USA vs. Haiti
2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
July 10 | 8:30 pm ET | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, N.E.
TV: Fox Sports 1, UniMás, UDN in US, Sportsnet World in Canada
The US national team continues their quest for back-to-back Gold Cup trophies with a match against Haiti on Friday night. The US are coming off a 2-1 win over an energetic Honduras side while Haiti were surprisingly able to come away with a draw against Panama.
REBOUND NEEDED: Yes, the USA got the win against Honduras, but it wasn't pretty. Honduras looked like the more dangerous team for much of the game on Tuesday night, and the US needed two set-piece goals from Clint Dempsey to earn all three points. Can they rebound against Haiti's perceived weaker side?
RIGHT BACK WOES: One area where USMNT looked particularly weak is at right back. Timothy Chandler played a rough game along the backline, having trouble defending the dangerous Andy Najar while also struggling to maintain possession for his team throughout the game. He was eventually replaced by Brad Evans in the 63rd minute and we could see the Seattle Sounders defender start on Friday night.
JOZY ANCESTRY: This will be Jozy Altidore's first game against Haiti. It is meaningful because Altidore's whole family is from the Caribbean country and he grew up eating Haitian food, watching Haitian televison, and listening to Haitian radio. Altidore's family will most certainly be rooting for the US, but there will likely be a small piece in their heart rooting for the Haitian upstarts.
2009 REPEAT: Back in the 2009 Gold Cup, the US faced off against Haiti. The Stars & Stripes found themselves down 2-1 to Haiti in extratime before a Stuart Holden golazo allowed the US to salvage a draw. That roster was not the "A" team, as Bob Bradley's squad had just come off a run to the finals in the Confederations Cup, but it's something for US fans to keep in mind.
Two CONCACAF teams dominate the Gold Cup: the United States and Mexico. Read our interactive presentation about five matches that helped shaped soccer in the region.
