24420: Hermantin(News)Haiti teams will meet in semis (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>



COPA LATINA
Haiti teams will meet in semis
Five-time champion Haiti Seleccion will face upstart Haiti Young Stars in
tonight's second semifinal match.
BY SANTOS A. PEREZ
sperez@herald.com

Anticipation began as soon as Seleccion Haiti escaped its quarterfinal match
with a penalty-kick victory. Talk since has intensified about a showdown
between the perennial tournament favorite and emerging upstart.

Although recognized for fielding diverse nationalities among its 32-team
field, Copa Latina never featured such an important game featuring two
Haitian-based squads. That ends tonight, when defending champion Seleccion
Haiti faces Haiti Young Stars in a semifinal match at Ted Hendricks Stadium.

''There is a lot of pride at stake, and people are very happy two Haitian
teams have reached this far,'' Haiti Young Stars coach Patrick Fabre said.
``We are also very happy to be in this position.''

Young Stars failed to advance past the second round in its first two Copa
Latina appearances. This year, the team has dominated its side of the draw,
including a 4-2 quarterfinal victory against USA Soccer last Sunday.

''Technically, I believe we are one of the best teams in the tournament,''
Fabre said. ``The first two years, we've had some unfortunate luck go
against us. This year, we've worked hard to reach where we are.''

In the team's practice sessions earlier in the week, Fabre emphasized to his
players about not succumbing to the hype leading to the Seleccion Haiti
match. Haiti will be seeking its sixth Copa Latina championship.

'The mental preparation is very important so I tried to keep the players'
attention on game preparation and not the attention surrounding it,'' Fabre
said. ``It is not easy because everyone is talking about the game.

``But they are focused and prepared. Haiti knows how to play in these types
of games. You are talking about the greatest team in the history of this
tournament.''

First-year Seleccion Haiti coach Billy Salvador also acknowledges the
match's impact on a community passionate for its soccer.

''It's going to be like big brother playing little brother,'' Salvador said.
``People are going to be treated to an exciting game.''

The Seleccion-Haiti/Haiti Young Stars match is the second of tonight's
semifinals. Previous Copa Latina champions Uruguay S.C. and C.D. Cortez will
play in the first semifinal game at 7.