For Haitians in the US, the pride and joy of the World Cup comes with fear

New York — Fifty-two years separated Haiti’s last two World Cup goals from the two scored against Morocco on Wednesday. For 52-year-old Murielle Lodvil, the wait spanned her entire lifetime. She was one of the many watching from the pockets of New York’s Little Haiti, where bars and restaurants fell quiet as fans watched the match unfold on screens before it burst into further chaos: an equaliser, a goal and then another equaliser in the frantic first half. Recommended Stories list of 4 items end of list Haiti went into the last group match with Morocco with elimination already sealed, after losing to both Scotland and Brazil in Group C. Haiti would concede twice more, but the result did little to diminish the occasion for Murielle. As a birthday gift to herself, she bought tickets for her and 41-year-old sister, Barbara Albert, to watch Haiti face Brazil last week. “That is why Haiti participating on this world stage was so special to me,” she said. “Every moment of this experience counts, ending with two goals, even with the outcome.” Ms Albert said the experience at the Brazil match underscored the pride many supporters felt simply seeing Haiti return to the World Cup stage. “The representation was really good. We’re proud of our Haitian community. We really showed up for them,” she said. The sense of pride was also visible at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York last Wednesday. …