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World Cup: There’s No Way Brazil Defeats a Union Midfielder and Penn Quaker at Lincoln Financial Field
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Haiti named its World Cup squad and there are two Philly connections:
Union midfielder Danley Jean-Jacques was a shoo-in. He’s been a key part of their spine since he debuted back in 2023 and has played 28 times for the national team.
The other connection is left back/winger Duke Lacroix, who grew up in New Egypt, NJ, which is up near Fort Dix. He played four years of college soccer at Penn and then started his pro career with the Ocean City Nor’Easters, who play at Carey Stadium right off the boardwalk between 5th and 6th streets. Duke is 32 now and has played for Indy Eleven, Orange County SC, Reno 1868, Charlotte Independence, Sacramento Republic, and now Colorado Springs Switchbacks. He is a U.S. native but eligible to play for Haiti through his parents, who are immigrants.
I don’t think he’s going to start at the World Cup, since Haiti has this guy Martin Experience playing left back for Nancy in the French second division. But you never know!
What’s important is that we get behind the local guys, who play Brazil at Lincoln Financial Field on Juneteenth. 8:30 p.m. start. This is gonna be a David vs. Goliath kind of thing, but this is not the Brazil of Cafu and Garrincha and Ronaldo. I think Danley needs to set the tone early by laying a crunching tackle on Casemiro. He needs to say “this is my house” in French. “C’est ma maison!” The Haitians bog down Brazil in a physical battle then Duke Lacroix comes off the bench in the second half to tap in the game winner after Seleção fail to clear a recycled corner kick in the box.
Haiti wins, 1-nil.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com