Real Hope beats Ouanaminthe to win second Haitian league soccer title 

CAP-HAITIEN — Real Hope Football Academy claimed its second Haitian D1 soccer league title Sunday, just 10 years after its founding. Real Hope, the third first-division team in the principal city of the Northern Department after long-time league giants Football Inter Club Association (FICA) and Association Sportive Capoise (ASC), defeated Ouanaminthe Football Club 4-2 in penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time at Parc Saint Victor in Cap-Haïtien.

“I asked God to give me the game-winning goal,” said Stanley Joseph, the 24-year-old fullback who scored the decisive penalty. “When I saw the other team miss, I knew I was going to score the winner. I even thanked God while walking into the 18-yard box to shoot the penalty. I believed in myself.”

Real Hope secured its first league title in 2017, winning the opening series trophy. Now, with their second league title in the bag, the Cap-Haïtien club has established itself among the powerhouses in Haitian soccer despite being active for only a decade.

Real Hope’s quick ascendance is not a hazard. 

The club is known for recruiting and developing young talents. Central midfielder Bicou Bissainthe, a 25-year-old Real Hope product with six appearances under his belt for the Haitian Men’s National Team, is a prime example. Bissainthe now plays for Haiphong in Vietnam. 

Ronaldo Damus, another talented player developed by Real Hope, plays for Colorado Springs Switchbacks F.C. in the United States’ second division.

Two other promising youngsters currently at Real Hope, 18-year-old winger Rapha Intervil and central midfielder Clifford Louis, may soon be on the radar of Haiti’s Head Coach Sébastien Migné, for call-ups.

“Winning the national championship gave me more confidence,” Intervil said. “It put more eyes on me too. I feel very proud because it’s my first time playing in the national championship and I won it. My family in Léogâne is happy too.”

Both Real Hope and Ouanaminthe qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup by reaching the final of the D1 Special Championship.

In the third-place game, América des Cayes defeated Tempête Football Club 1-0, securing a spot in the 2024 Caribbean Shield. Gregory Moïse scored the winning goal for América.

The Caribbean Cup will start in August, while the Caribbean Shield is set to kick off in July.

During the regular 90 minutes of the final, Widjoly Minoche opened the scoring for Ouanaminthe in the first half (36’), dribbling past two defenders before driving a low shot into the net.

Woodensky Pierre, a midfielder who made the pre-list of Haiti’s World Cup qualifiers in June, equalized for Real Hope in the 49th minute by heading in a corner.

Real Hope found the net twice in other sequences of plays during the match, but the goals were overruled offside in contentious calls. Ouanaminthe also had a goal disallowed because of a foul in the build-up. 

Ouanaminthe failed to capitalize on its numerical advantage.

The Northeasterners gained a major advantage in the second half when a Real Hope player received a second yellow card in the 69th minute. The referee issued a red card, forcing Real Hope to play with 10 men for the remainder of the game. Despite this disadvantage, the Rhinoceros managed to preserve the 1-1 scoreline until the final whistle.

“I was so down after the red card that I even cried,” Intervil said. “I thought we were going to lose, but we’ve been working since January with the coaches, so we tried to keep our heads up.”

Intervil scored four times this season, with three goals during the regular season and one in the playoffs.

The game was a final rematch between the two young northern rival clubs.

Real Hope lost the Innovation Cup final 1-0 to Ouanaminthe in March, fueling the fresh rivalry between the two northern clubs. The D1 Special Championship trophy is an even better prize for the Cap-Haïtien club, which took its revenge over the Ounamintheans.

The Haitian Soccer League re-opened this season after a three-year hiatus caused by gang violence in Port-au-Prince. Despite doubts about resuming professional soccer due to safety concerns, the Haitian Football Federation (FHF) was determined to proceed. Their risk-taking approach paid off, concluding the championship without casualties or major incidents.

To mitigate risks, the FHF organized the league in a different format than usual, forming three regional groups of 14 teams to avoid travel through Port-au-Prince. Additionally, all playoff matches were held at one venue, Parc Saint Victor in Cap-Haïtien, to minimize travel and potential dangers from insecurity.

After an unlikely season, a champion was crowned, and thanks to the league’s resumption, Haitians will have the opportunity to watch three local clubs compete in international competitions.

The post Real Hope beats Ouanaminthe to win second Haitian league soccer title  appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Real Hope beats Ouanaminthe to win second Haitian league soccer title  was first posted on May 28, 2024 at 11:04 am.