Ouanaminthe FC looks to prove doubters wrong in first Concacaf Caribbean Cup

CAP-HAITIEN — It is becoming a little too familiar for Ouanaminthe Football Club 2011’s defensive midfielder James Céné. They’re the underdogs again before entering another competition.

Ouanaminthe won Haiti’s Innovation Cup in March as the underdogs before finishing in second place in the 2024 D1 Special Championship as the underdogs again in May. But this time around, the club is entering a more prestigious competition: the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, the premier tournament for soccer clubs at the regional level. However, Céné will begin the Caribbean Cup with the same confidence level.

“We’ve always been the small team since the special championship, but we showed all the teams that what they thought of us wasn’t right,” Céné said. “We still have the same objective. We’re going to fight again. Our objective is to be the champions.”

Ouanaminthe and fellow Haitian club Real Hope Football Academy will start their campaign in the 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup on Aug. 22. Ouanaminthe will take on Trinidadian side Athletic Club Port of Spain at Estadio Moca 85 at 6:00 p.m. in the Dominican Republic while Real Hope will face Police F.C., another Trinidadian club, at 8:00 p.m. at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

Real Hope and Ouanaminthe both qualified for the Caribbean Cup after reaching the final of the 2024 edition of the Haitian League, the D1 Special Championship. Real Hope got the best out of Ouanaminthe 4-2 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in May.

Ounaminthe will participate in the Caribbean Cup for the first time, while Real Hope will make its third appearance. 

In its group, Ouanaminthe FC, which has yet to win a first-division title, will face more decorated teams, such as four-time Dominican League champions Cibao FC. Cibao also won the 2017 CFU Club Championship and was runner-up in the 2022 Caribbean Club Championship.

Ouanaminthe will face another Dominican team in its group, Moca F.C., which reached the semifinals of the Caribbean Cup last year. Meanwhile, Port of Spain, Ouanaminthe’s first opponent in the competition, won the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League once and three local cups. Antiguan side Grenades Football Club will be Ouanaminthe’s weakest opponent on paper since it only joined the top division in 2013 and has yet to win it. 

Meanwhile, Real Hope will go against Jamaican sides Arnett Gardens F.C., Cavalier F.C., Mount Pleasant Football Academy, and Trinidadian club Police F.C. 

Players looking for a way out of Haiti through the Caribbean Cup 

After missing the opportunity to participate in four consecutive international events with Haiti’s national team, local players are now set to compete in overseas games. This development adds significant value to the Caribbean Cup for both Haitian players and fans. For players based in Haiti, missing these previous opportunities not only meant losing the chance to play but also potentially missing the opportunity to leave Haiti. Many Haitian players view overseas games as a chance to escape the multitude of crises in Haiti. Their individual goal is to be noticed by an international club and secure a contract.

This is precisely Céné’s plan for the Caribbean Cup.

“We’re motivated. We know we’re the children of impoverished people. We’re going there searching for a better life, so we’re going to give it our all. Grenadye Alaso [Grenadiers on the attack].”

James Céné, Ouanaminthe Football Club 2011 defensive midfielder

“We’re motivated. We know we’re the children of impoverished people,” Céné said. “We’re going there in search of a better life, so we’re going to give it our all — Grenadye Alaso [Grenadiers on the attack]. The dream of all Haitians is to find a way to leave the country because our country is not offering us anything. We’re fighting to get contracts from overseas.”

The story is no different for Real Hope, as the team’s vice president, Marc Donald Bazile, himself said one of the club’s goals is for its players to earn contracts overseas.

“We have the chance, the opportunity for our players to play internationally, and we hope that other teams will see them and we might get offers from them,” Bazile said in a press conference on Aug. 17. “We have the talent.”

Haitian players to watch

Some of the most productive players from last season from both teams were Real Hope’s winger Rapha Intervil and center-back Colo Myson, and Ouanaminthe’s strikers Roobens ‘Paloulou’ Philogène and Pierre Jovenel ‘Ti San’ Stanley Jr.

Intervil, known for his pace, scored the second-most goals in the D1 Special Championship last season at just 18 years of age, finding the net four times. Myson, an energetic 18-year-old center-back, was one of the league’s top defenders. 

Meanwhile, Philogène, 28, is Ouanaminthe’s all-time top scorer but only bagged one goal last season, partially because he played deeper in the midfield. Stanley was the fifth top scorer with three goals, even though he mainly came off the bench. Two of Stanley’s goals were extremely important to the team. One ushered Ouanaminthe to the playoffs, and another was a game-tying goal in the playoffs.

Missed chances before the Caribbean Cup 

Three of the four Haitian players to watch missed opportunities to play in games overseas in recent months. Philogène was called up for a friendly with Haiti’s senior team against French Guiana in March but did not make it because all flights were canceled then due to gang violence in Port-au-Prince.

Intervil and Myson could not represent Haiti in the U-20 World Cup qualifiers in July because the Haitian Football Federation could not resolve administrative issues on time.

Real Hope’s goalkeeper Gooly Elien was called up for Haiti’s last two World Cup qualifiers in July but did not make the trip for unknown reasons. 

The other time local players missed out on overseas games was in July when America des Cayes failed to show up at the CFU Caribbean Club Shield due to administrative issues.

This time, Ouanaminthe and Real Hope made it to the Caribbean Cup after overcoming several administrative issues. For instance, Ouanaminthe managed to get visas for his players even though Haitians are not currently allowed to receive Dominican visas. Both clubs also had to fundraise to cover their expenses for the Caribbean Cup. 

“Difficulty or not, we stayed focused on our objectives, one to play, two to win,” Ounaminthe’s head coach, Roudy Joseph, said. “The leaders had a lot of difficulties. For us, we have the mission to keep fighting so we can give better results.”

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Ouanaminthe FC looks to prove doubters wrong in first Concacaf Caribbean Cup was first posted on August 21, 2024 at 1:28 pm.