CHICAGO (Aug. 1, 2024) – U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy (CP) National Team head coach Stuart Sharp has named a 17-player roster for the team’s upcoming training camp from Aug. 5-11 at the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia. Continuing U.S. Soccer’s mission to develop winning teams and celebrate the game in all of its forms, the camp will be the team’s second-to-last gathering before the 2024 IFCPF World Cup to be held Nov. 6-23 in Salou, Spain.
“This is an important camp and we are continuing to work on key areas both on and off the field that we believe will improve performance levels heading into the World Cup,” Sharp said. “However, a huge focus in this camp will be on the classification of players and then formulating how this will factor into our squad selection and, of course, eventual on-field tactics. This is a very strong roster and will be an extremely competitive camp.”
The training camp roster features 10 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 midfielders Ben Lindau (Chicago, Ill.) and John Sullivan (Tucson, Ariz.), and strikers Jacob Crumbley (Fortson, Ga.) and Shea Hammond (Montclair, N.J.).
Meanwhile, forward Younes Dayekh (San Antonio, Texas) will take part in his first CP MNT camp this month, and is one of four uncapped players that will join the team in Rome.
In September, the CP MNT will head to Ireland for a week-long training camp and two matches with the Ireland CP Men’s National Team, which will serve as the final tune-up before Sharp selects his 14-player roster for November’s World Cup.
U.S. MEN’S CP NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (Hometown; Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brixton Blasi (Flower Mount, Texas; 0/0), Marc Estrella*^ (Bakersfield, Calif.; 16/0)
DEFENDERS (5): Josh Brunais*^ (Stafford, Va.; 44/7), Chileshe Chitulangoma^ (Rochester, Minn.; 2/0), Jacob Kaplan*^ (Morganville, N.J.; 19/2), Frankie Lowery* (Fort Collins, Colo.; 5/2), 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), Younes Dayekh (San Antonio, Texas; 0/0), Shea Hammond*^ (Montclair, N.J.; 22/15)
*-Member of 2023 Parapan Am Games Roster
^-Member of 2022 IFCPF World Cup Roster
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- The roster features 10 players that helped the USA claim bronze at the 2023 Parapan Am Games in Santiago Chile, and also 10 who were part of the team’s fourth-place finish at the 2022 IFCPF World Cup in Salou, Spain.
- Forward Younes Dayekh take part in his first CP MNT camp this month.
- Thirteen states are represented on the 18-player roster: Georgia, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia (two each); Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and Ohio (one 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.
