COUVA, Trinidad, TT (sentinel.ht) – With the defeat of Suriname on Friday, Haiti moved one match closer, two away, from earning the final spot in the Gold Cup 2017 tournament. They will have to defeat Trinidad and Tobago for the fifth-place Caribbean bid and Nicaragua to be the last among the 12 Gold Cup teams competing this summer.
The Grenadiers defeated Suriname [2 – 4] in the Caribbean Football Union sanctioned match on Friday. The Haitian victory came behind goals from Hérold (25′), Kisoor (42′), Désiré (48′) and Faerber (80′).
Haiti is scheduled to face Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, Trinidad. Two days earlier, on Wednesday, T&T fell to Suriname [2 – 0], yet their hopes are still alive.
Haiti could have clinched the seeding contest if not for the two goals allowed to Suriname. T&T believes they will have to play their best game to overcome a surging Haitian squad. Because of the point system, T&T can triumph with a two point or more spread win over Haiti.
The winner of this match will face the 5th place winner of the Central American Football Union (UNCAF), likely Nicaragua, for the 12th and final spot, in the 12-team Gold Cup tournament later in 2017.
Gold Cup 2017 Standings
| Teams | Qualification |
|---|---|
| USA | Automatic, North America |
| Canada | Automatic, North America |
| Mexico | Automatic, North America |
| Curacao | Caribbean Cup |
| French Guiana | Caribbean Cup |
| Jamaica | Caribbean Cup |
| Martinique | Caribbean Cup |
| Belize | 1st place, UNCAF Cup |
| Costa Rica | 2nd place, UNCAF Cup (Jan. 2017) |
| El Salvador | 3rd place, UNCAF Cup (Jan. 2017) |
| Honduras | 4th place, UNCAF Cup |
| TBD | Haiti or Trinidad & Tobago vs. Nicaragua |
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