US grants visa to Haitian soccer player to join team for World Cup

[AP Photo]

The United States has granted a visa to Haitian soccer player Woodensky Pierre, allowing him to join Haiti’s national team for the World Cup after days of uncertainty.

Haiti Football Federation spokesperson Thecieux Jeanty confirmed that Pierre left Port-au-Prince for Florida yesterday [Macau time], where the squad has been preparing since last week. Pierre is the only member of Haiti’s World Cup team still based in Haiti.

Supporters, airport workers and family members gathered to see him off. Fans posed for photographs, while Pierre’s mother embraced him repeatedly before his departure.

Pierre had remained in Haiti awaiting his visa while training with local players in Port-au-Prince. Security concerns have prevented the national team from using its stadium, forcing Haiti to play World Cup qualifiers in Curaçao.

The midfielder comes from Cité Soleil, a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince heavily affected by poverty and gang violence.

Haiti, appearing in the World Cup for only the second time and its first since 1974, will play warmup matches against New Zealand and Peru before opening against Scotland on June 13. The team will then face Brazil and Morocco.