Coach Barone: An Argentine familiar with Haitian soccer has eyes on men’s national team

CAP-HAÏTIEN — While many Haitian athletes and coaches are using their talent as a means to escape the country’s instability, one Argentinian coach has done the opposite—choosing to come to Haiti despite its deepening crisis. Just a month into his stay, he has already experienced the consequences of the country’s dysfunction.

Carlos Barone arrived in Cap-Haïtien in June to coach the legendary Association Sportive Capoise (ASC) ahead of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield, set to begin July 26 in Trinidad and Tobago. Over the course of a month, he led intensive training sessions and guided ASC through four friendly matches—winning all. But on the eve of the tournament, Barone learned that ASC had to withdraw from the competition. The reported reason: no airline could secure the necessary insurance to fly out of Cap-Haïtien to Trinidad due to Haiti’s escalating gang violence.

Barone is devastated by the withdrawal, but the setback has not shaken his passion for Haitian football. Instead, it has strengthened his resolve to contribute even more. He now hopes to go beyond coaching a local club, aspiring one day to lead Haiti’s national team.

“It’s easier for coaches to go to countries where there are less problems, but I go where my father in heaven sends me to and if a doctor will cure healthy people then he is not helping,” Barone, 71, said. “I’d like to contribute with the little that I know, I can help and make a difference in Haitian football.”

Barone had already experienced a setback with Haitian football before arriving this year. In 2022, he signed with Les Cayes Football Club, a second-division team in the Southern Department. However, Haiti’s second division has remained inactive since then, and Barone never made the trip. Les Cayes later loaned him to ASC solely for the CFU Club Shield. Despite these frustrations, the challenges have only deepened Barone’s desire to one day coach Haiti’s national team.

Haiti’s national soccer team has struggled since 2019, due in large part to the Haitian Football Federation’s (FHF) repeated hiring of coaches who fail to maximize the team’s potential, according to experts. 

With Haiti’s current coach, Sébastien Migné, having had no prior experience in Haitian soccer, Barone may have a leg up on previous coaches in  understanding the Haitian style of play. In 1983, when the Haitian League was inactive, Barone played for Aigle Noir Athlétique Club—a Bel-Air, Port-au-Prince-based team—during its stint in Miami. Now coaching ASC, Barone is said to connect more naturally with players than many other foreign coaches because he understands the Haitian mindset.

One source who works directly with Haitian soccer teams and chose to be identified by his initials J.B. due to fears of backlash from the local soccer industry for showing signs of favoritism, said that while Haiti has many talented local coaches, he favors Barone for his international training and credentials which sets him apart from Haiti’s other talented local coaches. Barone holds a coaching certification from the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and has trained clubs in Guatemala, Germany and the United States. In 2004, he coached the U.S. under-20 team in the Umbro International Cup tournament in England, where the team finished fifth out of 24.

A certified foreigner who knows Haitian football could make a difference

Although Haitian coaches are deeply familiar with their players, many lack the advanced training and international experience needed to lead at a higher level, the source said. He believes Barone stands out because he understands Haitian players and also brings valuable global coaching experience.

“He can make a difference,” J.B. said. “He values Haitian football. He loves the [ASC] players a lot; they’re learning from him. He knows what he’s doing.”

J.B. added that one reason Barone is interested in coaching Haiti is the players themselves. Haitians are often faster and stronger than players from other countries, he said, and with those natural abilities, Haitian teams have the potential to accomplish what others cannot.

“I believe in Haitian players, I’m here because of the talent of the Haitian players,” Barone said. “I’m very happy over here, people are loving. It’s not the Haiti that people in the U.S. are talking about.”

While they are naturally gifted, Haitian players often struggle to position themselves effectively on the field or execute proper shooting techniques. These two flaws have been holding back not only Haitian clubs but also the national teams as well. 

Barone taught ASC’s players how to position themselves and held multiple shooting drills. The players improved significantly under his reign, J.B. said.

“He’s been taking his time to teach us how to position ourselves. I haven’t had too many coaches, but none of them really did it the way he does,” Schneider Kernizan, a 20-year-old winger on loan from America des Cayes, said. “We get along with him quite well. I think he will fit on the national team.”

Haiti finished last in its group at the Gold Cup in July with a record of zero wins, one draw and two losses, scoring only two goals. Head coach Migné faced heavy criticism for his player choices. Les Grenadiers will begin the final round of World Cup qualifiers in September and are in the same group as Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Fans and experts widely doubt Haiti will qualify under Migné.

FHF has yet to reply to The Haitian Times’ email seeking comments about Barone’s interest in coaching Haiti.

Barone lacks experience with national teams, had hopes of proving himself with ASC

While Barone’s familiarity with Haitian players and his international certification are considered strengths, his limited experience at the national level is viewed as a weakness. His only experience on that stage came 21 years ago, when he coached the U.S. under-20 team in the Umbro International Cup.

Barone had hoped to win the CFU Club Shield with ASC, a victory that could have strengthened his case for Haiti’s head coach position. But with the club now out of the tournament, that opportunity has slipped away.

Still, Barone remains hopeful that he will one day earn the position. And when he does, he said, he doesn’t want to be just another coach who led Haiti—he wants to accomplish what has long seemed out of reach: qualifying the country for the World Cup.

“I love the Haitian players, I love the people, I live in Haiti, in Cap-Haïtien so I know the culture,” Barone said. “I don’t like to promote myself but I would love to [coach Haiti] and I have the faith that I will qualify them for the World Cup. I will do that.”

The post Coach Barone: An Argentine familiar with Haitian soccer has eyes on men’s national team appeared first on The Haitian Times.