Wikipedia

Liga Puerto Rico

This article is about the men's league. For the women's league, see Superior Femenino de la Liga Puerto Rico.

The Liga Puerto Rico (LPR) is an amateur football competition organized by the Puerto Rican Football Federation. It is the top division football league on the island. The champion qualifies to participate in the Caribbean Club Shield each season.[1][2]

Liga Puerto Rico
Organizing bodyPuerto Rican Football Federation
Founded2018
Country Puerto Rico
ConfederationCONCACAF
Number of teams8
Level on pyramid1
Relegation tonone
Domestic cup(s)Copa Luis Villarejo
International cup(s)CFU Club Championship
Current champion(s)Academia Quintana (2nd title)
(2024)
Most championshipsMetropolitan FA
(4 titles)
Websiteligapuertorico.com
Current: 2023-2024

History

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Following the absence of a football league in Puerto Rico for the 2017-18 season, the new Liga Puerto Rico was announced via Facebook by the Puerto Rico Football Federation in August 2018.[3] Prior to the announcement, the federation organized a Preparatory Tournament that ran from March until June 2018.[4] Ten teams participated in the tournament which was eventually won by Bayamón FC.[5] The league's official launch event attended by FIFA and CONCACAF delegates was held on August 23, 2018 with the league set to begin play the following month.[2]

The inaugural season saw Metropolitan FA beat Bayamón Fútbol Club in the championship match. The match went to penalty kicks which Metropolitan won 4–1 after a 0–0 draw in regulation time.[6] The second season of the league began but was abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league did not name a champion.[7]

Prior to the 2021–22 season the league unveiled a new championship trophy designed by local artist Milton G. Rodriguez. A replica of the trophy, which is almost three feet tall and over one and a half feet wide, will be given to the champions each season while the original will remain with the Puerto Rican Football Federation.[8]

Competition

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Like much of Latin America, Liga Puerto Rico is split into an Apertura and Clausura. Due to the instability of the league, often teams will participate in one half of the season but not the other. Each phase of the season teams play each other twice. After a playoff phase the winner qualifies for the CFU Club Championship.

Clubs

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Locations of current Liga Puerto Rico clubs

Current clubs

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A total of eight clubs currently compete in Liga Puerto Rico.

Team City Stadium Capacity Founded Joined Head Coach
Academia Quintana San Juan Hiram Bithorn Stadium 18,000 1969 2019   Geymon Fuentes
Bayamón Fútbol Club Bayamón Bayamón Soccer Complex 1,000 1999 2018   Delfin Ferreres
Caguas Sporting FC Caguas Parque Villa del Rey 1,200 2016 2018   Jorge Ariel Caraballo
Don Bosco FC San Juan Parque de Fútbol San Juan Bosco 1,000 1952 2023   Lionel Simonetti
Metropolitan FA San Juan Parque Reparto Metropolitano 1,000 2012 2018   Jorge Silveti
Puerto Rico Sol FC Mayagüez Mayagüez Athletics Stadium 12,175 2016 2018   Craig Roberts
Guaynabo Gol SC Guaynabo Estadio Charlie Fuentes 1,000 2023 2023   Jose Lubary
Guayama FC Guayama Cancha de Balompié de Guayama 1,500 1959 2023   Milton Ortiz

Former clubs

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Team City Stadium Capacity Founded Joined Left
Ramey SC Aguadilla Pista Atlética Ana Beltrán 1,500 1949 2018 2020
Club de Balompie Junqueño Juncos Parque de Fútbol Colegio Corazón de María 1,000 2004 2019 2020
Leal Arecibo FC Arecibo UPR Arecibo 1,000 2006 2019 2020
Mirabelli SA Carolina Parque de Fútbol Colegio Corazón de María 1,000 2010 2018 2020
FC Mayagüez Mayagüez Pista Atletica Aguadilla 1,000 2003 2018 2022

Champions

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Below is a list of Liga Puerto Rico Champions.[9]

Season Champions Ref.
2018–2019 Metropolitan FA [6]
2019–2020 Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico [10]
2020–2021 [11]
2021 Bayamon FC [12]
2022 Metropolitan FA
2022 Apertura Metropolitan
2023 Clausura Metropolitan
2023 Apertura Academia Quintana
2024 Clausura Academia Quintana

Top goalscorers

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Season Player Team Goal
2018-19   Josep Becerra Bayamón 32

International competition

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The following is a list of results for Liga Puerto Rico clubs in international competitions. LPR club scores are listed first.

Year Club Tournament Round Opponent Home Away Agg.
2020   Metropolitan Caribbean Club Shield Group stage
  Santiago de Cuba Cancelled[13]
  Scholars International
  Inter Moengotapoe
2021 Caribbean Club Championship[Note 2] Group stage   Delfines del Este 3–0[14]
  Real Rincon 4–0[15]
Semi-finals   Inter Moengotapoe 1–3[16]
2021 CONCACAF League Preliminary round   Santa Lucía 0–3[17] 1–2[18] 1–5
2022   Bayamón Caribbean Club Shield Group stage   Junior Stars 3–3[19]
  South East 6–0[20]
Semi-final   Jong Holland 2–1[21]
Final   Inter Moengotapoe 2–1[22]
2022 Caribbean Club Championship CONCACAF League playoff   Waterhouse 0–4[23]
2023   Metropolitan Caribbean Club Shield Group stage   St. Paul's United 2–0[24]
  Junior Stars 3–0[25]
  Jong Holland 2–0[26]
Semi-final   Robinhood 0–5[27]
Third place match   Club Sando 1–6[28]

Footnotes

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  1. ^
    GPS Puerto Rico began playing in the league in 2018 but merged with the newly formed Puerto Rico Surf SC in July 2020.
  2. ^
    As the most recent Puerto Rico champions, Metropolitan FA were automatically entered into the expanded 2021 Caribbean Club Championship after the 2021 Caribbean Club Shield was cancelled because of a COVID-19 breakout in Curaçao.[29]

References

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  1. ^ Andino, Jessica Rosa (7 July 2020). "FPF estrena reglamento para la Concesión de Licencias de Clubes" (in Spanish). Puerto Rican Football Federation. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "La Federación lanza su liga elite superior amateur llamada Liga Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). futbolboricua.co. 25 August 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  3. ^ "La FPF Anuncia Lanzamiento de la Liga Puerto Rico". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  4. ^ Jusino, Edwin (27 March 2018). "Comienza el Torneo Preparatorio de la Federación" (in Spanish). Futbol Boricua. Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Bayamón se Corona Campeón del Torneo Preparatorio - Ciudad de Bayamón". 11 June 2018. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  6. ^ a b Schöggl, Hans; Stokkermans, Karel. "Puerto Rico 2018/19". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  7. ^ Rosa Andino, Jessica. "Cancelados los Torneos de Futbol" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  8. ^ Andino, Jessica Rosa. "LPR Presenta Nuevo Trofeo Para el 2021" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  9. ^ Schöggl, Hans. "Puerto Rico - List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  10. ^ Stokkermans, Karel. "Puerto Rico 2019/20". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  11. ^ "En compas de esper la FPF para reiniciar la Liga Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Bayamon FC es el nuevo monarca del futbol local" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Update on Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield and Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship". CONCACAF. 25 August 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Delfines Del Este FC 1 Metropolitan FA 1". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Metropolitan FA 4 SV Real Rincon 0". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Inter Moengo 3 Metropolitan FA 1". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Santa Lucia 3 Metropolitan 0". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  18. ^ "Metropolitan 1 Santa Lucia 2". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  19. ^ "Bayamon FC, Junior Stars play to thrilling draw to open CCCS". CONCACAF. 11 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Golden Lion, Bayamon attacks take flight as CCCS continues". CONCACAF. 11 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Inter Moengo Tapoe, Bayamon punch CCCS Final tickets". CONCACAF. 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Ranera's last-second goal lifts Bayamon FC to CCCS title". CONCACAF. 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  23. ^ "Waterhouse 4 Bayamon 0". CONCACAF. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  24. ^ "Metropolitan, Scholars open Caribbean Club Shield with wins". CONCACAF. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  25. ^ "Golden Lion roar to victory in Caribbean Club Shield opener". CONCACAF. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  26. ^ "Metropolitan, Golden Lion emerge as group winners". CONCACAF. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Robinhood, Golden Lion reach Final, earn Caribbean Cup spot". CONCACAF. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  28. ^ "Cairo brace propels Robinhood to Shield title". CONCACAF. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  29. ^ "Update on 2021 Concacaf Caribbean Club Competitions". CONCACAF. 23 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
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