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Haiti have only ever appeared once at the World Cup, but they have taken full advantage of the fact that the three strongest nations in CONCACAF qualifying did not take part due to them being host nations. So for the first time since 1974, they will be facing the world’s best at the greatest stage. They lost all three games that year, scoring just two goals and conceding fourteen. By FIFA Rankings, they are the second lowest ranked side in the entire tournament, yet they topped their qualifying group, finishing ahead of Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. They won their group in League B in the Nations League, but will make the short journey to America on the back of a disappointing Gold Cup campaign in which they finished bottom of their group with USA, Saudi Arabia and Trinidad & Tobago. Despite being underdogs, they will face some high profile teams, and many eyes will be on their progression.
Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
25 year old Isidor has been a constant feature in the Sunderland side that had a storming first season back in the top flight. Originally born in France, he represented France at U17, U18, U19 and U20 level, but in March of this year, he committed himself to representing Haiti internationally at senior level, and first appeared for the side in the series of international friendlies in the same month. One of two players to feature in the Premier League this season, Isidor will be the target man for an inexperienced Haitian side and his performances will surely be the difference between whether Haiti can score or pick up their first ever points in the World Cup.
