Overview:
Argentine coach Carlos Barone’s love story with Haitian soccer started in 1983 when he performed for Aigle Noir. Now he’s teaching Affiliation Sportive Capoise and hoped to showcase his worth on the Caribbean Soccer Union (CFU) Membership Protect. However, ASC withdrew from the competitors. Regardless of this heartbreak, Barone refuses to finish his love story with Haitian soccer. Nonetheless, he needs to take it up a notch increased by teaching the nationwide workforce.
CAP-HAÏTIEN — Whereas many Haitian athletes and coaches are utilizing their expertise as a way to flee the nation’s instability, one Argentinian coach has performed the other—selecting to return to Haiti regardless of its deepening disaster. Only a month into his keep, he has already skilled the implications of the nation’s dysfunction.
Carlos Barone arrived in Cap-Haïtien in June to teach the legendary Affiliation Sportive Capoise (ASC) forward of the Caribbean Soccer Union (CFU) Membership Protect, set to start July 26 in Trinidad and Tobago. Over the course of a month, he led intensive coaching classes and guided ASC by 4 pleasant matches—profitable all. However on the eve of the event, Barone realized that ASC needed to withdraw from the competitors. The reported purpose: no airline may safe the mandatory insurance coverage to fly out of Cap-Haïtien to Trinidad as a consequence of Haiti’s escalating gang violence.
Barone is devastated by the withdrawal, however the setback has not shaken his ardour for Haitian soccer. As a substitute, it has strengthened his resolve to contribute much more. He now hopes to transcend teaching a neighborhood membership, aspiring someday to steer Haiti’s nationwide workforce.
“It’s simpler for coaches to go to nations the place there are much less issues, however I’m going the place my father in heaven sends me to and if a health care provider will remedy wholesome individuals then he isn’t serving to,” Barone, 71, mentioned. “I’d wish to contribute with the little that I do know, I might help and make a distinction in Haitian soccer.”
Barone had already skilled a setback with Haitian soccer earlier than arriving this 12 months. In 2022, he signed with Les Cayes Soccer Membership, a second-division workforce within the Southern Division. Nonetheless, Haiti’s second division has remained inactive since then, and Barone by no means made the journey. Les Cayes later loaned him to ASC solely for the CFU Membership Protect. Regardless of these frustrations, the challenges have solely deepened Barone’s need to someday coach Haiti’s nationwide workforce.
Haiti’s nationwide soccer workforce has struggled since 2019, due largely to the Haitian Soccer Federation’s (FHF) repeated hiring of coaches who fail to maximise the workforce’s potential, in response to consultants.
With Haiti’s present coach, Sébastien Migné, having had no prior expertise in Haitian soccer, Barone could have a leg up on earlier coaches in understanding the Haitian fashion of play. In 1983, when the Haitian League was inactive, Barone performed for Aigle Noir Athlétique Membership—a Bel-Air, Port-au-Prince-based workforce—throughout its stint in Miami. Now teaching ASC, Barone is claimed to attach extra naturally with gamers than many different overseas coaches as a result of he understands the Haitian mindset.
One supply who works instantly with Haitian soccer groups and selected to be recognized by his initials J.B. as a consequence of fears of backlash from the native soccer trade for exhibiting indicators of favoritism, mentioned that whereas Haiti has many proficient native coaches, he favors Barone for his worldwide coaching and credentials which units him aside from Haiti’s different proficient native coaches. Barone holds a training certification from the Athletics and Health Affiliation of America (AFAA) and has skilled golf equipment in Guatemala, Germany and the US. In 2004, he coached the U.S. under-20 workforce within the Umbro Worldwide Cup event in England, the place the workforce completed fifth out of 24.
Though Haitian coaches are deeply accustomed to their gamers, many lack the superior coaching and worldwide expertise wanted to steer at the next stage, the supply mentioned. He believes Barone stands out as a result of he understands Haitian gamers and in addition brings useful world teaching expertise.
“He could make a distinction,” J.B. mentioned. “He values Haitian soccer. He loves the [ASC] gamers so much; they’re studying from him. He is aware of what he’s doing.”
J.B. added that one purpose Barone is desirous about teaching Haiti is the gamers themselves. Haitians are sometimes sooner and stronger than gamers from different nations, he mentioned, and with these pure talents, Haitian groups have the potential to perform what others can’t.
“It’s simpler for coaches to go to nations the place there are much less issues, however I’m going the place my father in heaven sends me to and if a health care provider will remedy wholesome individuals then he isn’t serving to. I’d wish to contribute with the little that I do know, I might help and make a distinction in Haitian soccer.”
Carlos Barone, ASC’s Head Coach
“I consider in Haitian gamers, I’m right here due to the expertise of the Haitian gamers,” Barone mentioned. “I’m very glad over right here, individuals are loving. It’s not the Haiti that folks within the U.S. are speaking about.”
Whereas they’re naturally gifted, Haitian gamers typically wrestle to place themselves successfully on the sphere or execute correct capturing methods. These two flaws have been holding again not solely Haitian golf equipment but additionally the nationwide groups as nicely.
Barone taught ASC’s gamers how one can place themselves and held a number of capturing drills. The gamers improved considerably below his reign, J.B. mentioned.
“He’s been taking his time to show us how one can place ourselves. I haven’t had too many coaches, however none of them actually did it the way in which he does,” Schneider Kernizan, a 20-year-old winger on mortgage from America des Cayes, mentioned. “We get together with him fairly nicely. I believe he’ll match on the nationwide workforce.”
Haiti completed final in its group on the Gold Cup in July with a file of zero wins, one draw and two losses, scoring solely two objectives. Head coach Migné confronted heavy criticism for his participant decisions. Les Grenadiers will start the ultimate spherical of World Cup qualifiers in September and are in the identical group as Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Followers and consultants broadly doubt Haiti will qualify below Migné.
FHF has but to answer to The Haitian Occasions’ e mail in search of feedback about Barone’s curiosity in teaching Haiti.
Barone lacks expertise with nationwide groups, had hopes of proving himself with ASC
Whereas Barone’s familiarity with Haitian gamers and his worldwide certification are thought of strengths, his restricted expertise on the nationwide stage is considered as a weak point. His solely expertise on that stage got here 21 years in the past, when he coached the U.S. under-20 workforce within the Umbro Worldwide Cup.
Barone had hoped to win the CFU Membership Protect with ASC, a victory that might have strengthened his case for Haiti’s head coach place. However with the membership now out of the event, that chance has slipped away.
Nonetheless, Barone stays hopeful that he’ll someday earn the place. And when he does, he mentioned, he doesn’t need to be simply one other coach who led Haiti—he needs to perform what has lengthy appeared out of attain: qualifying the nation for the World Cup.
“I really like the Haitian gamers, I really like the individuals, I stay in Haiti, in Cap-Haïtien so I do know the tradition,” Barone mentioned. “I don’t like to advertise myself however I might like to [coach Haiti] and I’ve the religion that I’ll qualify them for the World Cup. I’ll try this.”