CHICAGO (Nov. 8, 2023) — U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy (CP) National Team head coach Stuart Sharp has selected the 14-player roster that will represent the United States at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile from Nov. 18-26.
As part of U.S. Soccer’s initiative to develop winning teams, the No. 4-ranked U.S. Men’s CP National Team will utilize the Parapan Am Games as continued preparation for next year’s IFCPF World Cup and will look to build off recent successes that saw it earn its best-ever overall finishes at its two most recent major tournaments. At the 2019 Parapan Am games in Lima, Peru, the USA navigated the group stage with a 5-1-0 record before defeating Venezuela 7-0 to win the bronze medal. At the 2022 IFCPF World Cup in Salou, Spain, the USCPMNT won its group for the first time at a World Cup before eventually falling to Brazil 2-0 in the Third Place Match.
“With us only seven months away from the World Cup, this competition is an important milestone as we continue positioning ourselves as a leading nation in the game,” said USCPMNT head coach Stuart Sharp. “We are gradually transitioning the makeup of our squad with some new players joining the group in recent months, and going up against regional powerhouses such as Argentina and Brazil are the perfect way to fine-tune this process. But make no mistake, the players and staff are keenly focused on our primary goal, which is to return with a medal.”
The USA carries over significant experience from the team’s last two major tournament appearances, with 11 returnees from Lima 2019 and 12 players back from the 2022 World Cup roster. The veteran squad is led by captain and defender Josh Brunais, fellow backliner Drew Bremer and goalkeeper Sean Boyle, all of whom have represented the USCPMNT since 2016.
The trio is joined by midfielder Adam Ballou, who is now in his 15th year representing the USA in CP soccer after making his international debut in 2009, while fellow midfielder Ben Lindau will make his fourth major tournament appearance.
With a combined 17 goals in his last three major competitions, striker Cameron DeLillo returns after leading the USA with nine goals at Lima 2019. He’s joined up top by forward Shea Hammond, whose five goals at the 2019 World Cup saw him finish tied for second on the team in scoring.
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Sean Boyle*^ (Minneapolis, Minn.), 12-Marc Estrella*^ (Bakersfield, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (4): 8-Drew Bremer*^ (East Grand Rapids, Mich.), 13-Josh Brunais*^ (Stafford, Va.), 6-Jacob Kaplan*^ (Morganville, N.J.), 2-Frankie Lowery* (Fort Collins, Colo.)
MIDFIELDERS (4): 7-Adam Ballou*^ (Virginia Beach, Va.), 10-Ben Lindau*^ (Chicago, Ill.), 11-Kevin McCandlish^ (Chesapeake, Va.), 4-Wesley Pincince (Dunbarton, N.H.)
FORWARDS (4): 3-Jacob Crumbley*^ (Fortson, Ga.), 9-Cameron DeLillo*^ (Blandon, Pa.), 14-Shea Hammond*^ (Montclair, N.J.), 5-John Sullivan^ (Tucson, Ariz.)
*-Part of 2019 Parapan Roster; ^-Part of 2022 IFCPF World Cup roster
The Parapan American Games are a 17-sport event for North, Central and South American Olympic Committees in the vein of the Paralympic Games. The six 7-a-side CP teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the top two finishers meeting for the gold medal and the teams placed third and fourth playing for bronze on Nov. 25.
The 2023 field consists of host Chile and the region’s top five ranked teams from International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) tournaments held in 2022. Four teams are ranked top-10 worldwide: No. 2 Brazil, No. 4 USA, No. 7 Argentina and No. 9 Canada, with Venezuela ranked No. 16 and Chile ranked No. 21.
All games will be played at the 10,000-seat Estadio Bicentennial de la Florida, home to Chilean first division side Audax Italiano. It previously was a venue for the 2008 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff (ET) |
| Saturday Nov. 18 | Chile | 12:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, Nov. 19 | Argentina | 12:30 p.m. |
| Monday, Nov. 20 | Brazil | 5:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday, Nov. 22 | Venezuela | 3 p.m. |
| Thursday, Nov. 23 | Canada | 3 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 25 | Medal Round | TBD |
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.
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.