By: BoriQa | Islanderstheoffside.com
July 29th, 2009
The Puerto Rico Islanders return to CONCACAF Champions League action when they kick off their second campaign in the second edition of the tournament tonight in a must-win game for the MLS club Toronto FC.
The quest for regional club crown kicked off Tuesday night (July 28) as Mexico’s Pachuca overwhelmed Jalapa (Guatemala) 3-0, and the disappointing D.C. United salvaged a 1-1 draw against El Salvador’s Firpo.
Islanders Head Coach Colin ‘General’ Clarke played the underdog card against TFC: “We were underdogs last year, but it was a new tournament, and we were a bit of an unknown to people. People didn’t know what to expect. Now, the secret’s out. There are no surprises.”
Toronto FC is shaking off a disappointing 3-2 loss to Columbus by gearing up for the Islanders, who lost themselves 4-2 to the Vancouver Whitecaps in their last match.
Both Toronto and Puerto Rico have issues heading into the clash. Toronto will miss Honduran international midfielder Amado Guevara (bruised ribs in Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Columbus), Canadian international defender Adrian Serioux (also injured in Columbus), and defender Nana Attakora (previous hamstring injury). The Islanders will be without Head Coach Colin Clarke on the bench due to his expulsion from the title match of the CFU Club Champions Cup in May.
Tonight it’s the first USL vs MLS match in CONCACAF Champions League history, and the Puerto Rico Islanders are the chosen ones to defend the USL Pride!
TFC is going down…
