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#2345: Haiti-USA. Post Script of a spectator (fwd)
From: Ahpaly Coradin <ahpaly@hotmail.com>
I watched the Haiti-USA game with a great sense of "moment", this being my
first time ever seeing the Haitian colors on a field. All my life, I have
rooted for the teams of other countries, most notably Brazil where I lived
for some time and learned to play. In the first few minutes of the match, I
felt the pride and passion that so many friends of mine from other countries
display regularly. Every touch of the ball by Haiti sent a small chill down
my spine. I was proud.
Unfortunately, 15 minutes into the game, reality became clear: Haiti was
playing a far superior USA team and knew that it was outclassed. The
players, with a few exceptions, were timid with the ball and gave too much
space to the Americans on defense, thus leading to a rather effortless 3-0
victory for the USA. By early in the second half, our guys looked tired and
beaten. I cannot say that the team was adequately prepared for the match.
As we go into tonight's match against Peru (another tough opponent), it's
good to put our team in perspective: Haiti's current soccer program is
really in its infant stages, with mostly home-grown players that have no
professional experience. Also, Haiti's coach has very little experience at
the top professional level. This is all going to show against teams with
serious professional leagues like the US, or teams with half their players
playing in Europe like Jamaica. I do not know how much support the team
gets from the Haitian government, but I imagine that it's very little to
none. So, it's going to take time and a lot of effort from the players to
improve by participating in tournaments like the Gold Cup. I believe that
an internationally experienced coach will also be required. But that is a
finance problem, i.e. a government problem, so it's unlikely. Nonetheless,
GO HAITI!!!!!!
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