Sunday April 23, 2006
             The Atlanta Silverbacks Men drew 1-1 with the Puerto Rico Islanders this afternoon in the final match of the two-game road trip to the Caribbean. The rain that pounded the island all weekend let up for the 5:00 pm match, but left the playing field muddy and slippery.
          Both teams had chances on goal, but the game remained scoreless until the second half. The Islanders got on the board first with a goal in the 59th minute. The Silverbacks were in Puerto Rico’s final third when an Islander defender headed the ball out of the box and the Islanders were off and running towards the Silverbacks’ goal. The Islanders’ advantage in numbers during the transitional attack created an opportunity and Puerto Rico’s Petter Villegas-Espana put the ball in the net.
          The Silverbacks continued to pressure the Islanders with dangerous chances on goal. Atlanta’s goal came during one of those extensive periods of challenging Puerto Rico’s defense. The Islanders came up with another clearance out of the box, but Antonio De La Torre was able to gather the ball and send it back across the face of the goal, where Liam George flicked the ball in for the Silverbacks - tying the game in the 89th minute. The referee allowed five minutes of stoppage time which saw both teams get corner kick opportunities and fight for the win. Despite the valiant effort, neither team was able to finish another goal.
           Head Coach Jason Smith commented on the tie, “On Friday we played a good second half, today we played well for both halves. Being down a goal isn’t easy and  I’m quite happy we were able to come back and tie the game. Although again, we had lots of chances we weren’t able to finish. Overall it was an improvement from Friday’s game but it’s still not where we want to be at this point.” 
           The Silverbacks finished the match with five shots on goal and six corner kick opportunities. Silverbacks’ goalkeepers, Felipe Quintero, joined the Silverbacks in Puerto Rico for the second match; he played the entire match and recorded two saves. Click here for the official USL match report.
           The Silverbacks will return to Atlanta to train for the week in preparation of their next match against the Virginia Beach Mariners on Fri., May 5 at 8:00 in Virginia. The team opens the home season and the new stadium on Sat., June 3 against the Charleston Battery. Tickets are on sale now, call 1-866-GO-BACKS for more information.