🇰🇳 Why Saint Kitts and Nevis' WCQ run goes beyond soccer
53,000 people, one goal + Your second round preview
Saint Kitts and Nevis is a tiny country. With around 53,000 people, it’s dwarfed by most U.S. suburbs. Just six United Nations member states are smaller.
Yet, when the Saint Kitts and Nevis national team lines up Saturday in the second round of World Cup qualification, looking for a spot in the Octagonal, it will carry the hopes and dreams of those 53,000 just as El Salvador carries those of its 6 million+ residents.
Moving into the final round “would be a great achievement,” captain Julani Archibald told me this week. “Not just for me and my teammates, but for the whole country, the whole nation of Saints Kitts and Nevis, even the younger generation, who's watching the, moment they will be inspired to know that just because we are a small nation, we can still go out and compete with the bigger nations.”
SKN’s run to the second round was impressive, beating Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and Guyana. Three wins from three matches and results elsewhere meant Archibald, the No. 1 goalkeeper, defender and all-time caps leader Thrizen Leader and forward Keithroy Freeman resting for Tuesday’s match against Trinidad and Tobago with the spot in the second round secured and that trio sitting on yellow cards that meant they would’ve risked suspension for the critical matches against El Salvador.
Those veteran players will be back in the XI to face the squad and, while fans aren’t in the stadium because of COVID protocols on the islands, Archibald said they’re feeling the support from their neighbors.
“The whole nation is happy for us,” he said. “Every time it's game day leading up to the game everyone is asking how the guys are doing. The fans watch and they are proud.
“They keep lending their support, since the first game against Puerto Rico to the last game against Trinidad which just gone a few days ago. So, the support has been exceptional.”
Archibald will be a critical piece if SKN is going to push through as the smallest country every to make Concacaf’s final round of qualifying, but he has experience against the type of playing style La Selecta employ.
His pro career started in Trinidad and Tobago after a Saint Kitts teammates recommended him to W Connection on the island. After his time there ran out, Archibald found work in Honduras in 2019, impressing with Real de Minas despite having to navigate the language barrier.
Archibald watched as first Akil Byron stepped aside and allowed him to assume the No. 1 role and later as Atiba Harris announced his international retirement, leading to the 30-year-old taking the captain’s armband for most matches. That responsibility is an “overwhelming feeling” he said, but with the intimate nature of the country, Archibald said the entire national team feels they are playing for something bigger than themselves.
“We are ambassadors, and whether I wear the captain's band or not, I just try to show that we are all leaders when we step on a field or off the field,” he said. “We have to represent ourselves, represent our nation because it's our family or friends we’re representing, at home and abroad.”
In this era, the international game can seem like just another cog in the machine. Look no further than the Copa America where it feels that greedy officials are conspiring with politicians trying to make more cash, player health and fan safety be damned.
Saint Kitts and Nevis serve as a reminder that these players are the best the country has to offer and go out with a knowledge that what they do will affect people they know and care about.
They’ve already boasted morale in the country and now have the dual islands behind them. If they can do the unthinkable against El Salvador (FIFA ranking 69 to SKN’s 135), they’ll turn many more heads and earn lots of new fans.
Your second round preview
Kickoff times are in in Central Time and, as you can see, overlap! Right now, it’s scheduled to get even worse on the final day:
Logistics are still complicated, and teams are setting their own times here. That said, it would’ve been great to see some pressure (or see some pressure pay off) exerted toward allowing people to watch all three games.
I don’t think it’s just soccer nerds or readers of this newsletter, either. There is genuine interest around the region in who makes it to the final round of qualification. You’ll have to get a three-screen setup going on Tuesday to have any idea, which can make it pretty hard to see how one individual team is actually playing and what threats they might pose.
So what will we see in the matches?
You can see above the confidence Saint Kitts and Nevis feels, but Saturday’s game will be critical. Not only is La Selecta finding its rhythm under Hugo Perez, with new additions Eriq Zavaleta and Josh Perez already integrating well with the group and scoring goals, it will be difficult to beat them at home in front of their fans. SKN has some quality pieces in attack, and how aggressive manager Leo Neiva wants to be could dictate the tie.
Canada goes into the match with Haiti as heavy favorites, except there are the demons of the 2019 Gold Cup quarterfinal which they need to exorcise. That was the match in which John Herdman’s men went into the halftime break with a 2-0 lead and came out with a 3-0 loss.
This is a different Haiti squad, though Duckens Nazon is still leading the line and Johny Placide still defends the goal, but in many ways it’s the same Canada, only much better. Alphonso Davies is now a UEFA Champions League winner, Jonathan David is a Ligue 1 champ, even some of the more veteran players are taking things to another level. I’m increasingly convinced watching Canada that not only will the Reds get through this round, but they' have a real shot at getting through the next as well.
Curacao and Panama is the most tightly contested series in my mind. Curacao’s scoreless draw against Guatemala raises concerns. It’s the first time in years we’ve seen the Curacao attack look as stifled as it did, and again I think the key is springing Juninho Bacuna free higher up the field. That said, it also was an assured defensive performance, and while Panama’s attackers are a level or two above Guatemala’s (players from Pumas and Copa Libertadores squads start rather than a forward from NISA), they could have difficulty finding the back of the net. I’m expecting a few twists and turns in this one, so maybe it’s the series neutral viewers should prioritize.
Enjoy the games this weekend, we’ll talk next week. Don’t forget you can subscribe to the premium edition to get #MexicoMonday insights on El Tri plus the Conca-catch-up, in which we’ll discuss Ronald Gonzalez’s firing as Costa Rica coach and anything you may have missed from around the region: