Quote:

is that an admission that the team was not invited but rather applied?



Who cares????

Definition of invited according to dictionary.com is "to request the presence or participation of in a kindly, courteous, or complimentary way, esp. to request to come or go to some place, gathering, entertainment, etc., or to do something"

So after they applied, they were invited.

But again, I reiterate, who cares?