*Viv Ayiti!
Twenty-five years after its greatest moment, when it played in the ’74 World Cup in West Germany, Haiti has resurfaced, qualifying for the Gold Cup for the first time.
The Haitians open up against the United States on Feb. 12 in Miami, where they will have strong support from the huge Haitian population in South Florida.
Here’s a look at some of the great names of Haitian soccer lore, past and present:
Johnny Descolines. Supersub came off the bench to score all three goals for Haiti in the Gold Cup playoffs รน one in each game.
Joe Gaetjens. The most famous Haitian in the history of soccer, Gaetjens scored the goal for the United States that beat England, 1-0, at the 1950 World Cup. Gaetjens, a Haitian citizen, later returned home, where he ran a dry-cleaning business. He was killed in 1964, an apparent victim of the notorious Tontons Macoutes.
Ernst Jean-Joseph. A defender on Haiti’s ’74 World Cup team, Jean-Joseph holds the dubious distinction of being the first player kicked out of a World Cup for failing a drug test. He later played in the NASL for the Chicago Sting.
Didier Menard. The New York-born keeper earned the shutout against Cuba that put Haiti into the Gold Cup finals. The former University of Central Florida star is an accomplished girls coach, leading Lake Howell (Fla.) High School to the No. 1 girls ranking nationally this past winter.
Emmanuel Sanon. Known to Haitians as “Ti Manno,” Sanon is a national hero, having scored the goal against Italy at the ’74 World Cup that ended Dino Zoff’s record 1,143-minute shutout streak and gave Haiti the temporary lead in their debut match. Sanon later played with the NASL’s San Diego Sockers and is now the Haitian national team coach.
Bernard Souillier. The Frenchman is the technical adviser to the Haitian national team program. He’s been instrumental in boosting the program. It spent two weeks at the French national training center in Clairefontaine this summer to prepare for the Gold Cup playoffs.
Guy Tardieu. The A-League and NPSL veteran is considered the most experienced Haitian player, but he’s out of the Gold Cup after suffering a serious knee injury this summer playing for Miami semipro club Haiti International.
Sebastien Vorbe. A key member of the Haitian national team, Vorbe starred at Florida International University (1996-98). He was one of many Haitian national team players on the Seleccion Haiti team that won the Copa Latina, considered the top senior tournament in the United States, this winter.
*Viv Ayiti! (“Long live Haiti!” in Creole).