COPA LATINA 2000: SELECTION HAITI DEFENDING CHAMPION COMPETES
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In red jersey, Haiti Selection (Group A) team Defending Champion of Copa Latina 99 during opening ceremony of Copa Latina 2000 at Ted Hendricks Stadium in Hialeah, Florida on January 28th, 2000. Right behind red
Haiti is Uruguay team in blue jersey uniforms. The following 32 teams (16 in group A and 16 in group B) are competing
for the (Latin Cup 2000): Selection Haiti (Defending Champion), Soccer Max, Seleccion Argentina, Sao Paulo F.C., Jamaica F.C., Team Hialeah, Team Adidas, Antioquia F.C., Colombia Kaffe' Cristal, Venezuela International F.C., Jamaica Lauderhill Lions,
Selection Unimex, Soccer Locker, Seleccion Liga Boliviana, Team Brazil Western Union, Union Haiti F.C., Seleccion Equador, Seleccion Guatemala, Soccer Mania, Olimpia, IBC Courrier, Nicaragua United, Seleccion Liga Hondurena, Sobe 2000, Uruguay Soccer
Club Sporting Pacifico, Croatia Florida, Chile Universidad Catolica, Miami Tango S.C., Estudiantes Western Union, Honduras Five Stars, Seleccion El Salvador. Union Haiti marching in team parade during Copa Latina 2000 opening ceremony in Hialeah, South Florida. 
Soccer fans: All came to watch entertaining soccer(football) for the youngs and the olds.
Friday, 1/28/2000,Ted Hendricks Stadium, Hialeah, Florida: Haiti Selection -VS- U.S.A. Soccer Max (Score: 2-0) Goals scored by #19, Jude Desinor, Haiti won.
Sunday 2/6/2000: Haiti Selection -VS- Seleccion Argentina:(Score 4-2) Haitian goals scored by #8, Sauveur Valcourt (2 goals) and # 19, Jude Desinor (2 goals), Haiti won.
Quater Final, Sunday, 2/13/2000, at Ted Hendrick Stadium, Hialeah, Florida : Haiti Selection -VS- U.S.A. Team Addidas
Haitian fan flag bearer ready for the soccer action between Haiti Selection and U.S. Team Addidas.
Standing: L-R Haitian Copa Latina Star player #8, Guy-Sauveur Valcourt and Copa Latina 2000 Haitian Coach, James Auguste.
Moment before the playing of Haiti's and USA's national anthems, line up of Haiti's team in red jersey and USA Adidas team in blue jersey.
Less talented but consistant and dicipline Team Adidas attacking the defending Champion, Haiti Selection.
Haiti led the game by 1-0, until a few minutes before the end of the game, when Team Adidas tied the game 1-1. The game was decided by overtime penality kicks, where USA Team Adidas won surprisingly over defending Champion Haiti by a score of 6-5. Thus putting a halt to the quest of a back to back Championship by the favorite team Haiti Selection. Another Championship dream postponed now for yet another dream in another year and another time.
Third place game, Sunday, 2/20/2000, at Ted Hendrick Stadium, Hialeah, Florida : IBC Peru -VS- U.S.A. Team Addidas (Score 7-1) Peru won
Uruguay drumers playing all game long.
Final game, Sunday, 2/20/2000, at Ted Hendrick Stadium, Hialeah, Florida : Uruguay -VS- Jamaica Lauderhill Lion (Score 3-0) Uruguay won. Haiti somehow was part of Uruguay victory, since Haitian born player, # 11 Serge Jean Joseph was a key defensive player for the Champion team Uruguay. Therefore the Champion of Copa Latina 2000 has a Haitian connection that we should celebrate in the spirit of humanity. It is a small world after all and Haitians are everywhere on this planet earth, in almost every country. May the sport of soccer continue to entertain and unite us all!
Haitian player, Serge Jean Joseph: Thumb up for his participation in the Uruguay Copa Latina 2000 Championship victory.
Local team Uruguay(The national team of Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930, within the country of Uruguay, by defeating Argentina by a score of 4-2.)came a long way to win Copa Latina 2000 with superb Haitian defensive help.
Note: Text and pictures were written, taken and provided by Noe Dorestant as a token of his civic contribution to help promote Haitian soccer and unity in diversity on the World Wide Web. All rights reserved 2000.
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COPA LATINA 2001: SELECTION HAITI PERFORMED POORLY
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Selection Haiti four time chapions of Copa Latina was expected to perform well at Copa Latina 2001. Unfortunaly this year the team was not up to the task and was eliminated early.
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COPA LATINA 2002: SELECTION HAITI COMPETES WITH AN IMPROVED TEAM
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Just like the Haitian National team had improved in the Gold Cup of 2002, the Haitian intenational team "Selection Haiti" appeared to have improved as well. It is only hope that they get much further in Copa Latina than they did in 2000 and 2001.
First Round, Sunday, 2/10/2002, at Ted Hendrick Stadium, Hialeah, Florida at 4:00 P.M.: Selection Haiti -VS- Guatemala (Score 2-0) Selection Haiti won
Second Round, Sunday, 2/17/2002, at Ted Hendrick Stadium at 8:00 P.M. : Selection Haiti -VS- Sao Paulo Brazil (Score 5-2) Selection Haiti won. It was a beautiful game where almost every team player of the Haitian team made an effort to give the best perfomance they could. The Haitian goal keeper although only 18 years old, gave the performance of a season player. As the last line of defense, he saved at least four goals from Brazilian attackers, that everyone thought could be goal. Some of the key players on the offense were #21 (Minerson Sineus scored 3 goals), #9 Peguero Jean Philipe, alias Pedro and #10 Jacky. Key players in the defense were #5, #6 Ricardo Champagne and # 17. The two most valuable players were # 21 Minerson and the young goal keeper of 18, which has the talent and potential to be a great goal keeper/saver for the Haitian team in many Copa Latina to come.
Haitian trio team players celebrating a goal just scored by #21 Minerson Sineus (accompanied by talented player #9 PeGuero Jean Philipe and #10 Jacky)against a well organized and disciplined Sao Paulo Brazilian local team.
Quarter Final, Sunday, 2/24/2002, at Ted Hendrick Stadium at 4:00 P.M. : Selection Haiti -VS- Uruguay S.C. (Score 4-1) Uruguay won.
Unlike the Haitian performance against the Sao Paulo Brazilian team last Sunday (according to most fans Sao Paulo Brazil was a better team than Uruguay SC and could not believe what they are seeing). Today's performance against the Uruguay team was a disapointment. Lack of discipline and inconsistance was at the root of the lost.
The Haitian team did not warm up before the game, meanwhile Uruguay did warm up for at least thirty minutes with a full team before the game (that most Haitian fans had witnessed, when everyone was asking: Kote' equipe ayitien? Coman neg yo pap choffe'?) . Some of the Haitian players arrive late on the field during the playing of the teams national anthem. For whatever the reason: lack of discipline or lack of respect and consideration for the fans (Haitians, hispanic and portuguese) who came out in large number under the 4pm bright-warm sun light to support them.
The Haitian new starting line up was in part unrecognizable, comparing to the winning one of last sunday, no where was it mos obvious than in the goal. Everyone was asking: who is this new goal keeper was and where he came from (not because he was white, but because the majority of those asking the question had never seen him before, and were expecting last sunday goal keeper.) The first goal was scored against Haiti after two minutes of play by Calcedo Riquelme, the only black hispanic player on the Uruguay starting line up. #17 Caicedo Riquelme was all over the place, running free around the Haitian defense (Samble' fefenseur ayitien yo bay misie' Caicedo gabel, li fe' trois gols tankou yon ti moun ki tap fe' lagolago nan camp ayitien an). He did whatever he pleased in the Haitian defensive area from the left corner to the middle and sometimes even the right corner and was able to score easily three goals against the unknown Haitian goalkeeper and nearly missed a fourth one, a header which hit the goal post.
During the second half there was a dramatic improvement, the young Haitian goal keeper came up as the replacement for the unknown goal keeper of the first half (everyone thought the original young Haitian goal keeper was out due to injury). Other surprise came in defense, #5 Ricardo Champagne (a key defensive)player was finally put into play, the same late start for #17 another good defensive player. All three substitutes player could have nade a world of difference for Haiti, if they had played in the first half as the starting line up. Haiti had some opportunities but could not score even when they had two free direct kicks. The only goal for Haiti was scored by Renel Pierre at the 70th minutes of play. According to an article which appeared in the Nuevo Herald, and I quote: ("Haiti es un equipo poderoso y se esparaba que opusiera mayor resistencia.")(Haiti is a powerful team and we had hoped that they would have offered better resistance.)
At about the 42nd minutes of play of the second half, a punch was thrown by one of the player (According to a Haitian player, a punch was thrown at him, for no apparent reason by A Uruguayan player, therefore he had no choice but defend himself.). As temper rose up and precious minutes were being wasted on the field, the referee tried his best to stop the two sides from getting into an all out fight. Finally the organizer of Copa Latina and some of his staff came on the field to establish order. By the time the referee got to restart the game, the ball was played for a few seconds, the referee looked up his watch and called for the end of the game, time had run out for Haiti which lost by a score of 4 to 1 and missed many opportunities to score. The Haitian fans showed their disapointment of the team surprised dismo-performance by living early in great number . But the Haitians were not the only one to display their emotional disapointment. A Hondurian fan who was rooting for Haiti at the beginning, stated that the team was playing cold and unspirited like an immature innocent team, which was acting without showing the forceful conviction and determination to win they use to display in past game. When I asked the question as to Haitian player who is currently playing for Honduras as to why the Haitian team had such a bad performance. His answer was: Maybe they did not plan nor prepare to go any further than that! Some players such as #21 (Minerson Sineus) was playing as a middle attacker, rather than a left wing attacker, where he is naturally more at ease and effective with his bursting speed. He even got pushed around by Uruguay defense #4, the few time he was attacking on the left wing, and did not even react to maintain his rightful position, rather he just moved along to play in the middle, where he would be confined by two or three defensive Uruguayan players and had no chance of scoring with his height disadvantage, since a lot of air ball pass were directed to him by his team mate, but he just was not the first one to get to them in the air. There were more comments from other spanish and portuguese speaking (Brazilian) fans, who were asking with disbelief only one question: "Que' passo con Haiti?" What happened to Haiti?. The rest is the history of a Haitian team with talents potential, that once again let its aspiration fade away and let its talents come out empty handed at a time when Haitians, Spanish and Portuguese fans were saying that Haiti had the team with speed, agility and resistance to go all the way to the final of Copa Latina. But such is not the case, we can only hope that the coach Roland Gerome, his supporting staff and the players will learn from this poor performance and poor judgement on the starting line up against Uruguay in 2002 Copa Latina. It is hoped that the Haitian team coach will make every effort and plan to play soccer the way they could and should in the future. Since past winning Haitian coah Nono Jean Baptiste and his past staff and players have proven already that Haitians can accomplish great things, once they put their mind into it and persevere with discipline, just like they did when they conquered the Copa Latina Championship in four past occasions. Haiti's achievement in Copa Latina has yet to be reached or surpassed by any other team in Copa Latina during the past ten years of competition. A Haitian Championship record that most Haitian fans are proud of despites this year underperformance from a team that all expect more. The tenth annual Copa Latina championship of 2002 shall belong to another team other than Haiti, which by the way had two teams (Haiti Masters in Group B led by certified/license Coach Arsene Isaac and technical coach Joe Papin, which unfortunately was eliminated in the first round in the game against team El salvador). In group A, Selection Haiti led by Roland Gerome, got further and was considered as one of the favorite team selected to win (according to some spanish speaking fans from South and Central America (Honduras), and portuguese speaking fans from Brazil of South America) who had seen their actions against Sao Paulo Brazil. We will soon find out the Champion that will represent exellence of the multiethnic diversity of South Florida during the final game on Sunday, March 3rd, 2002 at Ted Hendricks stadium in Hialeah, Florida. Semi-Final Group A, Friday, 3/1/2002, at Ted Hendricks Stadium: Uruguay SC -VS- IBC-Peru (Score 2-1 Uruguay won) Semi-Final Group B, Friday, 3/1/2002, at Ted Hendricks Stadium: Team Hialeah SC -VS- C.D. Cortez (Score 3-1 Team Hialeah won) Third place, Sunday, 3/3/2002, at Ted Hendricks Stadium: IBC-Peru -VS- C.D. Cortez Honduras (Score 2-1). team Peru started with only ten players with no substitute players on the bench. They score the first goal on a penality kick after 12 minutes of play. Honduras also scored on a penality kick after 44 minutes of play. Peru goal keeper will score the last goal toward the end of the game on a direct free kick penality. IBC-PERU won third place with the work of a great veteran goal keeper and only 8 remaining players( key player Jojo Macheti Ferari was ejected with a red card for rude/unecessary naty play toward the end of second half.) who played a heroic game of endurance. Final, Sunday, 3/3/2002, at Ted Hendricks Stadium in Hialeah, Florida: Winner of group A, S.C. Uruguay -VS- Winner of Group B, Team Hialeah (Score 2-1) Team Hialeah won the Tenth anniversary Championship of Copa Latina 2002 with a team made mainly of hard working Argentinian players, who gave all they had for 90 minutes. The Ecuadorian tried very hard with some superb attacks in the second half and could only score one goal by penality kicks. Team Hialeah had two beautiful goals, one was a beautiful header after a long lateral pass, the second was an unatackable low super fast precise kick to the extreme left edge of the net, that the goal keeper could only register the passage with no real time to even dive after it. Team Hialeah won COPA LATINA fair square under the leadership of hard working coach Mutlo Aspen and assistant Coach Aldo Oyarzun.
Team Hialeah Champion of Copa Latina 2002 will play in Haiti's Cup 2002 which is due to start on Saturday, March 9th at 151 street in FIU Stadium in North Miami. Team Hialeah well deserved Champion of Copa Latina 2002. They earned it the old fashion way. ********************************************************************** COPA LATINA 2003: SELECTION HAITI COMPETES UNIMPRESSIVELY WITH NO HAITIAN MUSIC TO ENTERTAIN THE FANS ????**********************************************************************************????
Once again the Copa Latina 21st century competition seems not to be any competition where Haitian team can say that they can score and win, despite the apparent talent and speed of the Haitian players, who seem to be lacking the ability of putting together any well thoughtout technical/tactical plan to win any game so far without the assistance of any standing hard working coach who will have to shout of the top of his lung direction to every player as it was witnessed with the exeptional effort of the Coach of the Haitian Young Stars team during the game against Cortez Honduras. The Team lost during over time penality and the coach could not help those two players who missed their mak, one by shooting in the hand of the goal keepper and the second by kicking into the second goal post. A brilliant effort by Haiti junior to overcome the first half deficit of 2-0 to even the match and almost won the game if only they had sored when the opportunities could have been theirs.
The eleventh annual Copa Latina championship of 2003 shall again belong to another team other than Haiti, which by the way had two teams: (Haiti Young Stars eliminated by Cortez Honduras during penality kick (4-2) after a 2-2 score during the 90 minutes regulation time). The other Team Haiti selection also lost the same Sunday evening of Februrary 16th against the not so famous Socker Locker team, despite the presence of talented International Haitian players such as Sebastien Vorbes and many others. They lost to a Soccer Locker team that they dominated during the entire first half, missing every opportunity to score. It seems that they were shooting high to score on American Football net rather than low soccer ball going for the lower net. Most of the ball of the Haitian attackers seems to have headed for the branches of the trees located on the other yard behind the US Soccer Locker goal keeper net. A strange penality was granted to Socker Locker, the Haitian goal keeper never move an inch when the ball was kicked and that would be all that was needed to put away the Haitian Selection team from Copa Latina 2003. Adios Haiti con lagrimas de sus fanaticos! Haiti go home shouted a Honduras Cortez fan, as if the Haitian teams were no longer welcome because of their poor performance. Past achievements of former Haitian champions no longer counts, it is the present which counts.
This is the first time that both teams representing the Haitian community in South Florida, which came by the hundreds in support were humiliated as they watch two of their teams eliminated the same day of February 16th, 2003 so early in the competition, only the second round.
It seems that the Haitian coaches if they want to compete and win in 2004 will definitely have to go back to the elementary basic of the game of soccer/football/ballonpie' such as: shooting straight at a football net, not away from a football net. Instill into the player value that the purpose of the game is to win not to show off. Finally if you want to win you must score and do not get scored on, if you can avoid it.
Another humiliation for the Haitian soccer community in Copa Latina soccer field Ted Hendrix stadium, where they only play Spanish music despite the presence of Haitian announcer like Clifford Laguerre in the game announcing booth or other Haitian radio personality in the audience who should have used this opportunity to promote Haitian music and exchange culture with other ethic group present.
When will we hear again Haitian music beeing played in the background in any Copa Latina competition? Perharps when Haitian team get to be in the final again or should haitian fans bring again their own drums, chahcha and bambou or Haitian Kompa Carnival/Mardigras music cd?. Until then no one is impressed by the result so far nor the entertainement since Haiti won Copa Latina in 1999 with Nono Jean Baptiste and more talented/discipline players, it has been downhill ever since. Haitian can and should do better than what they have been offering to the Haitian and Spanish public in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. The talents are there, but much more needs to be done to make of these Haitian talents winners in 2004. Haitian Young Stars and Haitian Selection teams will have to train hard on scoring if they do not wish to be humiliated during what suppose to be the year of the celebration of Haiti 200 years of independence and over 100 years of soccer playing tradition.
COPA LATINA South Florida Multiethnic diversity Soccer CUP
Note: Text and pictures were written, taken and provided by Noe Dorestant as a token of his civic contribution to help promote Haitian soccer and unity in multiethnic diversity on the World Wide Web. All rights reserved 200-2003.
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Haitian perspective