Ydrach Reflects on his World Cup Journey

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USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Ydrach Reflects on his World Cup Journey

June 18, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release


Beto Ydrach has been an influential contributor in his first season with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, but the past few weeks, he has been far away from Pittsburgh.

The center back, who just turned 24 in May, was away with the Puerto Rico National Team for two weeks trying to help the island nation advance to the final stage of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. And though the bid by El Huracán Azul - The Blue Hurricane, as the team is nicknamed - fell agonizingly short, it was a learning experience for Ydrach and one he hopes to build from personally and in his future with Puerto Rico.

His three-match stint with Puerto Rico began with a friendly match in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where they played to a 1-1 draw with Nicaragua, another nation prepping for crucial qualifying matches in the CONCACAF region.

"It's always good to get back with the national team. It's always an honor to represent my island. But it was a long two weeks," Ydrach said. "It started with the friendly, and (the Riverhounds) had just played in Rhode Island, so I went from Rhode Island to Pittsburgh and right back to Rhode Island, so that was perfect."

That was only a short first leg of Ydrach's travels, however. The next destination was more than 2,500 miles away in South America, where the team faced group-leading Suriname in Paramaribo, the capital of the former Dutch colony and smallest independent country in South America. Despite a resilient effort to get a result on the road, Puerto Rico was beaten 1-0 on a 79th minute goal that stacked the odds against them in the final week of qualifying.

That last match came at home for Puerto Rico against another Caribbean nation, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Needing a win and a loss by El Salvador - who were hosting Suriname - to advance, Puerto Rico handled its end of the deal with a 2-1 victory. Unfortunately, El Salvador managed to hang on for a 1-1 draw, allowing them to finish one point ahead of Puerto Rico to take second place and the last spot in the next round.

"Unfortunately, in Suriname, we gave up a goal that we don't think we should have, and it ended 1-nil and ultimately cost us. ... We didn't move on to the next round, but I think we can hold our heads up high. We played with all of our heart," Ydrach said. "Once our game (against St. Vincent) ended, we were checking the score of the other game, but you could just see the last two minutes weren't going anywhere. We kind of knew our fate, but we can't do anything but be proud of ourselves that we gave it our all."

Even though it is a United States territory, Puerto Rico fields its own national teams, in the same way nations such as Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and many Caribbean and Pacific island territories have their own teams. But one thing Puerto Rico has in common with the rest of the U.S. is a divided sports market.

Just as soccer in the 50 states has to compete with the popularity of football and other sports, Puerto Rico historically has been a nation known more for baseball and basketball. But Ydrach and the current group are trying to bring soccer to the forefront.

They are making progress, as evidenced by winning promotion from the C Division to the B Division in the 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League. And while this World Cup qualifying campaign came up short of the final round, the team has a new Nations League and the start of qualification for the 2027 Gold Cup to look forward to in the coming year.

"We like to think that our team is very young, so we'd like to use this as experience for us in the long run. We're getting closer and closer to our goals, but we've fallen one step short. So, we hope this can be a stepping stone in terms of experience for the guys. I'm one of the older guys, and I'm only 24 years old, so hopefully through the next cycle, we grow up a little bit, become bigger men and get the job done."

Beto Ydrach has appeared for the Hounds in every league match when has been available, and he leads the team's first-year pros in minutes played. (Photo: Ryan Shaffer/Riverhounds SC)

For now, Ydrach's focus is back to getting the job done with the Hounds.

He rejoined the team last Thursday and made the trip for last Saturday's match at Indy Eleven, where he was named to the bench. There would be little rest for weary legs, however, as Ydrach was called into action after only 27 minutes when Illal Osumanu picked up an injury and had to be substituted.

Having played in all three matches and all 180 minutes of the two qualifiers, Ydrach eclipsed the 300-minute mark in a two-week span. With that - and racking up his fair share of frequent flyer miles - Ydrach is happy to be back in Pittsburgh for a full week and preparing for a home match Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

"I slept amazing on Sunday," he said with a laugh. "You've always got to be ready. You never know what's going to happen, and then Illal goes down. Mentally, I was ready. Physically - it's a long season, so everyone's going through it - I just had maybe a little more of toll on my legs. But nothing too serious, and I'm glad to be back in Pittsburgh."

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