Cruz Azul advanced to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League after penalties thanks to goals in normal time from Pablo Zeballos and Javier Orozco, though Puerto Rico stuck back in extra time through Sandi Gbandi it wasn't enough as Orozco found the net again.

In truth Puerto Rico never looked like winning the match as they started from the offset in a defensive formation with Addlery isolated and almost helpless at the top of a 5-4-1 formation.

Cruz Azul started the match in a high gear and never let off as the were determined to kick the door in. That task got a bit tougher early on as the Cementaros had Cristian Riveros sent off though replays revealed it was harsh as Islanders keeper Bill Gaudette made an incredible show of it and was able to fool the referee.

The first goal was well struck at the edge of the box by Zaballos but should have really been blocked by defender John Krause who found himself in no man's land.

Puerto Rico seemed deflated by the goal and nearly conceded again several times, in fact Gaudette would finish the match having made sixteen saves from twenty Cruz Azul shots.

The second goal was born from a comedy errors as several Islanders defenders missed assignments allowing Javier Orozco a clean strike on goal, Bill Gaudette left with no chance.

At the start of extra time Puerto Rico made a rare venture forward and found the net through Sandi Gbandi's thirty yard bomb.

But again Puerto Rico's defense would breakdown after a long ball and some lovely skill it was again Orozco who supplied the last touch to make it 3-1. Unlike Europe, away goals in extra time do not carry extra weight so it was on to penalties and Cruz Azul moved on after two Puerto Rico misses.

The Islanders will now look to the USL season which starts this week, and down the road to the CFU Champions Cup in which they're in the semifinals. As for Cruz Azul they'll play the winner of Santos Laguna - Atlante in the final.

Gbandi 5, Addlery 37 (PRI)

There is still magic in the glass slipper. Puerto Rico made sure to take a 2-0 advantage on to the Estadio Azul on April 7th with first half goals from Liberian Sandi Gbandi and Jamaican Nicholas Addlery at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium.

Puerto Rico struck early with a rare well worked move in a match that proved very scrappy for the most part. Lovely interplay led to Josh Hansen playing a beautifully weighted ball to Gbandi in the box, Gbandi applied a textbook finish to put the hosts ahead with barely five minutes gone. The goal certainly delivered a shock to the Mexicans system.

Later in the first half Addlery would make it 2-0 as he got his foot on a well-placed Gbandi freekick to poke the ball around the goalkeeper.

Puerto Rico had a real shout for a penalty turned down in the second half as Hansen was seemingly hauled down in the area, the replays did show contact with the man and not the ball. Cruz Azul will count themselves extremely lucky as 3-0 would have been crushing.

The cementeros were not without chances though but they often found themselves denied by Puerto Rico custodian Bill Gaudette, the rugged former Brooklyn and Columbus goalkeeper making several fine saves despite nursing a shoulder injury he received in a second half collision.

Cruz Azul tempers came to a boil in stoppage time as Puerto Rico seemed more than content to waste time in the corner. No fewer than three players from the Mexican side were booked after falling victim to mind games from Trinidad and Tobago international Kendall Jagdeosingh.

Puerto Rico will go to the altitude of Mexico City with a 2-0 advantage, proud to not concede an away goal, but they will have to be very mindful of Montreal's quarterfinal collapse in Torreon.

Man of the Match: Bill Gaudette (GK), Puerto Rico on 90 minutes.

Att: 12,751 (of 12,500 seats).

Puerto Rico Islanders v Cruz Azul - CONCACAF CL SF1 Preview

Bayamón isn't Montreal, so the Islanders aren't generating the press that the Impact did, but their story is an amazing one nonetheless. In the month of March Madness the ultimate Cinderella steps onto the ballroom floor once again at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium.

The Islanders have turned their converted baseball stadium, now the Mecca of Puerto Rican football, into a fortress. In this edition of the competion the Islanders have only lost at La Islandera, conceding a late goal to Guatemalans Municipal, and have claimed the scalps of giants Alajuelense and Santos Laguna.

It's hard to explain how the Islanders have made it this far, but it's easy to see how deserving they are. Colin Clarke's charges have contested every ball in the Champions League and have never taken their eyes off the task at hand. Many have theorized that their British long ball style has left Latin defenses confused, and it has played a role, but they've also outworked opponents in every department.

Meanwhile opponents Cruz Azul have not made an impressive start to their Clausura campaign. After 10 matches the eight-time Mexican champions sit 12th in the overall classification. In the Champions League the cementaros have been solid in defense, and that may bode well for them against the Islanders.

It will be interesting to see how the match plays out. Having already claimed one win at home against Mexican opposition, Puerto Rico will be looking to do the same as they expect to sell their stadium beyond it's 12,500-seat capacity for what is surely the biggest match in the club's young history. Cruz Azul will look to find some form as the search for their first title since 1997.