CHICAGO (May 16, 2024) – U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy (CP) National Team head coach Stuart Sharp has named an 18-player roster for the team’s upcoming training camp from May 22-26 on the campus of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. Continuing U.S. Soccer’s mission to develop winning teams and celebrate the game in all of its forms, the camp will serve as another important step as the team prepares for the 2024 IFCPF World Cup to be held this November in Salou, Spain.
“This will serve as another important touchpoint with players as we continue to build toward the World Cup at the end of the year,” U.S. CP Men’s National Team head coach Stuart Sharp said. “I am looking forward to welcoming back some experienced players who missed out when we last gathered, as well as bringing in some new faces to bolster competition for places.”
The training camp roster features nine players that helped the USA claim bronze at the 2023 Para Pan American Games last November in Santiago, Chile, including captain and 2023 U.S. Soccer CP Male Player of the Year Josh Brunais (Stafford, Va.), as well as veteran midfielders Ben Lindau (Chicago, Ill.) and John Sullivan (Tucson, Ariz.), and striker Cameron DeLillo (Brandon, Pa.).
This month’s squad also has a local flavor, with two players coming from the state of Georgia in goalkeeper Carson Lundhagen (Canton, Ga.) and forward Jacob Crumbley (Fortson, Ga). Brunais, Crumbley, and midfielder Michael Ruiz (Gilroy, Calif.) also currently train full-time in the Atlanta area as part of the CP MNT’s Centralized Training Program.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Brixton Blasi (Flower Mound, Texas), defender Lucas Nicolaou (East Meadow, N.Y.) and midfielder Tristan Torbett (Asheville, N.C.) will attend their first CP MNT camp this month. Already a member of the U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team, Torbett’s first CP MNT camp comes after recovering from a stroke which he suffered while that team was in transit to last year’s World Deaf Football Championships in Malaysia last fall.
Following this month’s camp, the CP MNT will gather twice more before Sharp names his 14-player roster for November’s World Cup, where the USA will look to improve upon its team-best fourth-place finish achieved at the 2022 edition.
U.S. MEN’S CP NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (Hometown; Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brixton Blasi (Flower Mound, Texas; 0/0), Marc Estrella*^ (Bakersfield, Calif.; 16/0), Carson Lundhagen (Canton, Ga.; 0/0)
DEFENDERS (4): Josh Brunais*^ (Stafford, Va.; 44/7), Chileshe Chitulangoma^ (Rochester, Minn.; 2/0), Kyle Montgomery (Newport News, Va. 0/0), Lucas Nicolaou (East Meadow, N.Y.; 0/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Ben Lindau*^ (Chicago, Ill.; 31/3), Kevin McCandlish*^ (Chesapeake, Va.; 3/1), Jonah Meyer-Crothers^ (Sylvania, Ohio; 9/5), Wesley Pincince* (Dunbarton, N.H.; 6/0), Michael Ruiz (Gilroy, Ga.; 0/0), John Sullivan*^ (Tucson, Ariz.; 16/1), Tristan Torbett (Ashville, N.C.; 0/0)
FORWARDS (4): Jacob Crumbley*^ (Fortson, Ga.; 16/3), Cameron DeLillo*^ (Brandon, Pa.; 43/34), Shea Hammond*^ (Montclair, N.J.; 22/15), Gavin Kohner (Phoenix, Ariz.; 0/0)
*-Member of 2023 Parapan Am Games Roster
^-Member of 2022 IFCPF World Cup Roster
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- The roster features nine players that helped the USA claim bronze at the 2023 Parapan Am Games in Santiago Chile, and 10 who were part of the team’s fourth-place finish at the 2022 IFCPF World Cup in Salou, Spain.
- Goalkeeper Brixton Blasi, defender Lucas Nicolaou, and midfielder Tristan Torbett will take part in their first CP MNT camp this month.
- A member of the U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team, Torbett comes to his first CP MNT camp after suffering a stroke while the Deaf MNT was en route to Malaysia for the World Deaf Football Championships last fall.
- With three selections, Virginia leads the list of 12 different states represented on this month’s roster, followed by Arizona, California and Georgia (2 each), and Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas (1 each).
About the U.S. Men’s CP National Team
The U.S. CP Men’s National Team is for eligible qualifying players with Cerebral Palsy, stroke or traumatic brain injury. If you or someone you know qualifies for the Men’s CP National Team and plays at a high level, you can contact us via email at ExtendedNT@ussoccer.org for more information on potential playing opportunities.
About the U.S. Soccer Federation
Founded in 1913, U.S. Soccer has been the official governing body of the sport in the United States for more than 100 years. As U.S. Soccer looks toward the future amid an unprecedented moment of opportunity, we’ve aligned our efforts around five strategic pillars: Grow the game by increasing youth and adult participation and accessibility to the sport; Foster the best playing environments through quality of referees and coaches, increase DEIB and participant safety; Develop winning teams through solidified pathways and success of professional leagues; Grow the soccer economy to fuel reinvestment by increasing membership, fandom and commercial success; and Create a world-class organization through revitalized structure and culture, best-in-class talent, progress in DEIB, and more. For more information, visit ussoccer.com/ourvision.
