A Love Letter to Haiti

There are still two games left to play in the 2019 Gold Cup, but unless Jamaica manages to knock off the United States and Mexico back to back, this tournament has already been written into the history books as "The Haiti Tournament." Curaçao had great moments, Jamaica have looked very strong again (and could still win it all at the time of writing this), but Haiti were just everywhere in this cup.

From the very first game of the group stage eyes were on the Haitians who fell behind to Bermuda in the first half and looked to have their entire tournament going up in flames immediately. Les Grenadiers responded by dominating Bermuda so badly in the second half that 5-1 would have felt like a fair result, though they only actually scored twice. One of those goals came on a trick play free kick, and they attempted another that nearly resulted in a goal later on.

In the latest installment of their newfound rivalry with Nicaragua, they claimed superiority in a comfortable 2-0 victory that left nemesis Juan Barrera powerless against them. It was a big moment that officially solidified them as the better side, and that gap would only prove to increase as the tournament progressed.

In the final group game, in front of a large contingent of Haitian fans in New Jersey, they once again came back from 1-0 down to stun Costa Rica and claim all nine points in Group B, avoiding Mexico for the time being. The win was the first proof Haiti gave that they are here to compete and have moved into that Jamaica tier level of Gold Cup contender.

Now I, like many, thought Haiti was a pretty good team coming into this tournament. They were the very best team in qualifying, which unofficially meant they were the 7th best team in the region. It wasn't inconceivable coming in that they would miss out on the knockout stage to Nicaragua, but they were definitely clear favorites for that 2nd place spot. The win against Costa Rica surprised us all, some more than others, but I don't think many people outside of the Haiti camp and supporters thought they could get nine points in this group.

But what the win meant was that Mexico was avoided for the time being, and Canada was a very winnable game for Les Grenadiers. Anyone who watched them against Costa Rica knew that. When they fell behind 1-0, things looked a little shaky. When Canada doubled the lead it felt like the run had come to an end.

As we all know, Haiti responded with a legendary second half and outplayed Canada up and down the field to fire back three goals, winning the match and punching a semifinal ticket without even needing extra time to complete the comeback. The third goal will go down in CONCACAF lore as one of the greatest moments in the history of the competition.



By the time the Mexico game rolled around I was even more of a believer than I was when this tournament started. We all were. Mexico fans were confident but most didn't treat it as a free win. Haiti was going to play a damn good game. They fought hard for 90 minutes to take CONCACAF's most dominant team into extra time, where they fell victim to a very soft penalty that put them behind 1-0. That would be the score after 120 minutes, with Mikaël Cantave's thunderbolt from just beyond the 18 slamming off the crossbar in the 119th minute. If that ball went in I think I would have broken my TV in excitement.

Haiti were SO close to the final. SO close to beating Costa Rica, Canada, and Mexico back to back to back. Who knows what they would have done against Jamaica/the US but the momentum would have been undeniable. What does the future hold for this team? They'll be looking to make noise in Nations League A in a group with Costa Rica and Curaçao, and beyond that surely they've announced themselves as Hex contenders for World Cup qualifying.

We love you, Haiti. You've made this Gold Cup special and gave us a lot of unforgettable moments. You were crafty, skillful, high energy, and most importantly, fun. The world needs more teams like Les Grenadiers and we are all looking forward to what you do next.