Introduction
James Marcelin (born 13 June 1986) is a Haitian footballer who plays for North Carolina FC in the North American Soccer League.
Club career
Born in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Marcelin began his career with Roulado when he was sixteen, helping the team win the Ligue Haïtienne title in 2003, before moving to Racing Club Haïtien in 2007. In 2008, he moved to the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL First Division, where he saw limited playing time in league games. However, he played heavily in Puerto Rico's 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League games. In 2009, he became a regular first team starter. On 11 February 2010, the Portland Timbers (USL) of the USSF D2 Pro League signed Marcelin to a one year contract for the 2010 season where he quickly established himself as a regular first-team starter. He continued with the Timbers when they joined Major League Soccer in 2011, appearing in most games of the season and starting in several ones.
Marcelin was waived by Portland on 25 April 2012 for 'non soccer related reasons'. He signed with fellow MLS club FC Dallas just over a week later on 4 May 2012 for the rest of the season.
After being released by Dallas, Marcelin spent the 2013 campaign with Antigua Barracuda FC of the third tier USL Pro. In July 2014 he signed with Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League.
On 16 December 2014, Marcelin signed with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer but was waived in the preseason.
He re-signed with Fort Lauderdale on 3 March 2015.
Marcelin was traded by Fort Lauderdale to Carolina RailHawks in exchange for Neil Hlavaty on 30 December 2015.
International career
In 2006, Marcelin appeared for the Haitian U-21 national team. In 2007 and 2009, Marcelin played for the Haiti national football team at the Gold Cup. On 8 June 2016, Marcelin scored a historic goal for Haiti, making it the first goal scored for Haiti in a Copa América and the first Haitian goal scored against Brazil.
Career statistics
International goals
- As of match played 8 June 2016. Haiti score listed first, score column indicates score after each Marcelin goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 July 2009 | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, United States | 17 |  Grenada | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 2 | 2 September 2011 | Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti | 21 |  U.S. Virgin Islands | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 6 September 2011 | Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad, Curaçao | 22 |  Curaçao | 2–2 | 4–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 9 October 2015 | BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, United States | 30 |  El Salvador | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 8 June 2016 | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, United States | 33 |  Brazil | 1–5 | 1–7 | 2016 Copa América |
Honors
Roulado
- Ligue Haïtienne Winners: 2003
Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- NASL Best XI: 2015
Puerto Rico Islanders
- Commissioner's Cup Winners: 2008
- Staff, ed. (13 November 2015). "North American Soccer League Announces 2015 Best XI". NASL. Retrieved 10 June 2016.