Armada FC’s Haitian Duo Is At Home On International Stage

Anyone seeking evidence that life is unfair need only consider the plight of Haiti and its more than 10 million people. Calamities both natural and man-made have for decades, if not centuries, beset the Caribbean nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.

An earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010, killed several hundred thousand people (estimates range from 100,000 to more than 300,000) and devastated parts of a country that is already the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.

More recently, President Michel Martelly, a pop star known as Sweet Micky, left his post after five years in office amid a disputed election without a successor in sight. Two runoff elections, one in October and one in December, were each postponed amid protests and outbreaks of violence.

From this maelstrom, a truly uplifting event occurred on Jan. 10 when Pascal Millien of the NASL’s Jacksonville Armada FC scored the goal against Trinidad and Tobago that sent Haiti to the Copa América Centenario tournament, which will be played in the United States in June. The draw for the tournament, which also includes the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama (which won a playoff over, 4-0, against Cuba), and Jamaica from the CONCACAF region, will be held in New York on Feb. 21.

“I don’t have enough words to describe what it means for Haiti to qualify for the Copa,” said Millien, who moved to Florida as a teenager. “When I was growing up in Haiti, the tournament was something I used to watch on TV. Everyone was rooting for Brazil or Argentina. Now, we might get to play them. To see my country qualify for Copa América means the world to me and the nation, especially with what’s going on now with the politics.”

Against Trinidad & Tobago, in a match played on neutral ground, in Panama, Millien entered the match as a second-half substitute. In the 83rd minute he whipped in a cross that eluded every Haitian in the penalty area, and was out of the reach of the leg of Kervens Belfort, though it may have been tipped ever-so slightly. The ball, however, bounced past Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams and into the net.

“This is a dream come true,” said Mechack Jérôme, a teammate of Millien’s on the national team and in Jacksonville. “We fought for this. It’s a huge, huge thing. When we go back to Haiti and see all the poor people it helps to push us in every practice, every game. We see how hard it is for the people in my country. That is motivation for us to do better.”

Millien, who scored six goals and had four assists during Jacksonville’s inaugural season in the NASL, is back with the club as it prepares for the 2016 season under the club’s new coach, Tony Meola.

“We have a different mentality this year,” he said. “Last year we were an attacking team, but so far the coaches are focused on being organized at the back. We have a new coaching staff, new players, more experience. The coaching staff is focusing on every single area. We’ve been training for two weeks already. We have everything here to compete.”

But before Haiti, Millien and Jérôme play in the Copa in the United States, there is the pressing matter of keeping the Les Grenadiers’ hopes alive in World Cup qualifying. After two opening losses in Group B, both by 1-0 scores, in the fourth round of regional play, Haiti faces pivotal home-and-home games (March 25 and March 29) against Panama, the nation it defeated in the Copa playoff last month. Anything less than a two-game sweep would imperil Haiti’s chances of advancing to the Hexagonal and, beyond, qualifying for its first World Cup since 1974.

“We approach those two games as all or nothing,” Millien said. “We cannot be focused on the Copa right now. We are hoping for luck going forward against Panama. We all know how important these games are. We know our mission: To get six points and see how the rest goes. We have a close group, and we’re not worried about the Copa. We’re worried about these six points and Panama.”