The U.S. Paralympic Team Qualifies for 2012 London Paralympic Games
The U.S. Paralympic Team qualified for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London with a 3-2 win against Ireland in the third and final Group D match at the 2011 CPISRA Football 7-a-Side World Championships.
June 23, 2011
© U.S. Soccer
IN THE IMAGE: The U.S. Paralympic team defeated Ireland to qualify for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
HOOGEVEEN, Netherlands (June 23, 2011) – The U.S. Paralympic Team qualified for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London with a 3-2 win against Ireland in the third and final Group D match at the 2011 CPISRA Football 7-a-Side World Championships.
U.S. forward Josh McKinney put the team ahead 1-0 in the first half, and then doubled the score in the second half by finishing a penalty kick after Marthell Vazquez was fouled. The U.S. went ahead 3-0, with Adam Ballou scoring what would eventually be the game winner.
But Ireland showed some spunk, scoring twice late in the game. The Irish almost tied but goalkeeper Keith Johnson came up with a huge save in the final seconds to secure the victory and earn Man of the Match honors.
The U.S. continued the tournament with a 1-10 loss to Russia in the quarterfinals and a pair of defeats to Scotland (2-3) and Argentina (2-7). The results meant the team finished eighth place in the tournament and a 2-4-0 record.
This article was update on July 5, 2011.
