NYC Haiti sweeps past seven-man Guinea 5-1

NYC Haiti midfielder Stephano running down the wing as Steve Louis muscles a Guinea player. Brooklyn Soccer Life Images

Game report

NYC Haiti cruised past a short-handed Guinea team 5-1 on Sunday afternoon at Old Boys and Girls high school with two goals from Harold Milord and a goal from Tilme Wilson, Ronald Leandre and Stephano each.

This match was the Haitians' last game of the regular season. They will face Guinea again in the quarter-finals on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Guniea started the encounter with eight players and was later brought down to seven in the seventh minute when their keeper fouled Haiti's winger Jeff outside the box.

Les Grenadiers scored their first goal in the 14th minute as Tilme Wilson tapped Nedgy Nazon's low-cross in the net from the six-yard box.

The Haitian immigrants netted again the following minute as Leandre hit Jeff's low-cross to the bottom left corner of the net from inside the box to score his first goal of the season.

NYC Haiti tripled their lead in the 18th minute with unarguably the best goal of the game. Milord switched the ball from the middle of the pitch to an open Stephano on the left flank. Stephano neatly controlled the ball before whipping a jawdropping shot from about 30-yard out to the upper right corner of the net.

Stephano netted a 30-yard shot to put NYC Haiti up 3-0. Brooklyn Soccer Life Images

The FGSL champions gave a goal away three minutes later. Rolin Andre hit an aerial pass back to his keeper, Frandy Montrevil. Montrevil chested the ball but was later tackled by a Guinean forward, who then rushed a shot in the empty net.

Haiti reinforced their three-goal lead half an hour inside the second half through Milord's penalty kick. The Haitian diasporas were rewarded the spot kick because a Guinean defender saved Kimberly Francois' shot with his hand.

Milord netted his second goal just a minute after his first one. The former Haiti international beat his opponents' high offside trap to control Francois' through ball before tucking the ball in the lower right corner of the net.

Player's voice: Harold Milord (2 goals, 1 assist)

Former Haiti international Harold Milord is satisfied with the win but feels that his side should've scored more goals.

NYC Haiti defender Harold Milord in his days with Haiti's national team.

"I'm satisfied with the win, any win is a win, even though the other team had less players it's the win that counts," the converted defender said.

"Even though it took us a long time to put the game away, I'm satisfied. We were supposed to win the game early on, we were supposed to be up by at least five or six goals since the first half because Guinea were playing with eight players."

Milord scored two goals as a defender--one from a penalty and the other from the run of play. The 35-year-old explained how he scored his second goal by beating Guinea's offside trap.

"It looks difficult when a team with 11 players is playing against a team with eight players," he said. "I said it looks hard because the players have to be smart to get to the goal without being caught offside so they can score.

"I can read the game and I understand it so I went wide and I pushed up and scored."

NYC Haiti starts their playoff run on Sunday against Guinea. Milord expressed that the team needs to improve for the playoffs and needs to go into the games with a constant starting XI. However he's confident that his side can win the league again this season.

"We have players to win the league again," the former Ligue Haitienne player said. "We need to include them in our system of play so they can help the team score fast, defend and elaborate our game so we can move the ball well. I think we can succeed and win back-to-back championships."

Three key notes

1. A tight topscorer race: four players are tied for the top of NYC Haiti's scoring sheet with two goals: Fritzson Jean-Baptiste, Yvener Guerrier, Tilme Wilson and Harold Milord. Six players stand behind them with a goal.

2. Wilson came back after a three month absence: Tilme Wilson played his first game for Haiti since opening day against Nigeria on April 23rd. Wilson netted a goal against Nigeria and against Guinea and now leads the team in scoring.

3. A knack for scoring: Haiti scored in each of their last five games, tallying 12 goals. They're the second best scoring team with 16 goals behind Guyana's 21.