NYC Haiti manager Mervilus looks to 'rebuild' the club by rallying the Haitian soccer commun

NYC Haiti manager Gregory Mervilus alongside Evens Jean. Brooklyn Soccer Life Images

Powerclub NYC Haiti fell below their usual standard in the 2017 International FGSL season as the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Guinea 7-1.

The Haitian side was the Int'l FGSL titlist last season, as well as in 2013, and notably won the Cosmos Copa in 2012.

Haiti manager, Gregory Mervilus, is eager to reform his club back to their dazzling form of last year.

"I got to start back and rebuild it [NYC Haiti] again" Mervilus said.

"My resources are there. With 25 years of experience, I have to go back again from day one. Do I have the energy? No, I don't have it but I have the passion, I have the love for it still. I can always go back and do it. No one will stop me."

Mervilus' main aim in restoring the 2012 Cosmos Copa champions is to bring the Haitian soccer community in New York together.

"No one can beat us if everybody come together," he said. "I'm talking about fans, other clubs, managers, players. Who's going to stop Haiti?"

He later added: "This is the goal, that's my goal since day one to bring everybody together."

The 42-year-old had less than a week to reconstruct his side before the players go on the pitch again as Les Grenadiers will start their first season in the Copa de Naciones in Long Island against Panama on Friday at 9:40 p.m.

Mervilus mentioned that his side won the Cosmos Copa five years ago because they had "togetherness".

The Haitian native also expressed that NYC Haiti's early exit in the Int'l FGSL is because of the lack of unity. He made the claim that someone from a Haitian club in New Jersey told one of his players not to play for NYC Haiti in the quarter-final against Guinea-- Mervilus preferred not to say the name of the individual nor the club in New Jersey.

"When you have too many people who want you to fail, it's hard to put it [the club] together [..] Players playing in Jersey, I don't have control of that player," Mervilus said. "I have players right here in Brooklyn, other [Haitian] clubs say to them 'Aye you can't go play for me'.

He later added: "And then when you see me you're going to shake my hand 'Oh Gregory is a good guy, he's a good guy' and at the end of the day you're going to tell your players not to play for me. Not to play for Haiti. Not for me, not to play for Haiti. So when I get 7-1, what is that? I don't get 7-1, Haiti gets 7-1. You're embarrassing your own country."

Mervilus shared that the loss to Guinea is not the club's lowest point. He made reference to his side's 7-2 loss to NYC Senegal in the Cosmos Copa in 2011. The Haitian diasporas went on to winning the tournament the next season. Hence the manager is assured "the team will recover" from Sunday's 7-1 quarter-final loss.