Tibet women’s soccer team denied U.S. travel visas

A Tibet women’s soccer team has been denied U.S. visas to participate in a tournament in Dallas.

Cassie Childers, a coach and executive director for Tibet Women’s Soccer, said that 16 members of the team were told at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, that they “have no good reason to visit the U.S.,” during their visit on Feb. 24. They were seeking travel visas to participate in the Dallas Cup soccer tournament scheduled to take place April 9-16

Childers, who is from New Jersey, said in an email from India that embassy officials did not glance at the documents nor provide any other reasons or explanations.

All but two of the 16 who visited the embassy hold Indian Identity Certificates, which are issued by the Indian government for Tibetan refugees. They function as passports even though they do not represent citizenship to India. The other two, which includes the head coach, hold Indian passports.

Four players, who live in Nepal and have Nepal passports, had interviews in Kathmandu on Feb. 4. Childers said those cases were put under administrative processing and they have not heard a final decision.

“There is no opportunity for them to defect, and the thought of shaming themselves, their team, and their country in that way sickens them,” Childers said. “This is not an anonymous soccer team that no one would notice if they never came back.”

A State Department official said they do not discuss the details of individual visa cases. The records are confidential under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The official did say that the U.S. Government’s position on Tibet has not changed under the Trump administration and that they recognize Tibet to be part of the People’s Republic of China. Tibet is not one of the seven countries affected by the administration’s travel ban on Muslim-majority nations.

Sounders expect Dempsey for opener

TUKWILA, WASH. >> The Seattle Sounders expect to have star forward Clint Dempsey in the lineup for Saturday’s season opener at Houston in what would be his first MLS match since being sidelined by a heart issue last August.

Seattle general manager Garth Lagerwey and coach Brian Schmetzer indicated Tuesday that Dempsey will be in the lineup against the Dynamo, although how much he plays will be watched closely.

Dempsey has been a full participant through most of the preseason, watching his minutes increase during the Sounders’ four exhibition games.

Dempsey played 80 minutes in the final exhibition game last Saturday, a 1-0 loss to Columbus.

MLS increases rosters from 28 to 30

NEW YORK >> Major League Soccer is increasing each team’s roster size from 28 to 30 by creating two spots for homegrown players that have come up through a team’s youth system.

Teams may spend up to $200,000 of their targeted allocation money to sign homegrown players to their first professional contracts, the league said Tuesday.

Under rules announced earlier in the month, each team’s salary budget rises to $3,845,000 from $3.66 million.