Euclid and Chad Bertrand: Two Brothers, One Mission to take Dominica to World Cup 2022
Kervin Charles remembers both men when they were boys growing up in the community of Dublanc.
As children, Charles and the village boys would create a wall with their bodies to shield Euclid “Boots” Bertrand as he stowed away to play football with them. They would hurdle together on what used to be a bridge, while “Boots” would creep across the field so he was not seen by his father. The moment his father caught him playing, he would yell “Euclid!” and motion with his finger to head home.
“I don’t even know why his father didn’t want him to play,” says Charles, who is currently the President of the Dublanc Football Sports Club. “Boots is a talented sportsman,” he adds.
“If we had 11 Chads and 11 Euclids, I think we would win” - Rajesh Latchoo
Euclid and his younger brother Chad “Rusty” Bertrand hope that their training and natural-born talent can help them take the Dominica National Football team to the World Cup. The Dominican team officially entered training camp earlier this month and will head to the Dominican Republic on March 22, 2021 to play two games that will determine the fate of the team.
“If we had 11 Chads and 11 Euclids, I think we would win,” says Rajesh Latchoo, the national head coach for the men’s senior national team. “They are the epitome of heart, hard work and talent, when somebody says they’re giving 110 per cent, that is Chad and Boots.”
For the brothers, this could be their last chance at the World Cup and it is their mission to make it. Both men have been playing football since they were very young. To their family and friends, it seems like a lifetime ago. Most professional footballers' careers last around eight to 10 years and they usually retire by age thirty-five but the Bertrand brothers show no signs of retiring. Chad, a midfielder is 34-years old and Euclid, who plays center defence, maybe one of the world’s oldest active footballers at the age of 46.
Coach Latchoo calls Chad “the machine” on the field. “He is a reliable player, if the football field was a vehicle, Chad is the engine,” says Latchoo. “As for Euclid, maybe the Bertrand gene, I don’t know, but there is something in the gene that allows the Dominican players to last longer.”
To both men, football is a way of life, it is part of their DNA, it's their culture. They both hail from the village of Dublanc. Although a small community where most residents are fishermen and farmers, Dublanc has produced local icons such as cricketers Grayson and Shane Shillingford who both played sports internationally. Dublanc has also produced some of the most competitive sports teams on the island.
“You see Dublanc is a place, when they tell you it is football, Dublanc likes to win,” says Christabel Bertrand, Euclid’s mother. “Everybody comes to support, Dublanc is a sports community.”
Christabel enjoys attending the games in the village to watch her son, Euclid play. “Imagine when I was pregnant with him, they think I was having twins because of the size of my stomach,” recalls Christabel. “But it was one boy, he was a long baby,” she laughs. She remembers him playing football on the field as a young child. Euclid had been handed down a pair of boots that were too big for him. He would have to tie it down so it didn’t leave his feet. That is how he got the name “Boots”. “When he didn’t pay the bus like if he would get a ride, he would collect that money,” says Christabel. He would save enough money to later purchase a new pair of boots.
Euclid “Boots” Bertrand. Photo Credit / CCCU Dublanc Facebook
Euclid, the father of five attended primary school in Dublanc and later he went on to the Isaiah Thomas Secondary School in St. Joseph. He excelled in school, particularly in football and was awarded a football scholarship to study at Lindenwood University in the United States in 2000. He returned to Dominica seven years later with a degree in International Studies and French as well as a world of experience, including playing with professional soccer teams like Bouler Rapids Reserve USL and trying out for the Colorado Rapids MLS.
“I did a lot of things there [America] including managing music band tours but I was afraid a lot,” says Euclid. As a practicing Rastaman, he has a head of locs. His appearance and ethnicity made him an easy target and he was constantly harassed by the police while in the U.S. “I was afraid that one day I would get angry and get killed.” After being stopped over five times in one week, Euclid had enough and packed his bags and returned to Dominica. He would take on self-employment as a fisherman, carpenter and doing construction work. “I just wanted to play football and being able to just do my own thing, gave me time for the sport.”
“Rusty is a replica of Boots,” Charles announces.
Chad “Rusty” Bertrand. Photo Credit / CCCU Dublanc FC Facebook
Chad or “Rusty” as he is affectionately called, made the local Dublanc team at the tender age of 13. He later accompanied the team to play a Concacaf Club championship game in Antigua. People flocked into the team’s locker room following the game to find out who this wonder-boy in the oversized jersey was.
Upon completing highschool Chad went on to work in construction. “My uncle is where I learned the skill of construction, it was a good thing to pick up,” he smiles. He also does fishing on the weekend, following in his big brother’s footsteps with sports always on the forefront. He made the National Cricket Team as a teenager and had the opportunity to play for a professional team in Guadeloupe. “I tried my best to play semi-pro but it didn’t turn out that way and the opportunity came late, I was already 32.”
Although the brothers were not raised together, they both demonstrate devotion to the game of football but their true character lies in their love, respect and devotion to each other and the people around them.
“Euclid is someone the entire team looks up to, he gives us advice even with our personal lives,” says Chad. “He always tells me to try to be faithful in relationships, I look up to him a lot .”
The brothers are highly respected amongst the other players on the team. Euclid volunteers to train the children in Dublanc on his off days. “They are the perfect role models with respect to their attitude and commitment,” says Latchoo. “Boots [Euclid] is always trying to make everything better, he is humble and kind.”
Latchoo, who migrated to Dominica from Trinidad nearly four years ago to work with the team, believes that they are ready for Qualifiers. COVID-19 has placed restrictions on many countries but he says it might have been a blessing in disguise as it allowed the team in Dominica to train hard. This is his first Qualifier with the team.
The government did such a good job with COVID-19 here, Dominica is a paradise, we had no deaths,” says Latchoo. Although the team could not compete in any tournaments regionally throughout the pandemic, they were able to train hard.
Euclid Bertrand, Arlington Fritz , Briel Thomas,Travist Joseph, Chad Bertrand in Canada. Photo Credit / DFA
The team has gone through many changes including getting time off from their regular jobs in January to train full-time. “We spoke to their employers and some of them helped to pay them for three months,” says Latchoo. “The rest of the team receives a stipend from the Dominica Football Association.” They are able to train every day for four hours a day and again at three in the afternoon compared to only two hours before.
“It’s important for us to train at three p.m. so we get accustomed to the condition and the temperature,” says Chad. Before 2021, the team would train at night and get burn-out in 60-minutes on game day. “Now, our fitness level is very high because we train from nine to eleven in the morning and again at three to five in the afternoon.”
Dominica will play their first match against the Dominican Republic in the World Cup Qualifiers on March 24, 2021. They have been placed in Group D of the Concacaf Qualifiers alongside Panama, The Dominican Republic, Barbados, and Anguilla. Euclid will be wearing number 3 and Chad number 18.
“I want us to win and then advance to the next stage, that’s my main goal,” Chad asserts. “It’s the team’s goal.”
This post was corrected on March 21, 2021.
