Puerto Rico Islanders' Upcoming Match against FC Tampa Bay Has Been Postponed

Saturday's North American Soccer League (NASL) match between the Puerto Rico Islanders and FC Tampa Bay scheduled at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium has been postponed due to the anticipated torrential rains surrounding Tropical Storm Maria.

The match has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday's cancelled match would have been the fourth and final time both teams would have met throughout the regular season. In the previous head-to-head encounters, both teams have earned an identical record of 1-1-1. The only advantage the Islanders have over Tampa Bay is a 4-3 goals scored advantage.

Currently in third place and playoff bound, FC Tampa Bay is at risk of moving down a spot in the standings. Should playoff-bound FC Edmonton win on Saturday against the Atlanta Silverbacks, Tampa Bay would be demoted to fourth place where they would potentially be tied with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers who are a win away from clinching a playoff spot.

For the Orange Troop, Saturday's cancelled match could not have come at a better time. Recently nine of their players represented their countries during the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers.

As a result, the Islanders starting lineup was heavily depleted in their last two matches where they lost 2-0 to the Atlanta Silverbacks and battled the Montreal Impact to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday evening.

Despite their recent setbacks, the Islanders managed to clinch the second best record in the NASL and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Islanders' next home match will take place on Saturday, September 17th at 7:30 p.m. against the NASL Regular Season Champions Carolina RailHawks. 

NASL Standings

1. North Carolina RailHawks (17-5-3; 54pts)

2. Puerto Rico Islanders (13-6-7; 46pts)

3. FC Tampa Bay (10-8-7; 37pts)

4. FC Edmonton (10-10-6; 36pts)

5. Fort Lauderdale Strikers (8-7-10; 34pts)

6. NSC Minnesota Stars (7-10-8; 29pts).

7. Montreal Impact (6-11-8; 26pts)

8. Atlanta Silverbacks (4-18-3; 15pts)

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com ; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at [e-mail] and on Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.