Dashiell Taneus-Miller is 17 years old, lives in Edinburgh, and finds himself at the centre of one of the World Cup’s most intriguing personal storylines.
The young footballer holds eligibility for both Scotland and Haiti, but when the two nations meet in Group C in Boston, there will be no question of divided loyalty.
Haiti’s qualification alone is a historic moment, with the Caribbean nation ending a wait of over half a century to appear at a World Cup Finals.
Scotland, meanwhile, ended a near 30-year absence from the tournament, making the Group C opener between the two sides a landmark occasion for fans of both nations.
Dashiell lives in Edinburgh with his Haitian mother Leilani and English father Alex, having been born in Brighton before the family eventually settled in Scotland.
“I was born in Brighton, my mum’s Haitian and my dad is English,” he explained. “She was living in London and that’s where my parents met. She was working as an accountant for a fortune 500 company and then that took her up to Edinburgh.”
He had previously said he would support whichever of the two nations qualified, but with both now heading to the United States, his allegiance falls firmly with Haiti.
“I was so glad when they drew Scotland,” he said. “For Haiti to even qualify is really significant. I’m happy for Scotland as well. I actually said that whichever team got through, I’d be supporting. But now they’re both there I’ve got to go with Haiti!”
Scotland take on Haiti in Boston before facing Morocco and Brazil in Group C, a group Dashiell’s teammates have already been vocal about.
“I’ve been getting a lot of banter from my teammates since the draw and a lot of them think Scotland have been stitched up, getting Brazil and Morocco as well. It’s a hard draw.”
Despite Haiti sitting 83rd in the FIFA rankings, Dashiell considers them favourites for the opener, pointing to recent additions to their squad as a significant boost.
“I know Scotland will think Haiti is their best chance of three points, but it’s the same for Haiti and I have to have Haiti as favourites,” he said.
He highlighted the arrival of Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor, born in France but of Haitian descent, as a particularly important development for the national team.
“We’ve recently got Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor in, who was born in France but is of Haitian decent but hadn’t been called up by anyone yet and he’s pledged his allegiance to us. That’s a pretty big get.”
He also pointed to centre back Ricardo Ade, who plays in Ecuador, as someone capable of causing real problems for the Scotland attack.
“He’s very physical, very strong and he’ll absolutely match the Scotland strikers – they’ll struggle to get past him!”
The Haitian diaspora in the United States is estimated at over 1.1 million, meaning Haiti will carry strong vocal support in Boston throughout the tournament.
“There’s been a huge reaction here, and specifically in the States because there’s a big Haitian population out there,” Dashiell said. “But all the Haitians I know here in the UK, they’re delighted.”
Dashiell qualifies for Haiti through his mother and for Scotland through residency and schooling, and has expressed a clear preference should an international call-up ever materialise.
“Absolutely, I’d love that. It would be fantastic to play for them internationally, to represent my nation. I’d love the opportunity,” he said.
For now, the attacking right back is focused on finishing the season with his East of Scotland Under-18 side, Edinburgh South, after a campaign that included a run to a cup final.
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