State Dept. officials brief Griner’s WNBA team

WASHINGTON » State Department officials met Monday with representatives of Brittney Griner’s WNBA team about the Phoenix Mercury star’s monthslong detention in Russia and the Biden administration’s efforts to secure her release.

The State Department confirmed the meeting, which involved officials from its specialized office that advocates for hostages and wrongfully detained Americans, but offered no additional details about what was said or who specifically attended.

The administration has previously said that its working to bring Griner and another American, Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, home from Russia.

Griner was detained on Feb. 17 at an airport in Russia after authorities there said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing a cannabis derivative. In May, the State Department reclassified Griner as wrongfully detained and transferred oversight of her case to the State Department Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, or SPEHA.

Soccer

RAPINOE, MORGAN BACK FOR US FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS » Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan have been included on the U.S. roster for next month’s CONCACAF W Championship, which will determine four of the region’s teams in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Rapinoe and Morgan have not been named to a U.S. roster since last October as coach Vlatko Andonovski looked at younger players in the run-up to qualifying. The United States is the twotime defending World Cup champion.

Twenty-three players were named to the qualifying roster, and three others — Sam Coffey, Carson Pickett and Jaelin Howell — were added to the training camp in advance of a pair of friendlies later this month against Colombia.