PUNTA DEL ESTE, Uruguay (October 16, 2025) - The U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy (CP) National Team advanced to its first final in a major competition with a 6-0 victory over Canada in the first semifinal of the 2025 Copa America. Five players scored for the USA, including a brace from forward Shea Hammond, and tallies from captain and midfielders Ben Lindau, Frankie Lowery, and Adam Ballou, as well as defender Kyle Montgomery.
The Semifinal win was the first in the program’s history at a major regional or worldwide competition (Copa America, Parapan American Games or World Cup / Championship). The USA advanced to its first final, where they will have a rematch with Argentina after the South Americans defeated Brazil 2-0 in the other Semifinal. Brazil had won the last five CP Copa America tournaments: 2018, 2014, 2010, 2007, 2002. Argentina won in 1999.
The USA and Argentina will add another chapter to the growing rivalry that has seen the teams meet in the last three major competitions, including early in the week when the teams tied 1-1 in the final game of Group B on Tuesday. After tying on the first three tie-breakers, the U.S. name was selected in the ‘drawing of lots’ tie-breaker.
Against Canada, the USA had control of the match from the onset, and never took its foot off. Ben Lindau put the team ahead three minutes in with a strike from 18 that curled and dipped over goalkeeper Ryan Watson.
The next goal was bound to come - Jacob Kaplan, Lindau, Hammond, Lowery, Jacob Crumbley all tested the defense and Watson, who made a handful of nice saves, too.
The floodgates opened near halftime, when Kyle Montgomery crashed the box and put away a nice layoff from Kaplan. Lowery made it 3-0 just before the break when he ripped a left-footed shot from 17 yards after collecting the rebound from his first attempt that was blocked.
Veteran Adam Ballou entered in the second half and helped the team keep the pressure on. Minutes in, he turned on ball inside the box and hit the left post, the rebound falling to Hammond who calmly finished unmarked at the back post.
Hammond added his second minutes later, taking a feed from Josh Brunais and with a nice first touch, set himself up to finish at the near post from a tight angle.
Ballou then closed out the scoring with a run down the center before blasting a shot from 20 yards beyond Watson to the left side net.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- With the win, the USA is now 5W-2L-1D against Canada in the modern era (2014), having won the last four meetings.
- The team is 5W-0L-1D in 2025, and is riding a six-game unbeaten streak dating back to the final game of 2024.
- Shea Hammond scored his team-leading seventh goal of the year, and fifth of the competition. He has 27 international goals.
- Ballou has now scored 35 career goals in 92 games.
- Montgomery scored his second international goal, and second of the tournament after also scoring against Uruguay.
- Lindau wore the captains armband for the second time this tournament, and scored his second goal - the 8th of his career.
- The USA is 3W-8L-1D against Argentina in 12 all-time meetings since 2014. The teams have now met in major competitions in each of the last three years - the teams tying 1-1 earlier in the week; Argentina winning 4-2 at the 2024 World Cup and 2-1 at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Chile.
- Although the teams did not meet in 2022 - and with no competitions in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic - they squared off twice in 2019. The U.S.’s last win over Argentina was a 6-0 victory on July 16, 1999 in a World Cup placement match in Spain. Argentina then defeated the U.S. 2-0 at the 2019 Parapan Games in Peru.
-U.S. MEN’S CP NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-
Match: United States Men’s CP National Team vs. Canada
Date: October 16, 2025
Competition: 2025 IFCPF Copa America - Semifinal
Venue: Solanas Sports Complex - Punta del Este, Uruguay
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. local (2:00 p.m. ET)
Weather: 74 degrees, Sunny
| Scoring Summary |
1 |
2 |
F |
| USA |
3 |
3 |
6 |
| CAN |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| USA - Ben Lindau (Jacob Kaplan) | 3rd minute |
| USA - Kyle Montgomery (Jacob Kaplan) | 23 |
| USA - Frankie Lowery | 30 |
| USA - Shea Hammond | 33 |
| USA - Shea Hammond (Josh Brunais) | 45 |
| USA - Adam Ballou (Ben Lindau) | 54 |
Lineups:
USA: 1-Marc Estrella, 2-Frankie Lowery (13-Josh Brunais, 36), 3-Kyle Montgomery, 6-Jacob Kaplan (4-Kevin McCandlish, 48), 10-Ben Lindau (Captain), 11-Jacob Crumbley (7-Adam Ballou, 31), 14-Shea Hammond (8-John Sullivan, 48)
Substitutes not used: 12-Bonner Rinn, 5-Jonah Meyer-Crothers,9-Gavin Kohner
Head coach: Stuart Sharp
CAN: 2-Ryan Watson, 4-Sam Holmes (10-Joel Murphy, 31), 6-Silviu Butnaru (14-Owen Dewar, 31), 8-Duncan McDonald, 9-Keagan Caron (7-Brendan McGeachan, 54), 11-Dante Del Cul (3-Tarran Tepper, 54) 12-Ronan Wiens
Substitutes not used:
Head coach: Drew Ferguson
Stats Summary: USA / CAN
N/A
| USA - Jacob Kaplan (caution) | 21st minute |
| CAN - Ryan Watson (caution) | 27 |
Officials:
Referee: Dario Rojas
Second Official: Leticia Rodriquez
Third Official: Lorena Gonzalez
