With worried eyes on home, Haitian soccer team seeks to inspire.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Michelle Kaufman

MIAMI _ Eight hundred miles from the rebellion that is tearing their nation apart, in a nondescript hotel on the corner of Commercial Boulevard and Powerline Road, the Haitian national soccer team tries to relax and focus on its World Cup quest. But it isn't easy.

The Haitian insurgency is the lead story on CNN, players debate the pros and cons of Jean-Bertrand Aristide over breakfast, and ears are permanently affixed to cellphones, which is how 22-year-old midfielder Peter Germain found out that his house in St. Marc was burned to the ground.

''My daddy called me to tell me the news, and I felt so, so bad in this moment,'' Germain said. ``My mother and brother escaped without harm, but we lost everything. I cannot even watch the television these days because it is too hard for me to see Haiti like this. So, I think only of soccer and hope we can qualify for the 2006 World Cup and bring happiness to our people.''

The Haitian soccer team has been based in South Florida for a few months, bouncing from hotel to hotel and training at the Lauderhill Sports Complex and Mills Pond Park. Money has stopped coming from Port-au-Prince, so bills _ totaling about $2,000 per day _ are left unpaid all over town. Their coach, Uruguayan native and former U.S. national team defender Fernando Clavijo, hasn't been paid in some time. But the team's dream of being among the 32 nations at the World Cup lives on.

''The only thing positive and moving forward for Haiti is this team,'' said Joshua Mayard, a defender. ``If we can advance to the World Cup, for at least one day, everyone in Haiti will forget politics and party together. This is our mission.''

The team got a huge boost when Miami-based Caribbean American Corporate Services signed on to become the official sponsor. On Feb. 24, players moved out of the Fort Lauderdale North Hotel and into CACS-sponsored homes in Miami Gardens and Miami Shores. Four to six players will live in each house, and a cook will be provided to prepare Haitian cuisine.