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Bad Bunny set to bring US soccer back to Puerto Rico

A deal to take a USL franchise to Bayamón has reportedly been agreed, with MLB icon Yadier Molina also involved as an investment.

Bad Bunny set to invest in US soccer league
Harry HowGetty Images

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny is reportedly set to invest in a new soccer team, potentially bringing the United Soccer League (USL) to his homeland.

Soccer journalist Arnaldo Marrero reports that an agreement is in place to create a new professional soccer team in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The 24,000-capacity Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel has been forwarded as a home stadium for the new team and the club may have backing from some prominent Puerto Rican stars.

The report adds that Bad Bunny and MLB icon Yadier Molina could become investors in the project. Bad Bunny’s potential involvement in the new team is a more recent development but his label Rimas could also join as investors.

Rimas and Bad Bunny will reportedly contribute approximately $2.5 million to get the new club up and running, while Rimas could act as the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor.

Bad Bunny recently released his latest album, ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’, and is preparing for his 2025 concert residency in Puerto Rico. The 30-year-old is no stranger to the world of soccer and teamed up with Lionel Messi last year to released a collaborative collection with Adidas, including a new colourway of the F50 boot worn by the Argentina star.

Is there a USL team in Puerto Rico?

Currently, no. There have been numerous attempts to introduce a Puerto Rican team to a league system on the United States’ mainland but those efforts have not been successful.

Puerto Rican teams Puerto Rico United, River Plate Puerto Rico and Sevilla Puerto Rico were included in the initial lineup of the USL when it was first introduced in 2011. They were due to compete in the Caribbean Division alongside teams from Antigua and Barbuda, but it was short-lived. The three Puerto Rican representatives ran into financial difficulties almost immediately and were unable to see out the first season, forcing a major restructuring of the league.

Before that, Puerto Rico Islanders were founded in 2003 and played in a number of different leagues. They were most notably a part of the second-tier North American Soccer League (NASL). They lasted for nine years but were forced to suspend operations in 2012 after failing to secure adequate funding. There would be major challenges to reintroducing a Puerto Rican club to the US soccer leagues but with greater nationwide interest in soccer - and some big-name investors - a new team has a better chance of surviving than ever before.

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