This iteration of El Huracan Azul has already made history. For the first time ever, Puerto Rico will be present at the Concacaf Gold Cup. It is a remarkable achievement for a team that just a few years ago was ranked near the bottom of the region.

The competition will be tougher than the path through the Concacaf Nations League C that Puerto Rico took to get here, with a good Suriname side looming large in the first round of Prelims.

But it would be foolish to look past this team. Puerto Rico picked up 100% of the possible points, scoring 17 times in four games and conceding just twice, joining Saint Lucia as the only two teams in the entire CNL to have posted a perfect record during the group stage.

Ricardo Rivera found the net six times, while Isaac Angking, Joel Burgos, and Gerald Diaz struck two times apiece.

With just two goals allowed, Puerto Rico got a good performance in net from GK Joel Serrano, who made two saves in the group.

During the prior Gold Cup cycle, League C teams with those kinds of strong resumes fared well, with Guadeloupe and Guatemala both ending up in the main draw.

And the run stretches back further than the Nations League, too. El Huracan won the final two matches of their 2022 World Cup qualification campaign 2-0 over Guyana away from home and 7-0 over the Bahamas in Mayaguez.

That makes Puerto Rico one of the hottest teams in the Prelims. If they can keep the momentum going for just a little bit longer, a seat at the table with the best teams in Concacaf awaits.

The match against Suriname will take place on June 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with the victor facing the winner of Martinique and Saint Lucia for a spot in Group C.