Pi moun vle` jwe` fu`tbal.....

In Haiti: there is one sport. Soccer is the king, queen, prince, and princess of all athletics - fu`tbal. In every village, town, or city - at around 4:00pm chak jou apre midi - the sport is played and watched and celebrated.

In Haiti: A soccer field can be the community pasture, a dead-end alley, a clear spot of dirt pounded smooth by countless bare feet, a clean slab of concrete, or the immaculate pitch of a big city stadium. A soccer ball can be "real" fu`tbal, a basket ball, a volley ball, a beach ball, a tightly-wound sphere made from rags and string, or whatever is available.....

In Haiti: No one plays the "American-style" kick-and-run game, always trying for the long pass or fast break of hitting a home run on a Hail Mary attempt. No one plays the "European style" game - ball and time control play of endless long passes, continually moving the ball sideways or backwards - taking advantage of vast fields and endless patience of European fans.

In Haiti: Every one plays, a fast moving, athletic, ball-skill game of dribbling, juggling, feinting, chesting, heading, passing, and overall soccer mastery - always forcing the play forward, always performing some magic with your feet and hips and shoulders, all at the same time. The defense plays up, way up, always looking to trap the other team off-side or convert a steal into a quick counter-strike.

This photo shows a scene from a Haitian Boys Scout tournament (playing 5 v 5 "piton" small goal soccer) in the Lycee yard in Milot, 15 km south of Cap Haitian, the home of Palais Sans Souci and The Citadel. The two side curbs and over-hanging trees are in-play. There is a goalie but he can not use his hands to defend the 2 foot by 2 foot goal. This game had two 30 minute halves and was referred by mon ami, Ernest who teaches at the Lycee. Regulation time ended in a 1-1 tie, so it was determined by PENALTY KICKS, where each member of the team took a mid-field( i.e. mid-court) shot at the empty net. The white team won, 3 - 0, much to the approval of the 200 spectators who had gathered to watch, then join their heroes dancing on the turf/slab.

In Haiti: Everyone likes to dance in celebration and a soccer victory is alway a good reason for celebration.....