by Jean-Pierre Thiesset (1/7/23)
Above: Haiti celebrate their first-ever qualification for the World Cup after coming through the inter-continental play-offs in New Zealand earlier this year. Photo: Batcheba Louis Twitter.
Haiti, nicknamed ‘Les Grenadières’ (The Pomegranates) have qualified for their first-ever World Cup. Ranked by FIFA at 53 in the world, they are one of the rank outsiders but will be going all out to create memories of a lifetime.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Gabrielle Emilien (Ottawa Gee-Gees, Canada), Kerly Theus (FC Miami City, USA).
Defenders: Kethna Louis (Reims, France), Chelsea Surpris (Grenoble, France), Claire Constant (S.C.U. Torreense, Portugal), Ruthny Mathurin (Ragin Cajuns Soccer, USA), Milan Pierre-Jérôme (George Washington University, USA), Betina Petit-Frère (Brest, France), Tabita Joseph (Brest, France).
Midfielders: Jennyfer Limage (Grenoble, France), Sherly Jeudy (Grenoble, France), Danielle Etienne (Fordham Rams, USA), Noa Ganthier (Weston Fury, USA), Maudeline Moryl (Grenoble, France), Melchie Dumornay (Olympique Lyonnais, France), Dayana Pierre-Louis (Issy, France), Deborah Bien-Aimé (Florida International University, USA).
Forwards: Roselord Borgella (Dijon, France), Batcheba Louis (Fleury, France), Roseline Eloissaint (Nantes, France), Nérilia Mondésir (Montpellier, France), Shwendesky Joseph (Zénit Saint-Pétersbourg, Russia), Darlina Joseph (Grenoble, France).
Head Coach
Nicolas Delépine, born in Nantes, France, is 44-years-old, and became Haiti’s head coach in 2022. He combines the role with being head coach of Grenoble Foot 38, who play in the second tier of French football.
World Cup History
Haiti are making their Women’s World Cup debut.
How they qualified:
Haiti earned their place at the inter-continental Play-Off Tournament, which was held in Aotearoa New Zealand by finishing third in Group A at the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s Championship. In Auckland, “Les Grenadières” defeated Senegal 4-0 in their semi-final, before qualifying by defeating the fancied Chile side 2-1 in the final to book their slot in Australia & New Zealand 2023.
Strengths:
Fourteen of Haiti’s players play in D1 and D2 in France. They have a strong team spirit and will fight together to prove that they deserve their place in this World Cup.
Development Areas:
Most of Haiti’s players lack international tournament experience. They are an exceptionally young squad additionally.
Key Players
Nérilia Mondésir – forward and team captain. At 24 years of age, Mondésir has already built up a significant amount of experience. She represented Haiti at every age group (U-15, U-17, and U-20). In 2017, Mondésir became the first Haitian female to play in France at Montpellier. She played 94 matches with Montpellier and scored 12 goals.
Ketha Louis – defender. 27 years old, has played in France since 2018 with spells at Issy (2018-2019), Le Havre (2019-2021), Reims (2021-2023), and Montpellier next season. In France, she has played 74 matches and scored 16 goals. Louis usually plays left back with Haiti squad but can also play right-hand forward, a position that she even says she prefers.
One to watch
Melchie Daëlle Dumornay – midfielder. Despite being only 19, Dumornay is one of the team’s key components. The Reims midfielder will head to the World Cup brimming with confidence, having recently signed a contract with Olympique Lyonnais in France. In two seasons with Reims (2021-2023) Dumornay played 28 matches and scored 15 goals in D1 Arkema, France.
Success would be:
A big challenge awaits them, as they are in Group D with England (European champions), China, and Denmark (2017 European finalist). A win against China (13th in FIFA ranking) would be a very good result and make a successful World Cup.
Prediction:
I personally think that Haiti could finish third in their group if they win against China, which would be possible if they organized their games in the tournament around this primary objective.
Group D Fixtures
22nd July – England, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
28th July – China, Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide.
1st August – Denmark, HBF Park, Perth.
To read the other World Cup nation previews published so far, click on this link: https://impetusfootball.org/international-football/
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