Photo Credit: Progresso FC
By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Orange Walk is alive with a football fever the northern town has not experienced in decades. The town is buzzing ahead of today’s Premier League of Belize (PLB) Opening Championship Final first leg, as Progresso FC host defending champions Verdes FC at the People’s Stadium at 3:30 pm. The return leg will be played next Saturday, December 13, at the Edmund Marshalleck Stadium in Benque Viejo del Carmen.
Progresso’s Road to the Final
Progresso reached their first‑ever PLB Final after defeating Port Layola 4–2 on aggregate in the semifinals. Rene Leslie (#77) and Latrell Middleton (#7) scored in both legs, while Keydenshaay Bowen completes the attacking triumvirate that has carried Progresso all season. Together, Leslie, Middleton, and Bowen form a lethal trio that will be central to Progresso’s hopes of upsetting the champions.
Progresso Starting XI in last match against Port Layola FC – Photo Credit: Progresso FC
Orange Walk’s Football Heritage
The excitement recalls the glory days of Juventus, the powerhouse that ruled Belizean football at the end of the last century and the beginning of the current one. Competing then in the Belize Premier Football League (BPFL) — the predecessor to today’s PLB — Juventus captured four consecutive championships from 1996 to 1998, when the league staged only one season per year. They added their last title in 2005 before the team folded, leaving a void in Orange Walk’s football dominance. Today, Progresso’s rise has rekindled that passion, offering the town a chance to relive its football heritage.
Aspirations
Today, Progresso step onto the pitch not only chasing their first national title but also carrying the hopes of Orange Walk fans eager to see their region back at the summit of Belizean football.
Finals Schedule
- First Leg: Sunday, Dec 7 – 3:30 pm, People’s Stadium, Orange Walk
Entrance fee: $25
- Second Leg: Saturday, Dec 13 – Edmund Marshalleck Stadium, Benque Viejo del Carmen
Photo Credit: Progresso FC
The post Premier League of Belize: Orange Walk dreams of revival as Progresso debut in PLB Final appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Photo Credit: Progresso FC By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Orange Walk is alive with a football fever the northern town has not experienced in decades. The town is buzzing ahead of today’s Premier League of Belize (PLB) Opening Championship Final first leg, as Progresso FC host defending champions Verdes FC at the People’s Stadium at 3:30
The post Premier League of Belize: Orange Walk dreams of revival as Progresso debut in PLB Final appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
