While unjust events dominate recent Haitian soccer news on an international scale, there are happier local stories too. Yesterday evening at Stade Sylvio Cator, I watched the final championship game of the two top women’s soccer teams, Valentina and the Tigresses. My friend Hayana Jean-Francois, formerly the captain of the national U17 team that traveled… Read More »
I am probably watching soccer with the wrong person. As my friend D. and I walk through the 40-degree heat of downtown Belgrade, where she grew up and returns in the summers, I spot a building-high vertical banner of an enthusiastic, fit young man in body paint hawking soda. “Refresh Your World!” it implores. I… Read More »
People are getting ready for the World Cup in Port-au-Prince. This is a country where taptaps are decorated to reflect the drivers’ allegiance (to Brazil or Argentina) or even to honor a particular player, and where cell phone companies put up billboards with the national team that proclaim “One People. One Passion. Football! Together, we’ll… Read More »
Since returning to Haiti in April, I’ve gotten to know several members of the Haitian national under-17 women’s soccer team. They attempted to teach me a few moves (sternly coaching me on the basics of reception and transmission) and then told me, sweetly, “You’re really good! You just need to learn to control the ball!”… Read More »
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