Overview:
Haitian soccer star Lourdjina Etienne, an adolescent, has reportedly been tried by FC Barcelona, a Spanish and European powerhouse. Whereas that is thrilling information for Haitian followers, Haitian Occasions reporter Onz Chéry breaks down why a trial with FC Barcelona could also be too early—and too demanding—for rising Haitian starlet Etienne.
CAP-HAÏTIEN — Fifteen months in the past, the sky appeared the restrict for Haitian soccer prodigy and striker Lourdjina Etienne. The teenage striker dominated the 2024 CONCACAF Girls’s U-17 Championship, flying previous defenders and outmuscling opponents with ease. Her standout efficiency earned her the match’s Golden Ball. All indicators pointed to a shiny future.
But, her progress has since stalled. After two unsuccessful tryouts with French powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Olympique Lyonnais, the 17-year-old is now on a five-day trial with FC Barcelona’s U-19 squad, in keeping with native experiences. Primarily based on three key elements explored under, Etienne’s activity of breaking into Barça’s system is daunting, although not unattainable.
With Etienne not turning 18 till July 14, she gained’t be capable of get signed instantly if she passes the tryout, as per FIFA rules.
Can Etienne adapt to Barcelona’s possession-heavy type?
10-time Spanish league and 3-time UEFA champion, is famend for its possession-oriented type, emphasizing fast passes, fluid motion and tactical consciousness. Etienne, in contrast, is a direct attacker. In Haiti’s U-17 setup, she typically charged at defenders, utilizing tempo and energy to get behind the backline. One in every of her most beautiful goals got here in a February 2024 match towards El Salvador, when she dribbled previous two gamers earlier than smashing the ball into the online.
That method to the sport gained’t translate simply at Barça. Etienne might want to adapt to a system the place she’s not the point of interest. She should go and transfer rapidly, play between the traces, and make off-ball runs into house. It’s a demanding adjustment—even for seasoned soccer professionals. Many top-level strikers, women and men alike, have failed to suit into Barcelona’s distinctive rhythm.
Nonetheless, if Etienne dazzles along with her particular person talent and manages to attain, she might earn extra time to adapt, even when her understanding of the system isn’t but absolutely developed.
Type and expertise, two vital gaps
One in every of Etienne’s largest disadvantages heading into the tryout is her lack of current taking part in time. She hasn’t performed or educated at a aggressive stage since her two-month stint at Lyon resulted in December 2024.. Haiti’s ladies’s league stays inactive, and he or she was not referred to as as much as Haiti’s U-20 squad for World Cup qualifiers in February resulting from journey points, in keeping with the Haitian soccer federation (FHF).
With no common match health or sharpness, a five-day trial is unlikely to be sufficient time to impress Barcelona coaches—particularly when Barça’s U-19 gamers have been coaching and taking part in collectively weekly. Native experiences say she landed in Barcelona on Could 4, but it surely’s unclear precisely when the trial started or if it has already ended. Efforts by The Haitian Occasions to talk with Etienne or her entourage stay unsuccessful.
As well as, the younger star has but to play for a significant membership. Her home membership, Association Sportive Tigresses, competes in Haiti’s first division and semi-professional ladies’s league, which lacks the competitiveness of high European leagues. Whereas she shone towards lesser groups like Costa Rica and El Salvador, she didn’t dominate towards powerhouses resembling Canada, Mexico, or america.
A untimely step in her profession?
Regardless of her clear expertise, Etienne could also be aiming too excessive, too quickly. PSG, Lyon and Barcelona are among the many best golf equipment in ladies’s soccer. Etienne has performed solely 5 matches at a significant worldwide youth match and has minimal expertise in elite-level soccer.
A extra strategic transfer may need been to start out with a smaller European membership. That may have allowed her to develop with much less strain and alter progressively to European soccer ranges. As soon as grounded in that system, she might pursue alternatives with top-tier golf equipment.
A helpful comparability is Melchie Daelle “Corventina” Dumornay, Haiti’s brightest ladies’s soccer star. Dumornay additionally trialed with Lyon and PSG as a teen, however started her European profession at Stade de Reims. After two seasons growing her sport, she joined Lyon, the place she’s now thought-about among the best younger gamers on this planet.
Etienne nonetheless has time on her facet. She’s simply 17 and has already proven flashes of brilliance. However making the leap to a membership like FC Barcelona—with out the muse of normal taking part in time, tactical expertise and system familiarity—could also be greater than she will be able to handle at this stage.
That doesn’t imply the door is closed. If Etienne impresses simply sufficient, she would possibly earn one other likelihood to develop. For now, although, FC Barcelona appears to be like very similar to an enormous mountain to climb.