Midfielder Soni Mustivar and Haiti continue their World Cup qualifying campaign on Friday against Costa Rica. We caught up with Jon Arnold of Goal.com to preview the match and assess Haiti's outlook in a difficult qualifying group.
Jonathon Feyerherm: Haiti are in Group B in the fourth round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying with Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Panama. What are your thoughts on this group and Haiti's chances to advance to the next round?
Jon Arnold: I think when you look at the three groups, this is for sure the most difficult. In the other groups, you have at least one team who can be considered a minnow. I think that Haiti has the worst chances of any of the four teams of advancing to the hex but with that said, part of the reason this is a tough group is because of them. Haiti's done a good job the last couple years of keeping the same core of players and the same style from match to match. They're a growing a team.Looking at this group, I think Costa Rica has to be the favorite, Jamaica was the second place team in the Gold Cup, and then you have Panama who was the closest team to not make the World Cup in the last cycle and finished third place in the Gold Cup.
JF: What do you think of Soni Mustivar and the impact/role he can play for Haiti?
JA: I think one of the things he brings to the Haitian National Team, in addition to his defensive abilities, but he's pretty good at getting things forward and distributing to their quick attacking players. He provides not only a bit of grit in the middle but also the danger of springing a counter attack. I think that's something they'll need because in these matches they're not going to have the run of play against a team like Costa Rica, Jamaica or Panama.
JF: Against the three other sides, do you see Haiti relying more on a counterattacking style?
JA: The formula doesn't change in that if you can win at home and draw on the road, you're going to advance to the next round. Especially on the road, I think you're going to see Haiti line up defensively. At Port-au-Prince maybe they'll open up a bit more because they have guys playing in Europe. I don't think you'll necessarily see them bunker, especially at home where they'll try to go for a couple games. Against Costa Rica, I'd expect them be defensive but not a complete bunker.
