Indian national team star Sunil Chhetri has joined MLS club Kansas City Wizards.

The 25-year old has signed with the Wizards ahead of the 2010 season from I-League club Dempo SC but is still waiting on a visa and International Transfer Certificate.

Chhetri becomes just the third Indian to play outside their homeland following Mohammed Salim who played for Celtic in the late 1930s and Baichung Bhutia who played for Bury FC from 1999 to 2002.

Englishman Bob Houghton, who is the coach of the Indian national team, was full of praise for Chhetri and wished him well for the move to the USA.

"I am delighted for Chhetri. He plays well, is a good player and has the special quality that you need to play abroad. The boy has worked hard for this move," Houghton said.

"The thing about Chhetri is that he is a boy with a lot of steel and determination about him. All the very best to him."

Wizards head coach Peter Vermes was excited about the prospect of having Chhetri in his squad.

"One thing we really like about him is that he's a crafty player. Technically he is very sharp and has good attacking tendencies," Vermes said.