'It's about showing what we can do' - Brazil have long inspired Haiti through turmoil, now Les Grenadiers want to prove they belong on the same stage

Jean would know. He was among the kids raised on that Brazil team. But he also carved his own path. He played in just two FIFA-sanctioned matches for Haiti, and countless more both in his native land and later in Brazil.

It was enough for the Brazilians to give him a nickname.

"Jair, they used to call me (shorthand for Jarzinho, a member of the 1970 World Cup winning team)" he tells GOAL with a laugh, standing on a bustling street in Philadelphia.

Jean perhaps sells himself a little bit short. He represented the Haitian National Team at both a professional and amateur level, from 1974 to 1978. As a club player, he played in various leagues around the island and then in the United States - where he moved to become a financial advisor in the late 70s.

“It was not the way it is right now. We had the Super League, other different leagues, and so on and so forth. I played with various teams, but not fully professionally. Because at the time, we didn't have the capacity. The financial situation was not the same,” he said.

And even if his heart is tied to Haitian soccer, like so many, he grew up an avid Brazil fan. He remembers the days of Pele and Jairzinho - even if he preferred Edu, a prolific goalscorer for Santos throughout the 60s and 70s. He played with against Carlos Alberto and Rivellinho in various friendlies. He traveled to Brazil, over and over. Back then, they were his rivals. But they were also his friends.

“It was fantastic,” he recalls with a chuckle, standing in a Haiti jersey, with a flag draped over his shoulders.

Jean has lived in New York for nearly 50 years now, following both Haiti and Brazil. But Friday night, there is only one team he wants to win.

“Now it's not the same. We know that we have to compete. We're playing for a reason. We're in a World Cup right now. We qualified, so we can actually do for ourselves,” he said.

It’s a sentiment shared by most of the bustle of Philadelphia. Numa St. Louis was born in New York but raised in Haiti. He played soccer in high school and college. He still plays every week. He is, in his own words, a ‘massive soccer fan.’

And he gets the connection with Brazil.

“Most Haitians root for Brazil: the style, the music. Not just that, though, culturally, historically, there’s a connection between Haiti and Brazil that most people don’t realize,” St. Louis said. “Haitians have long admired the Brazilian style of play: the flair, the passes, the dribbling. Brazilians admire that approach.”

It’s deeper than soccer, though.

“Outside of Africa, Haiti and Brazil have the largest amount of Black culture or Black people,” St. Louis explained. “They're the two countries that have maintained a stronger sense of the African lineage. If you look at religion, whether it's Santoria or Voodoo, the drums, the dance, Kompa versus Samba. And you have a Haitian community there in Brazil as well.”

There’s a connection to be found in that identity, too. It’s easier to root for players who look like you, St. Louis said.

“For many of us who are politically observant, it’s not just a game. It’s also a reflection of geopolitics, of culture, of history. So when we look at Brazil, we also see a Black team, a team that represents the Black diaspora. So it invokes a lot of emotion,” St. Louis added.

This team, although it has qualified, does carry a very specific burden. Haiti were the only team to qualify for a World Cup without playing a single home game - such is the turbulent political state of the country. Their fans are not allowed to travel to the World Cup. What they have done here is as close to a sporting miracle as it gets.

“The country is pretty much upside down. So that shows you the heart of the players,” Jean said.

For St. Louis, it’s rewarding to see his country perform so well. He was quick to reference that the last Haitian side to qualify for the World Cup, in 1974, were no slouches themselves. Their player, Emmanuel Sanon, was the first to score against Italian keeper Dino Zoff in 1,142 minutes. Sanon supposedly claimed before the game that he would score due to his electric pace. He earned just $200 per month at the time.

St. Louis grew up hearing those kinds of stories. And when Haiti started to re-emerge on the global stage, he, too, started to believe. A couple of strong performances at the Gold Cup offered hope. And then, there was qualification. Being here, 50 years on from their last, means everything.

“To have Haiti there is much more about participation. It's about culture. It's about pride. It's about showcasing a culture, and it's about showing what we can do,” St. Louis said.

And on Saturday, that much was clear. Philadelphia has around 11,000 Haitian residents. But thousands traveled south from New York and north from Miami. A volunteer standing on a street corner told GOAL he had sent friends around the city to hand out flags to strangers. He had printed around 19,000.

The events popped up everywhere, too. A traditional street festival drew hundreds for live music, vendors, and more. This was not, technically, a football gathering. But everyone was wearing a football kit. Flags, hats, and jerseys were flogged out of the back of trucks. The chants started early - and they never really stopped.

Philadelphia’s “Little Haiti”, located five miles north of the city center, was rammed full of spots at bars and restaurants.

“It’s going to be packed,” a server at Guo’s, a popular Haitian joint, hurriedly told GOAL over the phone.

Plenty of non-soccer fans have been drawn into the furor. Marcus Palmer, like so many others, got involved in soccer by playing FIFA. He liked the sport, but then married into a Haitian family.

And that, he said, left him no choice but to be sucked in.

“My son was super excited. We all got flags. We immediately were trying to figure out, okay, where can we buy a Haiti team jersey. So, safe to say, everyone's really ready for Haiti to perform,” Palmer said.

He’s one of many, soccer fans or not, who took to the streets Saturday.

To be sure, there were plenty of Brazil kits out. But Haiti had its moment, too. And this evening, they will enjoy it together. This World Cup has brought out many a friendly rivalry, and this is yet another. The stakes are high. Haiti lost their first group game to Scotland. They need, in all likelihood, a win and a draw against Morocco and Brazil to get out of the group. Brazil, themselves, are coming off a frustrating scoreless tie with Morocco last week.

These teams, technically, have met before. One of the most memorable meetings came in 2004, when Brazil played Haiti in a UN-backed peace-building match in Port-au-Prince at a time of political turmoil. Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attended, as did members of Haiti’s temporary government.

The Selecao sent out a star-studded lineup, consisting of Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, and Adriano. 15,000 were in the stadium, and about 100,000 were estimated to be on the streets. Brazilian and Haitian flags flew next to each other. That time, the result was not disputed: Brazil 6, Haiti 0. And it really didn’t matter.

This time, though, it does. And, against all odds, Haiti believes.

“Some people say, well, ‘we're here now.’ We're not here to participate; we're here to actually compete like everybody else. You follow me?” Jean said.

Hundreds of thousands do.