Haiti First place finish in Group B
HARRISON, New Jersey – The Gold Cup 2019, on beautiful Monday, of 2-0 win over Nicaragua, Haiti will be aiming for a first-place finish in Group B, as it faces Costa Rica in its final match of the group stage on Monday.
“It is very important to have the best team possible tomorrow regardless of the problems,” said head coach Marc Collat in his pre-match press conference. “The objective is to have the best 11 on the field.”
As Haiti and Costa Rica match up for the third time in Gold Cup history; for MF Derrick Etienne the Red Bull Arena is no strange venue; instead it is his home with MLS side New York Red Bulls.
“I scored my first professional goal here, I was able to win a championship with the USL second team here, and then I was able to score a goal for the Supporters’ Shield, so this is a place very close to my heart,” said Etienne.
“For me to be able to play in front of family, in front of friends at such an important game to hopefully solidify the group and just to be able to represent the National Team is something that I am going to remember forever, and just looking forward to being out there tomorrow,” said Etienne.
As Haiti prepares for its match at Red Bull Arena, it is aware that Costa Rica is unbeaten in its last three match-ups. Haiti knows it has 12 consecutive games without a draw and will go on to the field with one objective in mind.
“I have a lot of respect for Costa Rica, it is a great team with a lot of experience, a team that has accomplished a lot of things like going to the World Cup several times,” said Collat. “However, tomorrow the only way to lead the group is by winning and we are going to play our game.”
