MIAMI - It was another surprise in CONCACAF Gold Cup Group A play as Haiti and Costa Rica tied 1-1 Saturday.
Walter Centeno's goal was not enough to give Costa Rica three much-needed points, as former Chicago Fire midfielder Alexandre Boucicaut tied the match up for Haití.
Haití played a physical game, earning two yellow cards in the first half hour of the match. Costa Rica retaliated, also picking up two yellow cards in under 30 minutes.
Centeno, as on match day one, became the leader of the midfield and controlled the tempo of the game. With the help of Alvaro Saborio and Rolando Fonseca, Centeno managed to create some fantastic chances for Costa Rica, and in the 32nd minute the trio came up with the best play of the first half.
Centeno spearheaded a great counterattack, dribbling past Haiti defenders Stephane Guillaume and Frantz Gilles with one swift move. Then, with four Costa Rica attackers against three defenders, Centeno found Saborio on the right unmarked. Saborio crossed for Fonseca, who jumped over Jean-Jacques Pierre and headed the ball perfectly but straight at the left post.
As the first half came to a close, Costa Rica pressured on the Haitian defense. The Ticos' attacks were continuous, first Centeno on a one-on-one play against Fenelon, then Andres Nuñez on a long-range shot and, finally, Fonseca on a header. But the score remained even.
Haiti came out of the locker room after the half looking to attack. Boucicaut decided to make a run on his own and he almost cashed in on the effort. He ran down the left side of Haiti's attack and into the box, but when he tried to make a cut and find an angle for a shot, Costa Rica defender Jervis Drummond cleared the ball out.
It didn't take long for the Ticos to ramp up their attack; by the ninth minute of the second half Costa Rica had already taken three shots that could have ended up in the back of the net.
First it was Fonseca with a shot from the top of the box and then, perhaps on the biggest scare for the Haitian fans who came to see their national team play at the Orange Bowl, Michael Barrantes saw Gabart Fenelon off his line and tried to chip the ball over him from 40 yards out. The Haitian goalkeeper had to run backwards and deflect the ball out of bounds.
Finally, in the 60th minute, Costa Rica saw all their efforts rewarded when Centeno managed to nail one from the top of the box. With an assist from Saborio, he drove it low and close to Fenelon's right post to put Costa Rica up 1-0.
But only 10 minutes later, the Haitian fans at the Orange Bowl found a reason to celebrate when Boucicaut scored the 1-1. Gilles could take a lot of the credit for the play, since he found a small breach in the Costa Rica defense and Boucicaut simply came from behind to tuck it home.
Between some messy and ineffective attacks by Costa Rica, and very few counterattacks from Haití, the match wound to a close without the Ticos being able to score the second goal they were so desperate for.
Alfonso Duro is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
