Bulls Abroad: Derrick Etienne has declined Haiti call-up

The rumor was out shortly after Derrick Etienne was named to Haiti's long-list for its upcoming CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers:

Derrick Etienne di Li pap jwe pou Ayiti. !!!

Hmmmm.....

— Discussion Football (@DiscusFootball) August 27, 2016

DERRICK DIT NON À HAITI. QUI SONT LES COUPABLES: NEVEU? FHF ? STAFF MEDICAL ?LUNDI 8HAM SUR https://t.co/ZxxPTHdoK5 pic.twitter.com/9rI4FR09Fq

— TOTALMIX2010 (@totalmix2014) August 27, 2016

It was confirmed by the Haitian Football Federation in a Facebook post explaining why the senior men's national team squad currently comprises only 18 players: Derrick Etienne has declined the call to join Les Grenadiers for the forthcoming September internationals.

The FHF cites "pressure from their club and their federation" as the reason why the New York Red Bulls' Etienne and New England Revolution's Zachary Herivaux turned down the invitation to join Haiti this time around.

Both Etienne and Herivaux are eligible to represent the USA, though neither has appeared to have caught the attention of US Soccer's youth national team selectors.

There are an extraordinary number of players unavailable to the FHF for Haiti's September internationals. Etienne is by no means the exception. The decision to turn down this particular call-up need not be interpreted as a decision to turn down a senior international career with Les Grenadiers. But he won't be starting any such career this September.