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Puerto Rico FC's first game of the 2017 Caribbean Football Union Club Championship - the Caribbean's qualifying tournament for the 2017-18 CONCACAF Champions League - saw the NASL club take on Suriname's SV Transvaal.
STARTING XI PRFC vs SVT : GK Spangenberg; Culbertson, Dias, Dawson, Rudy; Kafari, Monsálvez, Doyle; Ramírez, Ramos, Gentile #SomosPR pic.twitter.com/7FAq2HPtJl
— Puerto Rico FC (@PRFootballClub) March 15, 2017
A first-half penalty converted by Hector 'Pito' Ramos was sufficient to see PRFC to the win and three points.
GOOOOAL! Pito Ramos takes a penalty shot after another foul on Ramírez and puts Puerto Rico FC on the lead in the 28'. #SomosPR #CCC2017
— Puerto Rico FC (@PRFootballClub) March 15, 2017
FINAL: Puerto Rico FC 1 - 0 S.V. Transvaal #SomosNaranja #SomosPR #CCC2017 pic.twitter.com/cncxGj3Ah1
— Puerto Rico FC (@PRFootballClub) March 15, 2017
PRFC's task is to win its four-team qualifying group and advance to the final round of the CFU Club Championship, from which the Caribbean's 2017-18 CCL qualifiers will emerge. So far, so good for the club owned by Carmelo Anthony.
Next, the team will play Jamaican club Portmore United on March 16. Portmore opened its CFU Club Championship with a 2-0 win over Cayman Islands' Scholars International. The Jamaican outfit is, on paper, the team most likely to spoil PRFC's ambition of getting out of the group stage of the tournament.
All matches are being played at PRFC's home ground, Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel.