Haiti women’s team beats Anguilla 5-0, but performance raises concerns in World Cup qualifier

CAP-HAÏTIEN — Haiti’s women’s national soccer team dominated Anquilla Thursday night 5-0, but the scoreline did little to ease concerns. It was a landslide victory that felt like a loss, fans and analysts said. 

Les Grenadières rolled over their Caribbean opponents in a World Cup qualifier at Stade Roger-Zami in Gosier, Guadeloupe. But despite the comfortable win, they delivered an uneven performance that left many unconvinced.

Facing a team ranked No. 193 in the FIFA standings — compared with Haiti at No. 50 — Haiti struggled with basic execution, including ball control, short passing and overall cohesion in midfield and attack. Several goals came from defensive lapses and goalkeeping errors by Anguilla rather than sustained attacking quality.

The performance raised concerns ahead of Haiti’s decisive and final group-stage match against the Dominican Republic on April 17. Ranked No. 102, the Haitian neighbors are expected to pose a far greater challenge to them.

“We won the game but I’m not satisfied with the team,” Jean Louis-Charles wrote on Facebook. “Let’s be serious, we’re building a World Cup team, but some stuff is inadmissible. A lot of players don’t play like professionals and are not that talented. They can’t even do the basics like a short pass or control a ball in the air.”

Absences highlight lack of depth

Haiti played without key players, including star midfielder Melchie Dumornay, defender Kethna Louis and all-time leading scorer Batchéba Louis. Dumornay and Kethna Louis are injured, while Batcheba Louis was unavailable for personal reasons.

Still, observers said the team should have performed better against a lower-ranked opponent.

“Yes, we’re on top of the group; we didn’t play with our best starting XI. But this team makes people nervous, especially considering the level of the opponent,” analyst Merlyne Pierre Louis commented on her Facebook page, Merlyne Haiti Promo.

Despite the criticism, Haiti remains atop the group with nine points, having won all three matches without conceding a goal— 9-0 against Belize in December, 2-0 against Suriname in March and 5-0 against Anguilla. The Dominican Republic follows with seven points. Only the group winner advances to the next round.

With either a win or a draw against its neighbor on the ‘Island of Hispaniola’, Haiti will secure first place. For the Dominicans, beating Haiti is necessary to advance.

Goals mask uneven performance, echoes of the men’s path

Darlina Joseph scored twice, while Chelsea Domond, Sherly Jeudy and Claire Constant each added a goal. Constant’s powerful header in the 79th minute from a Jeudy’s well-taken free-kick was the standout moment of the match.

However, the overall performance lacked rhythm and creativity, continuing a trend of inconsistency since Haiti’s post-appearance at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Head coach Pia Sundhage, hired in February, is tasked with rebuilding the team’s structure and raising its technical level, according to the Haitian Football Federation (FHF). Thursday’s match marked her second in charge, following a 2-0 win over Suriname.

Some fans see parallels with the men’s national team, which also struggled early in its qualifying campaign before improving with the addition of overseas-based players and ultimately securing a World Cup spot.

The women’s team has begun a similar process, recently adding Europe-based players born to Haitian parents, such as Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Océanie Toussaint and Sporting CP forward Brittany Raphino. Neither featured against Anguilla.

However, the road ahead may be more difficult. Unlike the men’s team, which benefited from automatic qualification for hosts United States, Canada and Mexico, Haiti’s women could face regional powerhouses such as the United States, Canada and Mexico in later qualifying rounds for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil between June 24 and July 25.

For now, the focus remains on April 17.

“If we play like this against the Dominican Republic, they will murder us,” fan Evens Exumé wrote on Facebook.

As a minimum, a draw will be necessary to advance — but for many supporters, not even a win will be enough. They are looking for a convincing performance to restore confidence in a team once known for its flair and intensity.

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