 |
|
 |
||
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|||
Macon MFA 1805 A N Missouri St Macon, MO 63552 660-385-5753 Shelbina MFA 215 W Maple St Shelbina, MO 63468 573-588-4140 CLICK - MFA CONNECT |
|
Printable Page
06/02 07:44 CDT US grants visa to Haitian soccer player to join team for World
Cup
US grants visa to Haitian soccer player to join team for World Cup
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) --- The U.S. government has given a visa to
Woodensky Pierre, the only member of Haiti's national soccer team who lives in
the Caribbean country, to travel and participate in the World Cup, an official
said Tuesday.
Thecieux Jeanty, Haiti's soccer federation spokesperson, told The Associated
Press that Pierre is scheduled to travel to Florida on Tuesday.
"It was a great moment for him, a moment of happiness," he said.
Teammates arrived in Florida last week to start preparing for the World Cup. It
is the second time that Haiti has qualified. The last time it appeared on
soccer's biggest stage was more than half a century ago.
Pierre had been training with local players in an upscale area of
Port-au-Prince as he awaited the visa. The team's stadium in Haiti's capital
was considered too dangerous, so Haiti was forced to play its "home" World Cup
qualifiers in Curaao.
Pierre is from Cite Soleil, a seaside neighborhood that has long struggled with
hunger and gang violence.
Haiti will play World Cup warmup matches against New Zealand on Tuesday and
Peru on Friday.
Haiti opens World Cup play on June 13 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, against
Scotland, then plays five-time champion Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia and
Morocco on June 24 in Atlanta.
