MAYAGUEZ, Puerto Rico -- Puerto Rico will play their first Concacaf Nations League match on Tuesday, when they host Guatemala in a Group C clash in League C.
La Seleccion opened the group stage with a dominant 10-0 win over Anguilla, which was the largest margin of victory in the storied history of the Guatemalan national team.
Guatemala did not let up all night, with the bench contributing five goals, and the huge swing in positive goal differential applies extra pressure on El Huracan Azul, who now likely cannot afford a draw.
But Puerto Rico and their stingy defense are not a team that can just be brushed aside; in total they conceded only five goals during qualifying; that is substantially better than almost the entirety of League C, and even edges out the majority of League B sides.
Goals were hard to come by for Puerto Rico in the qualifiers, but 25-year-old Sidney Rivera is one of several capable forwards working hard to end the drought.
Both teams are traveling to Mayaguez from Central America, as Puerto Rico are returning home after a friendly match in Honduras. They were defeated 4-0, but the experience against high level competition will have them fully prepared for Los Chapines.
A win for Guatemala would put them in the driver’s seat and on their way to promotion, while a win for Puerto Rico would crack the group wide open.
Match Officials
R: CORNEJO MELENDEZ, ISMAEL ALEXANDER (SLV)
AR1: MORAN SANTOS, DAVID JONATHAN (SLV)
AR2: GARCIA LIMA, GEOVANY (SLV)
4th Official: BARTON, IVAN (SLV )