After giving up a heartbreaking goal in the 60th minute of their first-ever Copa America match, Haiti fell to Peru 1-0 last Saturday. Sporting KC’s Soni Mustivar did not feature. Today, Haiti aims to overcome powerhouse Brazil to maintain a chance at advancing beyond the group stage of the tournament. The Group B matchup will air at 6:30 p.m. CT on FS1 and Univision.
It’s no secret that Haiti enters tonight’s match as the underdogs, with the Caribbean team ranked 74th compared to Brazil’s 7th. And Brazil is no stranger to the tournament, having participated since its inception in 1916, while the 2016 Centenario marks the first time Haiti has qualified for the competition in its history.
What’s more, the teams have a lopsided history in favor of Brazil. Though they’ve only gone head-to-head twice in the past, Brazil claims a 10-0 combined lead over the Group B last place nation in those two competitions, with Haiti most recently falling 6-0 in 2004.
But Brazil’s successful past against Haiti hasn’t gone to the Copa veterans’ heads. In a recent interview with Major League Soccer, Brazilian defender Marquinhos warned against underestimating an opponent.
“We need to have our feet on the ground [versus Haiti],” explained the right back. “We need to respect our opponent and know that nothing is given to us just because we are the Seleção. We need to perform and we need to earn all the points we get.”
“There are no such things as an ‘easy game’ in the Copa America,” continued Marquinhos. “We are focused on getting a positive result versus a Haiti team that played very well versus Peru.”
GROUP B STANDINGS
<strong>Team</strong> |
<strong>Points</strong> |
<strong>W-L-T</strong> |
<strong>GF / GA</strong> |
Peru |
3 |
1-0-0 |
1 / 0 |
Brazil |
1 |
0-0-1 |
0 / 0 |
Ecuador |
1 |
0-0-1 |
0 / 0 |
Haiti |
0 |
0-1-0 |
0 / 1 |
