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The Haitian Times
Bridging the gap
Thirty percent of the players pre-selected for Haiti’s Under-20 Concacaf World Cup qualifiers are based in Haiti, underlining the federation’s focus on local players.
CAP-HAITIEN — Thirty percent of the players on the pre-list of Haiti’s under-20 team ahead of the Concacaf 2025 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the category are based in Haiti, highlighting the federation’s renewed focus on local talents after the Haitian Soccer League resumed this year following a three-year hiatus.
“It’s a Haitian team,” said Rapha Intervil, one of the selected players plying his trade in Haiti. “I feel really happy because in the previous list, there wasn’t soccer in our country, so they only chose seven of us. This makes me very happy. If we keep it like this, next time they might even choose more of us.”
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Eighteen of the 60 players in coach Angelo Jean-Baptiste’s pre-selection are based in Haiti. The country with the second most players on the pre-list is the United States, with 15 players. The U.S. is followed by Canada and several European countries, notably France, Portugal, Belgium and Germany. Back in February, when the Haitian League was inactive, U.S.-based players were the most selected for the first phase of the World Cup qualifiers, with eight out of 21. Seven players from Haiti were called, but surprisingly, there was not a single local striker on the roster.
List of the players who made the pre-list of the last stage of the FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifiers
Jean-Baptiste will reduce his pre-list to 26 and then to 21 players before the start of the final phase of the Concacaf Under-20 Championship. Les Grenadiers will take on Mexico on July 21, before squaring up with Panama on July 24, then with Guatemala on July 27.
If qualified, Haiti will participate in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile in 2025.
Some of the players on the pre-list who are most worthy of attention are midfielder Belmar Joseph, winger Rapha Intervil and forwards Ganael Gary and Bryan Destin. Joseph was one of Haiti’s top performers in the first stage of the qualifiers, being a dominant force in the midfield and scoring the tying goal that propelled Haiti into the second stage.
At only 18, Joseph was called up to the senior team after his impressive performances in the Under-20 Concacaf qualifiers. The New Jersey native played in two games with the senior side: a friendly against French Guiana in March and a World Cup qualifier versus Barbados in
June. Joseph plays in the U.S. for Villanova University.
Intervil, also 18, was one of the top players in the Haitian League this past season, tallying the second most goals with four. The Léogâne native was a valuable asset in Real Hope Football Academy’s championship season. Unlike Joseph, Intervil has yet to play for Haiti at any age level.
Gary, 18, has yet to play for Haiti either, but he is notable because he plays for Brazilian giants São Paulo.
Meanwhile, Destin, an Inter Miami CF II player, was Haiti’s top scorer in the first stage of the qualifiers. The 18-year-old scored four goals in three games, including a hat trick against the Cayman Islands.
In that first stage of the qualifiers, Haiti defeated the Cayman Islands 4-1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 4-0 and drew with Puerto Rico 1-1.
If many players from Haiti get selected for the final list, Intervil feels there will be a strong sense of familiarity in the team.
“I know their style of play and they know mine from playing with or against them,” Intervil said. “I’m waiting for the final list to see if the coach will select me to go represent my country with him.
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Email me at onz@haitiantimes.com
Onz Chery is a Haiti correspondent for The Haitian Times. Chery started his journalism career as a City College of New York student with The Campus. He later wrote for First Touch, local soccer leagues in New York and Elite Sports New York before joining The Haitian Times in 2019.
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