Guadeloupe the country of Henry of Arsenal
Haiti - great soccer nation, with very little financial support
Major League Soccer: News: Article
The Haitians come to the Gold Cup bearing few past honors; their Caribbean Cup triumph in January was their first in that competition. Haiti's glory days came in the early 1970s, when they were the runners-up in the 1971 CONCACAF Campeonato de Naciones -- the precursor to the Gold Cup -- and reached their only World Cup finals in 1974.
Guadeloupe's soccer tradition is even shorter, almost to the point of being non-existent. As a French territory, the Caribbean archipelago's claim to football fame has been providing players to the French national team. Defender Lilian Thuram was born in Guadeloupe, as was Arsenal forward Thierry Henry's father.
This year's Gold Cup is the first-ever international competition Guadeloupe will take part in. Because Guadeloupe is a department of France, it is not recognized by FIFA as a separate association and therefore, even if it wins, it cannot represent CONCACAF at the FIFA World Club Championship in December.
CONCACAF -HAITI
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