England Ritchie Marshall 19 March 2023

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.
  • Puerto Rico Eduardo Ordóñez Munguira (1959)
  • Puerto Rico Raúl Marchant González (1966)
  • Puerto Rico Egberto Morales Carrasco (1972)
  • Spain/Puerto Rico Luis Villarejo (1974–1975)
  • Argentina Carlos Martinolli (1978–1979)
  • Puerto Rico Joe Serralta (1979–1982)
  • Puerto Rico Juan "Saso" Tullier (1982–1984)
  • Argentina Ricardo "Richie" Romano (1985–1990)
  • Brazil Víctor Hugo Barros (1990–1991)
  • United States Arnie Ramirez (1992)
  • Puerto Rico Oscar Rosa (1992)
  • Puerto Rico Cristóbal Vaccaro (1996)
  • Spain José Luis "Majo" Rodríguez (1999)
  • Brazil Raimundo Gatinho (2000)
  • Costa Rica Toribio Rojas (2002–2003)
  • Brazil Víctor Hugo Barros (2004)
  • Northern Ireland Colin Clarke (2007–2011)
  • United States Jack Stefanowski (2011)
  • England Adrian Whitbread (2011)
  • Costa Rica Jeaustin Campos (2011–2013)
  • Brazil Víctor Hugo Barros (2013–2014)
  • Puerto Rico Jose Martinez (2015)
  • Uruguay Carlos Avedissian (2015–2016)
  • United States Jack Stefanowski (2016)
  • Spain Carlos García Cantarero (2016–2018)
  • Honduras Amado Guevara (2018–2019)
  • Costa Rica Elgy Morales (2019–2021)
  • United States Dave Sarachan (2021–2022)
  • England Charlie Trout (2023–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for two friendly matches in March 2024 against Belize.

Caps and goals correct as of 24 March 2024, after the second match against Belize.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Joel Serrano (1999-05-17) May 17, 1999 (age 25) 11 0 United States Los Angeles Force
1GK Sebastián Cutler (2003-05-20) May 20, 2003 (age 21) 1 0 United States Charlotte 49ers
2DF Rodolfo Sulia (2002-08-08) August 8, 2002 (age 22) 14 0 Puerto Rico Academia Quintana
2DF Sidney Paris (2002-04-26) April 26, 2002 (age 22) 8 0 United States Wake Forest Demon Deacons
2DF Ian Silva (2004-11-06) November 6, 2004 (age 19) 2 1 United States Gonzaga Bulldogs
2DF Beto Ydrach (2001-05-26) May 26, 2001 (age 23) 6 0 United States UCF Knights
2DF Giovanni Calderón (2002-02-08) February 8, 2002 (age 22) 5 0 United States Cal State Fullerton Titans
2DF Callum Stretch (1999-09-18) 18 September 1999 (age 25) 3 0 United States Tormenta
2DF Marcos Villanueva
0 0 United States Albany Great Danes men's soccer
2DF André Casas
0 0 United States Inter Miami Academy
3MF Juan O'Neill (1998-07-12) July 12, 1998 (age 26) 14 0 Spain Vélez B
3MF Gerald Díaz (1999-03-23) March 23, 1999 (age 25) 20 9 Puerto Rico Academia Quintana
3MF Sebastián Otero (2005-09-15) September 15, 2005 (age 19) 0 0 United States Inter Miami Academy
3MF Benjamin Donato (2005-07-05) July 5, 2005 (age 19) 0 0 United States Inter Miami Academy
3MF Fabián Menéndez (2005-07-02) July 2, 2005 (age 19) 0 0 United States Wofford Terriers
3MF Adrián Biaggi 0 0 United States Dayton Flyers
3MF Noeh Hernández (2004-12-09) December 9, 2004 (age 19) 0 0 United States River Light FC
4FW Darren Ríos (1995-10-14) October 14, 1995 (age 29) 16 1 Unattached
4FW Joel Burgos (1999-10-29) October 29, 1999 (age 25) 2 2 Belize Verdes FC
4FW Rubén Tapia (2000-07-27) July 27, 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Unattached
4FW Cristian Ortiz (2005-11-15) November 15, 2005 (age 18) 0 0 United States Inter Miami Academy
4FW Daniel Cruz Jr. (2005-05-14) 14 May 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Spain Villarreal Juvenil C

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
GK Anthony Martínez (2003-12-23) December 23, 2003 (age 20) 0 0 United States Stony Brook Seawolves v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
GK Aurie Echevarría (2001-06-26) June 26, 2001 (age 23) 3 0 United States Rutgers Scarlet Knights v.  Martinique, June 20, 2023 PRE
DF Nicolás Cardona (1999-02-11) February 11, 1999 (age 25) 14 0 United States Miami FC v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
DF Zarek Valentin (1991-08-06) August 6, 1991 (age 33) 7 1 United States Minnesota United v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
DF Adrian Rosario (2007-04-12) April 12, 2007 (age 17) 0 0 United States Inter Miami Academy v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
DF Colby Quiñones (2003-04-14) 14 April 2003 (age 21) 0 0 United States New England Revolution v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
DF Eitan Solomiany (2006-12-08) December 8, 2006 (age 17) 0 0 Puerto Rico Bayamon FC v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
DF Brian Flores (2003-08-25) 25 August 2003 (age 21) 0 0 United States New York City FC II v.  Bahamas, September 9, 2023 PRE
DF Christopher Dilan (1999-02-19) February 19, 1999 (age 25) 3 0 United States Nona v.  Bahamas, September 9, 2023 PRE
MF Devin Vega (1998-12-28) December 28, 1998 (age 25) 12 3 Retired v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
MF Isaac Angking (2000-07-24) July 24, 2000 (age 24) 7 4 Unattached v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
MF Justin Blanco (2007-02-19) February 19, 2007 (age 17) 0 0 United States Queensboro FC v.  Bahamas, September 9, 2023 PRE
MF José Luis López (2002-02-25) February 25, 2002 (age 22) 0 0 United States Queensboro FC v.  Bahamas, September 9, 2023 PRE
MF Marco Cantalapiedra (2008-08-08) August 8, 2008 (age 16) 0 0 United States Inter Miami Academy v.  Bahamas, September 9, 2023 PRE
MF Diego Rossi (2005-05-19) May 19, 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Italy Parma v.  Suriname, June 17, 2023 PRE
FW Ricardo Rivera (1997-04-17) April 17, 1997 (age 27) 23 13 Dominican Republic O&M v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
FW Leandro Antonetti (2003-01-01) January 1, 2003 (age 21) 6 1 Spain CD Lugo v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
FW Jaden Servania (2001-07-16) July 16, 2001 (age 23) 8 1 United States North Carolina v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
FW Wilfredo Rivera (2003-10-14) October 14, 2003 (age 21) 8 0 United States Orlando City B v.  Bahamas, November 21, 2023 PRE
FW Kevin Hernández (1999-07-17) 17 July 1999 (age 25) 5 0 United States Club de Lyon v.  Bahamas, September 9, 2023 PRE
FW Alec Díaz (2001-12-07) December 7, 2001 (age 22) 8 0 Canada Toronto FC II v.  Martinique, June 20, 2023 PRE
FW Jeremy de León (2004-03-18) March 18, 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Spain Real Madrid Castilla v.  Suriname, June 17, 2023 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.

Most appearances

Hector ramos vs Spain
Héctor Ramos (right) is Puerto Rico's top goalscorer and their most capped player.
Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Héctor Ramos 36 18 2010–2019
2 Andrés Cabrero 35 4 2008–2018
3 Jackie Marrero 32 6 2011–2019
4 Alexis Rivera 31 0 2004–2016
5 Ricardo Rivera 25 16 2016–present
6 Gerald Díaz 24 11 2017–present
7 Cristian Arrieta 22 5 2010–2015
Noah Delgado 22 3 2008–2012
9 Chris Megaloudis 20 6 2008–2012
10 Emmanuel D'Andrea 19 1 2012–2019
Andrés Pérez 19 0 2011–2015

Top goalscorers

Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Héctor Ramos 18 36 0.5 2010–2019
2 Ricardo Rivera 16 25 0.64 2016–present
3 Gerald Díaz 11 24 0.46 2017–present
4 Chris Megaloudis 6 20 0.3 2008–2012
Jackie Marrero 6 32 0.19 2011–2019
6 Marcos Lugris 5 18 0.28 1983–1998
Cristian Arrieta 5 22 0.23 2010–2015
8 Brian Conlon 4 4 1 1988–1993
Danny Mueller 4 6 0.67 1992–1993
Isaac Angking 4 7 0.57 2021–present
Raphael Ortiz 4 12 0.33 2000–2010
Andrés Cabrero 4 35 0.11 2008–2018

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D L F A Pld W D L F A
1930 to 1958 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Chile 1962 Did not enter Did not enter
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 12
Argentina 1978 Did not enter Did not enter
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 8
Italy 1990 2 0 0 2 1 3
United States 1994 4 1 1 2 4 5
France 1998 2 0 0 2 1 9
South Korea Japan 2002 2 0 1 1 4 6
Germany 2006 Did not enter Did not enter
South Africa 2010 Did not qualify 3 1 1 1 3 6
Brazil 2014 6 2 3 1 8 4
Russia 2018 2 1 0 1 1 2
Qatar 2022 4 2 1 1 10 2
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/16 29 7 7 15 32 57

CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
El Salvador 1963 Did not enter
Guatemala 1965
Honduras 1967
Costa Rica 1969
Trinidad and Tobago 1971
Haiti 1973
Mexico 1977
Honduras 1981
1985
1989
United States 1991 Did not qualify
Mexico United States 1993
United States 1996
United States 1998
United States 2000
United States 2002
Mexico United States 2003
United States 2005
United States 2007 Did not enter
United States 2009
United States 2011 Did not qualify
United States 2013
Canada United States 2015
United States 2017
Costa Rica Jamaica United States 2019
United States 2021
Canada United States 2023
Total 0/27

CONCACAF Nations League

CONCACAF Nations League record
Season League Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
United States 2019–20 C C 4 2 0 2 6 12 Same position 35th
United States 2022–23 C D 4 4 0 0 17 2 Rise 29th
2023–24 B D To be determined
Total 8 6 0 2 23 14 29th

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
Trinidad and Tobago 1978 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 2
Suriname 1979 Did not enter Did not enter
Puerto Rico 1981 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 1 9 Qualified as host
French Guiana 1983 Did not enter Did not enter
Barbados 1985
Martinique 1988
Barbados 1989
Trinidad and Tobago 1990
Jamaica 1991 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 3 6
Trinidad and Tobago 1992 Did not enter Did not enter
Jamaica 1993 Group stage 6th 3 0 1 2 7 14 3 3 0 0 7 0
Trinidad and Tobago 1994 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 1 2
Cayman Islands Jamaica 1995 3 0 1 2 3 14
Trinidad and Tobago 1996 Did not enter Did not enter
Antigua and Barbuda Saint Kitts and Nevis 1997 Withdrew Withdrew
Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago 1998 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 7
Trinidad and Tobago 1999 3 0 0 3 0 9
Trinidad and Tobago 2001 2 0 1 1 1 2
Barbados 2005 3 0 1 2 3 11
Trinidad and Tobago 2007 Did not enter Did not enter
Jamaica 2008
Martinique 2010 Did not qualify 6 3 0 3 10 8
Antigua and Barbuda 2012 6 2 0 4 15 12
Jamaica 2014 3 0 2 1 5 6
Martinique 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
Argentina 1951 Did not enter
Mexico 1955
United States 1959
Brazil 1963
Canada 1967
Colombia 1971
Mexico 1975
Puerto Rico 1979 Round 2 5th 4 1 0 3 2 12
Venezuela 1983 Did not enter
United States 1987
Cuba 1991
Argentina 1995
Canada 1999
Dominican Republic 2003 Did not qualify
Brazil 2007 Did not enter
Mexico 2011 Did not qualify
Canada 2015
Peru 2019
Chile 2023
Total Round 2 1/19 4 1 0 3 2 12

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Puerto Rico para niños

  • Puerto Rico national under-20 football team
  • Puerto Rico national under-17 football team
  • Football in Puerto Rico
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Puerto Rico national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.