Chhetri clears visa hurdle, set for MLS debut

New Delhi: Riding on impressive performances in practice matches and with his paperwork complete, Indian forward Sunil Chettri can now hope to make his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut on April 10 for Kansas City Wizards against Colorado Rapids in the US.

In the two practice matches, the Delhi boy scored four goals, including a hat-trick in his team's 5-0 win over University of Earnsville, Saturday.

His ITC (International Transfer Certificate) has also been approved by world body FIFA and Kansas manager Peter Vermes said that Chhetri had received his P-1 visa.

Vermes is happy with the 25-year-old's performance and said the club is trying to acquire green cards for Chettri and also for Jimmy Nielsen and Stephane Auvray to meet its senior international limit.

Vermes said Chhetri would likely feature somewhere in an attacking role in the centre of the field similar to the way he has played in the I-League and for the Indian national team.

"He could probably play wide as well, but he hasn't had a lot of time in his career playing there," Vermes said.

Greg Cotton, chief operating officer of Kansas City Wizards, said: "I expect Sunil to play, and to play early. I think we all expect him to play because otherwise we wouldn't have gone in so aggressively to sign him.

Chhetri's agent Yogesh Joshee said the Indian has a great chance of making his MLS debut.

"Scoring four goals in two matches is a great thing. It was a great opportunity for Sunil to prove his worth and he did it," he said.

If Chettri makes his debut he would become the eighth Asian and the first Indian to play in MLS.

He will also be the first Asian to play for the Kansas City Wizards and the third Indian, after Mohammad Salim and Bhaichung Bhutia, to ply his trade outside India.

Chhetri will be the third Indian-born professional athlete currently in American professional team sports. The others are Pittsburgh Pirates minor-league pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel.

NFL Linebacker Brandon Chillar of the Green Bay Packers and former wide receiver Sanjay Beach are also of Indian descent.

Chettri had earlier appeared for trials at Coventry City but failed to impress the officials. Indian-owned Queen's Park Rangers also offered him a contract but Chettri failed to get a work permit due to India's low FIFA rankings.