Two Days Out: Grenadiers Carry a Nation Into Boston

Forty-eight hours before Haiti's opening Group C fixture against Scotland at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough (Saturday, June 13, 21:00 ET, FS1), the Grenadiers enter the final stretch of their pre-tournament cycle with momentum and a clear emotional mandate.

Haiti's two warm-up matches told a confident story. On June 2, the squad dismantled New Zealand 4-0 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale — Ruben Providence (12'), Lenny Joseph (51'), Frantzdy Pierrot (62'), and Duke Lacroix (87') all on the scoresheet, with Wilson Isidor earning an assist. Four different scorers from four different leagues: a snapshot of the squad's breadth. Haiti then faced Peru on June 5 at Nu Stadium in Miami, completing their pre-tournament preparation unbeaten across both friendlies.

Off the pitch, Haitian airline Sunrise Airways confirmed on June 5 its official partnership with the FHF as the national team's airline partner for the tournament — a rare piece of institutional backing for a program that has long operated under constraint.

The squad, finalized on May 15, is built around captain Johny Placide (38, SC Bastia), top scorer Duckens Nazon (Esteghlal), Premier League pair Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (Wolverhampton) and Wilson Isidor (Sunderland), and a 26-man group drawn from 12 countries and leagues. Coach Sébastien Migné has never set foot in Haiti due to the security situation — yet he has assembled the nation's most consequential squad in 52 years.

Group C standings are level at zero across Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. Everything begins Saturday night.