Metropolitan FA

Metropolitan FA is a Puerto Rican association football club from the capital of San Juan that currently plays in the Liga Puerto Rico. The club plays its home matches at the Parque Reparto Metropolitano.

Metropolitan FA

Full name	Metropolitan Football Academy
Founded	2012[1]
Stadium	Parque Reparto Metropolitano San Juan, Puerto Rico
Capacity	1,000
Owner	Connor Ulloa Alfie Lozano Vaughan Martínez
Chairman	Alfie Lozano
Manager	Jorge Silvetti
League	Liga Puerto Rico
2022	Champions (2nd)
Website	http://www.metropolitanfootball.com/
Home colors Away colors
Current season

History

Metropolitan FA was founded in 2012 by Argentine Jorge Silvetti.^[1] In 2015 the team finished third in the Copa Excelencia which took place that year in lieu of a Puerto Rico Soccer League season.^[2] By the 2016 season the club was competing in the resurrected Puerto Rico Soccer League, the top tier of football on the island. After finishing in second place during both halves of the regular season, the team had the most combined points in the league and advanced directly to the final.^[3] The club won the league championship in the playoff by defeating Bayamón FC in the final at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium.^[4][5]

As part of pre-season preparations in 2017 Metropolitan FA competed in the annual Don Bosco Cup. The team won the silver medal in the tournament, falling 0–3 to GPS Puerto Rico in the final.^[6] The club finished the abbreviated 2017 regular season in third place before being eliminated in the playoff round.^[7] The league ceased operations following the season and Puerto Rico was without a top-tier competition until September 2018.

Metropolitan FA joined the nascent Liga Puerto Rico for its inaugural season in 2018/19. It went on to finish as the first-ever champions of the 8-team league.^[8] The club also finished runner-up in the Copa Luis Villarejo that season. The club began the 2019/20 campaign and was in a close second in the table^[9] but the season was eventually abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic and no champion was named.^[10][11] As reigning Puerto Rico champions, the club earned the right to compete in the 2020 Caribbean Club Shield. However, the tournament was also eventually cancelled because of the pandemic.^[12]

In August 2020 the club announced the signing of all-time leading scorer for the Puerto Rico national team Hector Ramos.^[13] Because no 2020/21 season was held in Puerto Rico, Metropolitan FA was still the nation's reigning champion, thus qualifying the team for an expanded 2021 Caribbean Club Championship which kicked off in May 2021.^[14] In preparation for the tournament, the club played two friendly matches against San Cristóbal FC of the Primera División de Republica Dominicana at the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium in March 2021. Metropolitan FA lost the first match 0–3.^[15][16] In the second match, the Puerto Rican side earned a 1–1 draw with Hector Ramos scoring Metropolitan's first-ever goal against an international opponent.^[17]

Metropolitan opened its 2021 Caribbean Club Championship with a match against Delfines del Este FC on May 15. Metropolitan took the lead through a goal by Jorge Rivera in the 83rd minute but Delfines del Este leveled the score in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The match ended in a 1–1 draw.^[18] Two days later, Metropolitan earned its first win in international competition with a 4–0 victory over Bonaire champions SV Real Rincon. Hector Ramos opened the scoring with the eventual game-winner in the sixth minute while Jorge Rivera scored twice more.^[19] Real Rincon had previously won the bronze medal in the 2018 edition of the tournament.^[20] On the final matchday of the group stage, Delfines del Este defeated Real Rincon 10–0^[21] and jumped ahead of Metropolitan at the top of the group on goal differential. However, CONCACAF ruled that Delfines fielded six ineligible players in its match against Metropolitan. As a result, Metropolitan was awarded a win for its match against Delfines, with the Puerto Rican club moving on to the semi-finals as a result.^[22] In the semi-final match, Metropolitan and Inter Moengotapoe of Suriname played an intense, but scoreless first half. Inter Moengotapoe broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute and went on to win 3–1 with Metropolitan's goal coming from Marc Nieves in the 95th minute.^[23]

By advancing the semi-finals, Metropolitan FA secured a place in the preliminary round of the 2021 CONCACAF League,^[23] becoming the first-ever team from Puerto Rico to qualify for the tournament.^[24] On 16 June 2021 it was determined by draw that Metropolitan FA would face FC Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa of Guatemala in the Preliminary Round.^[25] In preparation for the series, the club signed former French youth international Jordan Barbara^[26] and Puerto Rican striker Ricardo Rivera.^[27]

Stadium

• Parque Reparto Metropolitano: 2015–present

Current squad

As of the March 17, 2024^[28][29]

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
12	GK	PUR	Julian Vivas
30	GK	ARG	Sebastian Uranga
1	GK	ARG	Angelo Airoldi
6	DF	PUR	Rolvin Cintron Cruz
23	DF	USA	Matias Maroni
8	MF	PUR	Marcos Martinez
32	DF	ECU	Dario Montero
64	DF	ARG	Pedro Costantini
22	DF	PUR	Izander Ortiz
17	MF	PUR	Jaime Díaz
4	DF	PUR	Sebastian Diaz
21	MF	ARG	Diego Ivan Amarilla
24	MF	MEX	Sergio Sánchez Hernández
37	MF	PUR	Zemi Folch
13	MF	PUR	George Perez
7	MF	PUR	Christian Vargas
99	FW	PUR	Hector Ramos
31	FW	PUR	Julian Terron
33	FW	PUR	Ricardo Bautista
5	FW	PUR	Luis Gabriel Figueroa
89	FW	PUR	Karlos Ferrer

|}

Records

2015–2017

Key

  Champion   Runners-up   3rd Place

Season	Puerto Rico Soccer League									Overall	Ref.
	Div.	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P
2015	Copa Excelencia	3rd	10	6	3	1	34	11	21	3rd	[2]
2016	Apertura	2nd	13	9	3	1	29	9	30	1st	[5]
	Clausura	2nd	10	8	1	1	29	11	25	1st	[5]
2017	Regular Season	3rd	9	5	2	2	18	10	17	3rd	[7]
	Playoffs	4th	1	0	0	1	1	3	N/A	4th	[7]

2018-present

Season	Liga Puerto Rico									Domestic Cup	Play-offs
	Div.	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GF	GA	P
2018/19[8]	1st	1st	21	16	3	2	52	23	51	2nd	1st
2019/20[9]		N/A	15	12	1	2	37	59	21	Not held
2020/21[30]		Cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic
2021[31]		1st	6	5	0	1	32	8	15	Not held	2nd
2022[32]		1st	14	10	3	1	51	16	33	Not held	1st

International competition

The following is a list of results for Metropolitan FA in international competitions. Metropolitan FA's scores are listed first.

Year	Tournament	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Agg.
2020	Caribbean Club Shield	Group Stage
			Santiago de Cuba	Cancelled[12]
			Scholars International
			Inter Moengotapoe
2021	Caribbean Club Championship	Group Stage	Delfines del Este		3–0[22]
			Real Rincon		4–0[33]
		Semi-finals	Inter Moengotapoe		1–3[34]
2021	CONCACAF League	Preliminary Round	Santa Lucía	1–2[35]	0–3[36]	1–5

Achievements

Puerto Rico Soccer League

• Season Champions: 2016^[3]
• Playoff Champions: 2016^[4]

Liga Puerto Rico

• Season Champions: 2018-19, 2022

Copa Luis Villarejo

• Runner-up: 2019^[8]

Copa Don Bosco

• Runner-up: 2017^[6]

References

1. "Errea Sport Set to Stay with the Metropolitan Football Academy". Errea. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
2. "Tablas de Posiciones Puerto Rico Soccer League | FutbolBoricua.net". futbolboricua.co. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
3. Jusino, Edwin. "Metropolitan se corona campeón de la tabla general y va directo a la final de la PRSL" (in Spanish). Futbol Boricua. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
4. Jusino, Edwin. "Metropolitan Football Academy es campeón de la Puerto Rico Soccer League" (in Spanish). Futbol Boricua. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
5. Schöggl, Hans; Stokkermans, Karel. "Puerto Rico 2016". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
6. Jusino, Edwin. "Cae Metropolitan ante el debutante GPS Puerto Rico en Copa Don Bosco" (in Spanish). Futbol Boricua. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
7. Stokkermans, Karel. "Puerto Rico 2017". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
8. Schöggl, Hans; Stokkermans, Karel. "Puerto Rico 2018/19". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
9. Stokkermans, Karel. "Puerto Rico 2019/20". RSSSF. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
10. Pérez, Yamaira Muñiz. "Liga Puerto Rico cancela sus torneos de fútbol" (in Spanish). elvoceer.com. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
11. Rosa Andino, Jessica. "Cancelados los Torneos de Futbol" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
12. "Update on Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield and Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship". Concacaf. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
13. Jusino, Edwin. "Con flamante fichaje el Metropolitan FA" (in Spanish). futbolboricua.co. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
14. "Update on 2021 Concacaf Caribbean Club Competitions". CONCACAF. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
15. Acevedo Diaz, Manuel. "San Cristóbal se impuso ampliamente al Metropolitan FA de Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). Manuel Acevedo Diaz. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
16. "Regresa Metropolitan a la Cancha" (in Spanish). Metropolitan FA. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
17. "Empate en la Vuelta". Metropolitan FA. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
18. "O&M start off FCCCC with a bang". Concacaf. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
19. "Metropolitan, Inter Moengo take big steps forward at FCCCC". Concacaf. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
20. "Franciscain Captures Caribbean Shield iwith 2-1 Win Over Moengotapoe". CONCACAF. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
21. "Inter Moengo earn big draw on historic night at FCCCC". Concacaf. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
22. "Concacaf Statement regarding Delfines del Este FC". Concacaf. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
23. "Inter Moengo, Cavaly AS advance to FCCCC Final". CONCACAF. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
24. "Los equipos caribeños encabezan lista de debutantes en la SCL" (in Spanish). CONCACAF. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
25. "SORTEO DETERMINA EMPAREJAMIENTOS" (in Spanish). Metropolitan FA. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
26. Jusino, Edwin. "Se refuerza el Metropolitan Football Academy con francés para la Liga CONCACAF" (in Spanish). futbolboricua.co. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
27. Velazquez, Bryant. "Ricardo Rivera De León" (in Spanish). Tercer Tiempo. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
28. "Squad List". Metropolitan FA. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
29. "Metropolitan FA Roster" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
30. "En compas de esper la FPF para reiniciar la Liga Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). Liga Puerto Rico. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
31. Stokkermans, Karel. "Puerto Rico 2021". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
32. Stokkermans, Karel. "Puerto Rico 2022". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
33. "Metropolitan FA 4 SV Real Rincon 0". CONCACAF. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
34. "Inter Moengo 3 Metropolitan FA 1". CONCACAF. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
35. "Metropolitan 1 Santa Lucia 2". CONCACAF. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
36. "Santa Lucia 3 Metropolitan 0". CONCACAF. Retrieved 25 July 2022.

External links

• Official website