MIAMI, Florida – Haiti may have gone down in defeat to Mexico in their second match of Group B in 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, but MF Derrick Etienne believes there is still much more to come from Les Grenadiers in the tournament.
Etienne, a veteran of Haiti’s 2017, 2019 and 2021 Gold Cup teams (13 matches), spoke with Concacaf.com following his team’s 3-1 loss to Mexico at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Etienne reiterated that Haiti will quickly dust themselves off and get ready for Sunday’s pivotal group stage finale versus Honduras.
“We know how good Mexico is. They showed their quality today. We just have to put it behind us and be ready for the next game. We need to win to make sure that we qualify for the next round and that's the ultimate goal,” said Etienne.
“We had an opportunity to try and top the group, but we weren't able to do that, which is unfortunate, but we still have more to look forward to, so we need to put this one away. We see the mistakes we made, look at the things that we did well and try to bring it in against Honduras,” added Etienne.
Thursday’s encounter was a rematch of the two teams’ dramatic 2019 Gold Cup semifinal in Glendale where Mexico earned a 1-0 win with a goal in extra time. Etienne knew that facing a team like eight-time champions Mexico was always going to prove difficult, but the most important thing is that Haiti still control their destiny to reach the knockout stage, knowing a win against Honduras will do it.
“We wanted to put ourselves in a good position. From the first game we always knew it was going to be a difficult game against Mexico, but we're still disappointed in the result. Like I said, we are still able to get out of the group, which is ultimate goal, so we're just hoping that we can fix the mistakes and go out and win the next game,” said Etienne.
This Haiti team have already shown some of the same traits that defined the 2019 team that achieved the country’s best ever performance in a Gold Cup. Four years ago, Haiti had three comeback victories on their way to reaching the tournament’s final four, and now in this edition they have one comeback under their belts after rallying to defeat Qatar, 2-1, in the opening match.
Etienne senses there are many similarities between the Haiti team of 2019 and the current group and that there is still much to be seen of Les Grenadiers in this Gold Cup.
“I think we all take pride in wearing the blue and red, so when we are on the field, we try to make sure that we do the most we can to put a performance out there that people back home will enjoy. Haitians are resilient people, so I think that shows in the way that we don't ever just give up and quit. We’re not done yet. We’re going to surprise some people and get back to the semis,” concluded Etienne.
