Haitian club hunts for revenge against Dominican team Moca FC in Caribbean Cup third-place match

MARYLAND — After an upsetting loss to Dominican rival Cibao Football Club in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semifinals, Real Hope Football Academy players will fight to redeem themselves in the third-place match against another Dominican team, Moca Football Club, on Tuesday night, Nov. 26. 

A victory for the Haitians will also award them a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup slated for Summer 2025. Fans of the Concacaf Cup can catch all the action across several platforms, including CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, and Fubo. 

“A Dominican team beat us,” 19-year-old defensive midfielder Woodensky Pierre said. “I can say that we’re going to get our revenge against Moca… We’re very motivated.” 

The Real Hope players will look to seek revenge in front of a Dominican crowd on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. ET, when the first leg of the third-place game will be played at Cibao FC Stadium in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.

A victory in the two-legged third-place game would not only earn Real Hope bragging rights over their neighboring rivals, but the club would also qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup for the first time in its 10 years of existence. 

The two Haitian clubs that participated in the Caribbean Cup lost all of their four matches against Dominican opponents, getting outscored 8-4. Ouanaminthe Football Club 2011 (OFC) lost its chance to qualify for the playoffs after getting bullied by Cibao 4-1 in the group stage on Oct. 1. OFC also lost to Moca 3-1 in the group stage on Sept. 18. 

Meanwhile, when Haitian teams crossed paths with Dominican clubs in the semifinals, Real Hope bowed down to Cibao 4-2 on aggregate. 

“We believe in ourselves and know that we will qualify by any means necessary.”

Steeve Mondestin, Real Hope Football Academy midfielder

Dominican clubs’ dominance in the Caribbean Cup thus far is a testament that those teams have tremendously improved in recent years and have mounted over Haitian clubs. The Dominican Republic has accomplished this feat even though soccer is not the country’s number one sport, as opposed to in Haiti, where soccer is the most beloved sport by far.

Anyway, the Cap-Haïtien club has two matches to reverse course, starting with the first leg on Tuesday night. Haitian soccer desperately needs a victory from Real Hope as the Dominican Republic keeps making gains over Haiti in soccer.

“We don’t feel pressured because we’ve been working and we’re determined,” Real Hope’s 23-year-old right midfielder Steeve Mondestin said. “We believe in ourselves and know we will qualify by any means necessary.”

Haiti’s neighbors’ progress in the game in recent years is palpable. Not only is the Dominican Republic improving in club soccer but also at the national level. The country’s national team has qualified for the next summer’s Gold Cup for the first time. Meanwhile, Haiti qualified for the competition for the 10th time in its history.

An open battle for supremacy on Hispaniola

The Gold Cup will be played in the United States and Canada between June and July 2025, and both sides of Hispaniola will look to outdo each other in it.

But for now, their next clash is the Caribbean Cup. Real Hope Academy players said their finishing is what they need to improve upon the most after their loss to Cibao FC. 

The northern club wooed Haitian fans with voluptuous passes but could not find the net when the club desperately needed to in the second leg against Cibao in October. Real Hope lost that match 1-0 despite moving the ball well. In fact, the Cap-Haitien club has delivered the most passes thus far in the Caribbean Cup, connecting on 2313 passes in six games.

It is highly common for Haitian soccer clubs to struggle in the face of opponents’ defense. The top scorer of the Haitian League in 2024, Ernst Clerger, only scored six goals. Haitian players often lack composure and tactical awareness in front of the opposing net. 

Real Hope players hope to overcome that weakness and defeat Moca over the two legs. 

“We worked on scoring goals a lot,” Mondestin said. 

“We had a lack of communication and weren’t collective enough. But I think we worked on it. [Today] I think all of our fans will be satisfied with our performance.”

Pierre also brought up Real Hope’s struggle in front of the opposing net.

“We did not score enough against Cibao,” Pierre said. “Players need to move more. That’s what we lack the most on the team, goals.”

Moca also had difficulties in front of the opposing net since it did not score a single goal in the semifinals against Jamaican side Cavalier Football Club. After a scoreless game in the first outing, Moca conceded seven goals to zero in the second leg.

After the first leg on Tuesday, Moca and Real Hope will meet again on Dec. 3, this time at 4:30 p.m. ET at Estadio Polideportivo Moca in the Dominican Republic. 

A Haitian club qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup over a Dominican club on its own turf would be a historical moment in Haitian soccer. 

“We have the chance to qualify, and we will take it,” Pierre said confidently.

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Haitian club hunts for revenge against Dominican team Moca FC in Caribbean Cup third-place match was first posted on November 26, 2024 at 10:54 am.