Bulls Abroad: Derrick Etienne Jr. Gets Minutes for Haiti as Les Grenadiers Fall Out of Gold Cup

Derrick Etienne Jr got to see the field for the Haitian national team in the second leg of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification play-off with Nicaragua. Unfortunately, all he really got out of it was a front row ticket to Les Grenadiers' big collapse that dropped them out of the tournament.

Leading 3-1 on aggregate, Haiti only needed to avoid losing by two goals (or three if Haiti could grab an away goal) to clinch the final spot in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. And through the first half they seemed poised to do just that, holding Nicaragua to a 0-0 halftime score.

In the 55th minute, with the game still scoreless, Red Bulls forward Derrick Etienne Jr - the youngest member of the Haiti national team roster - was subbed in for Kervens Belfort.

Sadly, Haiti could not hold off Nicaragua forever, and in the 85th minute Nicaragua winger Juan Barrera went berserk - scoring three goals in the span of six minutes to give his team the stunning victory over Haiti and sending Nicaragua to the big tournament this summer.

Had Haiti won, they would have been placed in Group B alongside the USMNT, Panama and Martinique - which would have placed Derrick Etienne Jr in the same group, potentially, as New York Red Bulls teammates Sacha Kljestan (USMNT) and Michael Amir Murillo (Panama).

Instead, Etienne will watch the Gold Cup on TV. NIcaragua meanwhile will be celebrating for a while, understandably.