Sporting Kansas City midfielder Soni Mustivar was named to the Haiti Men’s National Team’s 23-player roster for the 2016 Copa America Centenario on Saturday.
Mustivar has joined Haiti following Saturday’s MLS regular season match between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake. Haiti will face Colombia in a friendly on May 29 at Marlins Park in Miami before making its debut Copa America appearance against Peru on June 4 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
"This is an opportunity that many of us dream about," Mustivar said. "To represent Haiti at Copa America is an honor and I look forward to competing against the top teams in our region."
The Copa America Centenario is a prestigious international tournament featuring 16 nations from CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean). The competition, headlined by the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, is a celebration of the 100th anniversary of CONMEBOL and the Copa America. This summer’s tournament, held across 10 U.S. cities from June 3-26, will be the first edition played outside of South America.
The Haiti Men’s National Team, No. 71 in the latest FIFA rankings, was drawn into Group B with Peru (No. 46), Brazil (No. 7) and Ecuador (No. 12). After kicking off their Copa America campaign vs. Peru, Les Grenadiers will meet perennial powerhouse Brazil on June 8 in Orlando and Ecuador on June 12 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
A dual citizen of Haiti and France, Mustivar has earned 11 caps for Haiti since 2013. He has made three international appearances in 2016, including two FIFA World Cup qualifiers and a playoff win over Trinidad and Tobago in January that secured Haiti’s berth in Copa America Centenario. Mustivar represented France at the under-20 level during the 2009 Mediterranean Games.
Mustivar, 26, joined Sporting Kansas City ahead of the 2015 season and was named the club’s Co-Defender of the Year in October. Last year he led MLS with more than six interceptions per 90 minutes played and boasted a 15-5-6 record as a starter across all competitions. The defensive midfielder has played eight matches for Sporting Kansas City in 2016, starting in all but one of the club’s five victories.
HAITI ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS: Johnny Placide (Reims), Steward Ceus (Minnesota United), Luis Valendi Odelus (Aigle Noir)
DEFENDERS: Jean Sony Alcenat (Voluntari), Judelin Aveska (Atletico Uruguay), Reginal Goreaux (Standard Liege), Kim Jaggy (Aarau), Alex Junior Christian (Vila Real), Mechak Jerome (Jacksonville Armada), Romain Genevois (Nice), Stephane Lambese (PSG)
MIDFIELDERS: Jean Alexandre (Fort Lauderdale Strikers), Max Hilaire (Cholet), Soni Mustivar (Sporting Kansas City), James Marcelin (Carlona Railhawks), Pascal Millien (Jacksonville Armada), Sony Norde (Mohun Bagan), Kevin Lafrance (Chrobry Glogow)
FORWARDS: Kervens Belfort (1461 Trabzon), Duckens Nazon (Laval), Jeff Louis (Caen), Jean-Eudes Maurice (Sai Gon), Wilde-Donald Guerrier (Wisla Krakow)
