19328: (Hermantin)Miami-Herald-With worried eyes on home, soccer team seeks to inspire (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Fri, Feb. 27, 2004

HAITIANS IN SOUTH FLORIDA


With worried eyes on home, soccer team seeks to inspire

The violence in Haiti adds dimension to the Haitian national team's desire
to advance to the World Cup. They know their country needs something to
celebrate.

By MICHELLE KAUFMAN

mkaufman@herald.com


Eight hundred miles from the rebellion that is tearing their nation apart,
in a nondescript hotel on the corner of Commercial Boulevard and Powerline
Road, the Haitian national soccer team tries to relax and focus on its World
Cup quest. But it isn't easy.

The Haitian insurgency is the lead story on CNN, players debate the pros and
cons of Jean-Bertrand Aristide over breakfast, and ears are permanently
affixed to cellphones, which is how 22-year-old midfielder Peter Germain
found out last week that his house in St. Marc was burned to the ground.

''My daddy called me to tell me the news, and I felt so, so bad in this
moment,'' Germain said. ``My mother and brother escaped without harm, but we
lost everything. I cannot even watch the television these days because it is
too hard for me to see Haiti like this. So, I think only of soccer and hope
we can qualify for the 2006 World Cup and bring happiness to our people.''

`OUR MISSION'

The Haitian team has been based in South Florida for a few months, bouncing
from hotel to hotel and training at the Lauderhill Sports Complex and Mills
Pond Park. Money has stopped coming from Port-au-Prince, so bills --
totaling about $2,000 per day -- are left unpaid all over town. Their coach,
Uruguayan native and former U.S. national team defender Fernando Clavijo,
hasn't been paid in some time. But the team's dream of being among the 32
nations at the World Cup lives on.

''The only thing positive and moving forward for Haiti is this team,'' said
Joshua Mayard, a defender. ``If we can advance to the World Cup, for at
least one day, everyone in Haiti will forget politics and party together.
This is our mission.''

The team got a huge boost last week when Miami-based Caribbean American
Corporate Services signed on to become the official sponsor. Tuesday
afternoon, players moved out of the Fort Lauderdale North Hotel and into
CACS-sponsored homes in Miami Gardens and Miami Shores. Four to six players
will live in each house, and a cook will be provided to prepare Haitian
cuisine.

''Our objective is to provide the necessary support the players need to
reach their full potential, to boost their energy and morale and give them
an environment that is conducive to success,'' said Linda Cesar, public
relations director for Sportica, the subsidiary of CACS that is handling the
Haitian team.

''If CACS hadn't stepped to the plate, I can safely say we would have no
team anymore,'' Clavijo said. ``I don't see any help coming from Haiti right
now, and we've got 25 guys and coaches to take care of. It has been a big
distraction, and though we have the athletic ability to advance, we can't do
it living out of backpacks.

``If things get settled, and we get some help, this team could make a lot of
people happy. It is what keeps me coaching, the chance to help these players
overcome huge obstacles.''

MATCH AGAINST U.S.

The Haitian team is trying to become the first from its country since 1974
to advance to the World Cup. It demolished Turks and Caicos, 5-0 and 2-0, in
two qualifying matches in Miami last week. Next up is Jamaica in June, and
the Haitians are preparing with several exhibition matches, including one
Sunday in Nicaragua and a much-anticipated March 13 matchup against the
United States at the Orange Bowl. The last time Haiti and the U.S. played
there, 48,000 fans showed up.

For now, the players' minds keep wandering back to Haiti, where rebels are
threatening to attack Port-au-Prince.

Four married players flew back to Haiti on Sunday to be with their families,
and a few others are seeking to extend visas to do the same.

''Everyone is homesick,'' Mayard said. ``Imagine not being able to
communicate with family and wondering if they are safe. It has been very
hard. And the guys who go back worry they'll get stuck there.''

The Haitian women's team, which was based in Orlando and is on its way to
Costa Rica for an Olympic qualifying game, also has been affected. Badio
Fritzca, a member of the women's team, has not been able to reach her
relatives since Feb. 4.

''I try not to worry because if something bad happened I would have heard,
but it is difficult,'' she said. ``What motivates us and keeps us going is
the chance to offer something positive to our country. If the men qualify
for the World Cup, or we qualify for the Olympics, this would be a glorious
time for our country, which needs something positive.''

`THE BEST PRESENT'

Players from the men's and women's teams milled around the hotel parking lot
Tuesday, ears to cellphones. It is difficult to get through to Haiti these
days, so sometimes it takes 20 or 30 tries. David Saincius finally got
through to his sister and was relieved to find out everyone in the family
was healthy and out of harm's way.

Midfielder Turlien Romulos comes from Leogane, a quiet town that has not yet
been affected by the strife. But he still worries for friends and for the
families of his teammates.

''The best present we can give to the suffering people of Haiti is a winning
team, something for them to cheer about,'' he said. ``If we can do that,
other problems will seem a little smaller.''

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