CAP-HAÏTIEN — In September 2023, Haiti faced a key CONCACAF Nations League match against regional rival Jamaica. With star forwards Duckens Nazon and Frantzdy Pierrot unavailable and youth-level coach Gabriel Calderon at the helm, Haiti seemed doomed. But then-22-year-old Louicius Don Deedson — a little-known winger playing in Denmark’s top flight — scored twice early in the match, lifting Haiti to a surprising 2-2 draw and announcing his arrival as a national team standout. Deedson controlled a long ball with his chest before firing a low shot into the net to give Haiti a 1-0 lead just 11 minutes into the match. He scored again three minutes later, guiding a low shot into the net. Haiti ultimately finished the game with a 2–2 draw against their Caribbean rivals. After this game, the winger started getting more playing time and quickly became one of the team’s stars and most promising young players. Deedson now wears Haiti’s Number 10 jersey. One thing was holding Deedson’s young career back: he was playing in an unpopular league, the Danish league. That changed four days ago. Major League Soccer (MLS) side F.C. Dallas signed Port-au-Prince native Deedson from Odense Boldklub (OB) on a three-year deal on July 18—through 2028 with options in 2029 and 2030. This presents an excellent opportunity for Deedson to advance his career in a more competitive league. The Haitian national team has rarely had a talented winger consistently shine in the MLS, entertaining fans and strengthening Haiti’s presence in the league. At just 24 years old and with talent flowing effortlessly, Deedson could change that if he succeeds with Dallas, making his signing even more vital for Haiti and himself. Fafà Picault, of Inter Miami, missed the chance to become a Haitian national star winger in the MLS. When he was getting consistent playing time in the U.S. top league during the 2010s, he chose to play for the U.S., not Haiti. Now that Picault has switched, representing Haiti at the end of his career, he is struggling to get minutes with a star-studded Miami club. More Haitian pikliz needed in MLS With Deedson joining the ranks of F.C. Dallas, the MLS has four Haitian players in total now and the only one who has been performing well and getting a significant amount of playing time lately is central midfielder Danley Jean-Jacques. Jean-Jacques has recorded two goals and three assists for Philadelphia Union this season. If Deedson leaves his footprint in Dallas, he would add a much-needed Haitian excellence in the league because various Haitian players before him flopped. The table below highlights Haitian national players’ stats in the MLS this season. Stardom in Dallas should not be beyond the Haitian Don’s reach Breaking into Dallas’ roster should not be considered difficult for Deedson since the team does not have a consistently performing right winger. Some of the wingers they have used so far this season include Anderson Julio, Logan Farrington, Patrickson Delgado, Pedrinho and Bernard Kamungo. None has scored more than five goals or tallied more than five assists this season. F.C. Dallas’ star player is its center forward, Petar Musa, who leads the team in goals and assists, collecting 11 and five, respectively. The club’s head coach, Eric Quill, has been consistently shifting his players’ positions and changing his formation. At times, he does not play with traditional wingers, which could hinder Deedson. In his last six games, Quill started with formations like 3-4-3, 3-4-3, 4-4-2, 4-2-1-2, 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1. The team is struggling this season, sitting 13th in the Western Conference standings with a 6W-7D-10L record. Deedson has the task of helping to boost the team so it can qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs after falling short last season. Dallas likely signed Deedson after his performance in the Gold Cup in June. During Haiti’s three matches in the tournament, the Port-au-Prince native showcased his speed, agility, dribbling and scoring ability, including a goal against the U.S. Prior to the Gold Cup, Deedson scored 15 goals and provided 10 assists over two seasons with OB. He contributed to the team’s promotion from Denmark’s second division to the top flight—Danish Superliga—last season. In its next match, Dallas will host New York City F.C. at Toyota Stadium. Deedson could make his first-ever MLS appearance and start a notable career in Dallas. If he doesn’t succeed, he might become yet another Haitian flop in the MLS, like Alexandre Boucicault, James Marcelin, Peterson Joseph, Peguero Jean-Philippe and Fabrice Noël, among others. First two Haitian names in the MLS Before the aforementioned players, two well-known Haitian national team stars—Patrick Stanley Tardieu and Sebastien Vorbe—played for the MLS after its 1993 inception. Although players before him had played in defunct and lower-division American leagues, forward Tardieu became the first Haitian to don the shirt of an MLS team, joining the New England Revolution in 1996. He ended up featuring in just five games as a substitute—scoring no goals and providing no assists. The second Haitian player to join the MLS after Tardieu was midfielder Sebastien Vorbe, the nephew of Philippe Vorbe—another midfielder and Haitian soccer legend who played in the 1974 World Cup in Germany for Haiti. The younger Vorbe, then 24, signed a one-year contract as a discovery player on April 25, 2000, from Haitian Division One club Violette AC, to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy. As has often been the case, the LA Galaxy noticed Vorbe on the international stage for Haiti during a qualifying tournament in Los Angeles and the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup in Miami. After joining the LA Galaxy, he made 19 appearances for them during the 2000-2001 season, starting in 10 games and scoring four goals.