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World Cup Countdown: Where Would The USA Be Without . . . Haiti?
Haiti and the U.S. have shared some bright, some gruesome, knots in their interwoven history.
May 6, 2010 8:39:00 AM
By Zac Lee Rigg
As part of Goal.com's exclusive coverage in the lead-up to the 2010 World Cup, we continue the series, “Where Would The USA Be Without...?”, exploring the influence of various countries and immigrant populations on U.S. soccer.
The most important goal in U.S. soccer history was scored by a Haitian.
In the 1950 World Cup, the United States beat England, those mighty inventors of Association Football. British news publications, assuming the 1-0 scoreline was a typo, altered it to read 10-0 or 10-1 in favor of the British.
The Brazilians in attendance rushed the pitch at the final whistle and carried the scorer of the lone goal, Joe Gaetjens, off on their shoulders, as the English were seen as the only team that could stop Brazil from winning on home soil. (Uruguay won.)
Gaetjens was not American. At the time, all the U.S. federation required to represent the Red, White, and Blue was a signed letter of intent to acquire U.S. citizenship, which Gaetjens and two other foreign teammates on the squad signed.
The striker, who scored a glanced header in the match, was studying at Columbia University, supplementing his meager wages as a semi-professional soccer player by washing dishes. As the U.S. scrambled to create a squad out of semi-pro players, some of whom couldn't leave their jobs for a jaunt down to South America, Gaetjens was added to the squad at the last moment.
One player on the English team recalls the Americans showing up for the match wearing sombreros and smoking cigars, so little was the pressure on the U.S. But 90 minutes and a Joe Gaetjens header later, and the colonies won out over the British in one of the biggest upsets of all time.
The Stars and Stripes lost the other two games in the group stages and crashed out of the tournament. Still, Gaetjens leveraged his goal into a short professional stint in France before injury cut his career short. He returned to Haiti as a sporting celebrity.
Haiti soon fell under the tyrannical rule of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, who arrested Gaetjens in 1964. Gaetjens likely died either from hardships in prison or in an unrecorded execution.
Gaetjens may have died in Haiti, but his goal lives on in U.S. soccer history.
Coaches
Fernando Clavijo, a Uruguayan, represented the United States as a defender over 60 times following a successful indoor and outdoor career Stateside. He even coached the U.S. Futsal team after retiring from the St. Louis Storm. From 2003 through 2005, Clavijo led the Haitian national team in an unsuccessful bid to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, resigning once he failed.
After being inducted into the U.S. National Hall of Fame, Clavijo went on to coach the Colorado Rapids and NASL side Miami FC.
Players
Joe Gaetjens has undergone a revival in his popularity in recent years, partially because more information about his life has come to light and in part due to a podcast about U.S. soccer bearing the hilariously awful pun Waiting For Gaetjens as the title. Enough mystery and enigma shrouds Gaetjens' life and contribution to U.S. soccer to make him a highly alluring topic for new generations of fans.
Emmanuel Sanon stared the only time Haiti qualified for the World Cup, in 1974. His goal against Italy, in fact, ended Dino Zoff's still-standing international clean-sheet record of 1142 (over 19 games). In 1980, Sanon joined the Miami Americans in the second division of the American Soccer League, and later that year joined the San Diego Sockers, an indoor team in the NASL. Sanon, a forward, played for three years in San Diego before knee injury ended his career.
Jozy Altidore's parents were both born in Haiti. The striker has represented the United States nearly a quarter century of times, becoming the youngest American to score a hat-trick in an international game, and is expected to start in the 2010 World Cup. Most recently, Altidore played on loan for Hull City. He celebrated his loan goal in the English Premier League by kissing a customized wristband he wears bearing the flags of both the United States and Haiti.
Memorable matches
1954 World Cup qualifying - The United States, Mexico, and Haiti each played the other two teams twice for a lone spot in the World Cup. Haiti lost every single match, though it did score both its goals against the United States in a 3-2 loss in Port-au-Prince.
Before that game, Gaetjens hosted the U.S. team in his villa, the last time he saw his World Cup 1950 teammates.
Mexico won all four games to qualify.
1970 World Cup qualifying - As the host nation, Mexico qualified automatically, and the other CONCACAF teams vied for the one remaining slot. Haiti and the United States met in the semifinal round after advancing out of their respective groups. In the two-legged elimination tie, Haiti won thanks to a 3-0 aggregate score, with Guy St-Vil scoring a goal in each leg. El Salvador beat Haiti in the final to earn a World Cup berth.
2000 Gold Cup - Haiti kicked off Group B action against the USA in Miami. The United States blanked Les Grenadiers 3-0 as Haiti crashed out in the group stages. It didn't take long for the USA to follow suit, losing to Columbia in the quarterfinals.
2009 Gold Cup - Once again these two countries faced each other in Group B on U.S. soil. Haiti surprised the heavily-favored Americans by taking a 2-1 lead nearly to the death. An injury-time strike by Stuart Holden spared the hosts' blushes by earning a 2-2 draw. The USA progressed to the final, where it was pulverized by Mexico 5-0. Haiti lost to Mexico two rounds earlier, in the quarterfinals.
Today
Reports estimate that 30 people with ties to Haitian soccer (players, coaches, administrators) died in the tragic Haitian earthquake on January 12. American soccer players have reached out, including former national team defender Tony Sanneh, as well as Seth Stammler, who was involved in charity work with Altidore in the country even before the earthquake.
Haiti played a handful of "home" matches in Miami throughout the aughts, as political upheaval continued to wreck havoc on the island nation.
Though a fairly unsubstantial nation in the larger soccer scheme, Haiti continues to imprint itself on the history and heritage of the United States in the sport.
Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page
The most important goal in U.S. soccer history was scored by a Haitian.
In the 1950 World Cup, the United States beat England, those mighty inventors of Association Football. British news publications, assuming the 1-0 scoreline was a typo, altered it to read 10-0 or 10-1 in favor of the British.
The Brazilians in attendance rushed the pitch at the final whistle and carried the scorer of the lone goal, Joe Gaetjens, off on their shoulders, as the English were seen as the only team that could stop Brazil from winning on home soil. (Uruguay won.)
Gaetjens was not American. At the time, all the U.S. federation required to represent the Red, White, and Blue was a signed letter of intent to acquire U.S. citizenship, which Gaetjens and two other foreign teammates on the squad signed.
The striker, who scored a glanced header in the match, was studying at Columbia University, supplementing his meager wages as a semi-professional soccer player by washing dishes. As the U.S. scrambled to create a squad out of semi-pro players, some of whom couldn't leave their jobs for a jaunt down to South America, Gaetjens was added to the squad at the last moment.
One player on the English team recalls the Americans showing up for the match wearing sombreros and smoking cigars, so little was the pressure on the U.S. But 90 minutes and a Joe Gaetjens header later, and the colonies won out over the British in one of the biggest upsets of all time.
The Stars and Stripes lost the other two games in the group stages and crashed out of the tournament. Still, Gaetjens leveraged his goal into a short professional stint in France before injury cut his career short. He returned to Haiti as a sporting celebrity.
Haiti soon fell under the tyrannical rule of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, who arrested Gaetjens in 1964. Gaetjens likely died either from hardships in prison or in an unrecorded execution.
Gaetjens may have died in Haiti, but his goal lives on in U.S. soccer history.
Coaches
Fernando Clavijo, a Uruguayan, represented the United States as a defender over 60 times following a successful indoor and outdoor career Stateside. He even coached the U.S. Futsal team after retiring from the St. Louis Storm. From 2003 through 2005, Clavijo led the Haitian national team in an unsuccessful bid to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, resigning once he failed.
After being inducted into the U.S. National Hall of Fame, Clavijo went on to coach the Colorado Rapids and NASL side Miami FC.
Players
Joe Gaetjens has undergone a revival in his popularity in recent years, partially because more information about his life has come to light and in part due to a podcast about U.S. soccer bearing the hilariously awful pun Waiting For Gaetjens as the title. Enough mystery and enigma shrouds Gaetjens' life and contribution to U.S. soccer to make him a highly alluring topic for new generations of fans.
Emmanuel Sanon stared the only time Haiti qualified for the World Cup, in 1974. His goal against Italy, in fact, ended Dino Zoff's still-standing international clean-sheet record of 1142 (over 19 games). In 1980, Sanon joined the Miami Americans in the second division of the American Soccer League, and later that year joined the San Diego Sockers, an indoor team in the NASL. Sanon, a forward, played for three years in San Diego before knee injury ended his career. Jozy Altidore's parents were both born in Haiti. The striker has represented the United States nearly a quarter century of times, becoming the youngest American to score a hat-trick in an international game, and is expected to start in the 2010 World Cup. Most recently, Altidore played on loan for Hull City. He celebrated his loan goal in the English Premier League by kissing a customized wristband he wears bearing the flags of both the United States and Haiti.
Memorable matches
1954 World Cup qualifying - The United States, Mexico, and Haiti each played the other two teams twice for a lone spot in the World Cup. Haiti lost every single match, though it did score both its goals against the United States in a 3-2 loss in Port-au-Prince.
Before that game, Gaetjens hosted the U.S. team in his villa, the last time he saw his World Cup 1950 teammates.
Mexico won all four games to qualify.
1970 World Cup qualifying - As the host nation, Mexico qualified automatically, and the other CONCACAF teams vied for the one remaining slot. Haiti and the United States met in the semifinal round after advancing out of their respective groups. In the two-legged elimination tie, Haiti won thanks to a 3-0 aggregate score, with Guy St-Vil scoring a goal in each leg. El Salvador beat Haiti in the final to earn a World Cup berth.
2000 Gold Cup - Haiti kicked off Group B action against the USA in Miami. The United States blanked Les Grenadiers 3-0 as Haiti crashed out in the group stages. It didn't take long for the USA to follow suit, losing to Columbia in the quarterfinals.
2009 Gold Cup - Once again these two countries faced each other in Group B on U.S. soil. Haiti surprised the heavily-favored Americans by taking a 2-1 lead nearly to the death. An injury-time strike by Stuart Holden spared the hosts' blushes by earning a 2-2 draw. The USA progressed to the final, where it was pulverized by Mexico 5-0. Haiti lost to Mexico two rounds earlier, in the quarterfinals.
Today
Reports estimate that 30 people with ties to Haitian soccer (players, coaches, administrators) died in the tragic Haitian earthquake on January 12. American soccer players have reached out, including former national team defender Tony Sanneh, as well as Seth Stammler, who was involved in charity work with Altidore in the country even before the earthquake.
Haiti played a handful of "home" matches in Miami throughout the aughts, as political upheaval continued to wreck havoc on the island nation.
Though a fairly unsubstantial nation in the larger soccer scheme, Haiti continues to imprint itself on the history and heritage of the United States in the sport.
Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page
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