Get to Know: USA's 2024 Beach Soccer World Cup Squad

U.S. Beach Soccer Men’s National Team has qualified for its third consecutive FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup - and seventh overall. With a roster that averages 46 caps, the U.S. team headed to Dubai, United Arab Emirates this month is the most experienced to ever participate in a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, and is well-placed to tackle the main goal of the cycle – becoming the first U.S. team to advance from the group stage at the event.

Read up on each of the 12 players that will represent the U.S. team in Dubai this month:

#1 CHRIS TOTH | GOALKEEPER | Age: 34 | FALLBROOK, CALIF.

Caps/Goals: 97/16
Beach MNT Debut: March 16, 2012 vs. Brazil (Copa America)

• Born August 4, 1989 in San Diego, Calif.
• Is a third generation goalkeeper: grandfather György was well-known pro outdoor player in Hungary…father, Zoltan, also a former Hungarian international, defected to the USA and became a legend in the pro indoor game with the San Diego Sockers.
• Born with a rare heart condition (transposition of the great arteries) that required surgery at birth.
• Chris attended Fallbrook High School and was a field player until doctors discover that he would need another heart procedure…following surgery was advised to consider less running - and so he turned to goalkeeping…after one year of college, turned pro and has been one of the top goalkeepers in both pro indoor and international beach soccer since.
• Played in the indoor PASL for five seasons with San Diego and continued after the merger with MISL that formed the MASL…has appeared in over 250 games with San Diego, Ontario and Tacoma, three times named MASL Goalkeeper of the Year.
• Has been named to the BSWW Top 50 Beach Soccer Players in the world six times.
• Played with pro beach clubs in Spain (Valencia), and Hungary (Energia SC Gyongyos), helping the club win the 2017 and 2018 championships.
• Won the 2023 North American Sand Soccer Championship with the Tacoma Stars.
• Won Gold Glove (Best Goalkeeper) Honors at: 2016 and 2022 BSWW Mundialito (Cascais, Portugal and Gran Canaria, Spain), at the 2013 Concacaf Championship, 2018 Balaton Cup (Hungary), 2023 ANOC Qualifiers (El Salvador).
• Beach Soccer World Cup Experience: Veteran of the 2013, 2019 (1 goal), and 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups, joins teammates Alessandro Canale and Nick Perera in earning their fourth World Cup roster spots, tying Francis Farberoff for most about U.S. Beach MNT players all-time.
• On 97 caps going into the 2023 World Cup, is projected to become the first Beach U.S. Soccer athlete to earn 100 caps in the group-stage finale on Feb. 19 vs. Egypt
• Instagram: @christoth31

#2 TANNER AKOL | MIDFIELDER | Age 30 | SANTA CRUZ, CALIF.

Caps/Goals: 24/12
Beach MNT Debut: Nov. 6, 2018 vs. IR Iran (Intercontinental Cup)

• Born Sept. 27, 1993 in Santa Cruz, Calif.
• Was ‘Junior Lifeguard’ as a kid, and competed in beach sprint and relay competitions, winning state title in run-relay and placed second in distant run to teammate Cody Valcarcel.
• Played goalkeeper for club team Santa Cruz Breakers growing up. Played on field at Santa Cruz High School…played at Azusa Pacific University…graduated from San Jose State with Kinesiology degree…
• Was introduced to beach soccer in 2014 through former Beach MNT players Jevon Albuquerque and Yuri Morales and debuted with Beach MNT at the 2018 Intercontinental Cup in Dubai against IR Iran.
• Scored 11 goals at 2019 World Cup Qualifying tournament in Mexico.
• Has been playing pro beach soccer in El Salvador’s Copa Cel (league) since 2022, most recently with La Barra de Santiago, winning the 2023 league and championship…also played with the club at the 2023 BSWW World Winners Cup in Italy, and won the NBSL’s 2024 Ft Lauderdale Open in January
• Club is ranked 5th on the BSWW Club Rankings.
• In 2023, also played with Hamacas of Santa Cruz, Bolivia in the 2023 Copa Libertadores in South America.
• Tore right ACL ahead of 2019 World Cup, tore left ACL in 2020.
• Diagnosed in 2022 with testicular cancer, underwent two surgeries and is now cancer free.
• Beach Soccer World Cup Experience: Veteran of 2021 World Cup…
• Cousins with NBA star Aaron Gordon (moms are cousin)…
• Instagram: @10nn.er

#3 ANTONIO CHAVEZ | DEFENDER | Age 23 | OCEANSIDE, CALIF.

Caps/Goals: 35/7
Beach MNT Debut: May 7, 2021 vs. Turks & Caicos (Concacaf Beach Championship)

• Born Jan. 30, 2001 in Oceanside, Calif.
• Mexican heritage through grandparents.
• Older sister Graciela introduced him to soccer as a child.
• Played club at Oceanside Breakers…played at El Camino High School…graduated from University of Saint Katherines in 2023, with a degree in Kinesiology…was his class Valedictorian...
• Dad introduced hair philosophy, “It ain’t hip until it’s to the hip” so Antonio has had long hair since first grade…has been playing beach soccer since age 10 when youth club entered Oceanside Beach Soccer Championship.
• Plays with SoCal Legacy beach soccer club, including tournaments in Portugal, Virginia Beach and Florida, most recently at the NBSL 2024 Ft Lauderdale Open.
• In 2020 saw an NBSL Instagram post about tournament in Ft. Lauderdale and entered, catching the eye of Beach MNT coach Francis Farberoff.
• Debut with Beach MNT at the 2021 Concacaf Championship in Costa Rica, where he took home Best Young Player of the Tournament honors.
• Only player called in to every Beach MNT camp since the 2021 World Cup, where he was an alternate.
• Has played in the 2022 Intercontinental Cup (Dubai), 2022 Mundialito (Spain), 2022 Asuncion Cup (Paraguay), 2023 ANOC Qualifying (El Salvador), 2023 Acapulco Cup (Mexico), 2023 Concacaf Championship (2021, Costa Rica; 2023 Bahamas), 2024 Maranhao Cup (Brazil).
• At age 24, is the youngest member of the U.S. roster at the 2024 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
• Beach Soccer World Cup Experience: Joins teammates Ricardo Carvalho, Austin Collier and Cody Valcarcel as the four U.S. players heading to their first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2024.
• Instagram: @antonio_chavez9

#4 RICARDO CARVALHO | MIDFIELDER | Age 34 | MLWAUKEE, WISC.

Caps/Goals: 10/4
Beach MNT Debut: May 8, 2023 vs. Dominican Republic (Concacaf Beach Championship)

• Born May 13, 1989 in Salvador, Brazil.
• Started playing futsal in school at 7-years old…started beach soccer at 12 years old…also played 11v-11 with academy team in Brazil…
  In 2010 went to Portugal to play with a second division club for one year….moved to the USA in 2011 to attend Bethel University in Indiana…played three years, and won 2014 NCCAA/NSCAA National Player of the Year in 2014.
• Graduated in 2015 with a Business Administration degree.
• Played PDL with the Chicago Inferno, then switched to indoor…has played in MASL since with Chicago, Florida, Harrisburg and Milwaukee…approaching 300 combined goals/assists…
• Was playing in the North American Sand Soccer Championship in Virginia Beach, VA in June 2022 when observed by Beach MNT head coach Farberoff.
• Shortly after becoming a U.S. citizen in the fall of 2022, was invited to the U.S. Beach Soccer Touchpoint ID camp in Florida…attended his first Beach MNT camp in February 2022 in Salou, Spain.
• Made his debut in Bahamas at 2023 World Cup Qualifying.
• Beach Soccer World Cup Experience: Joins teammates Ricardo Carvalho, Austin Collier and Cody Valcarcel as the four U.S. players heading to their first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2024.
• Married to Rebekah, and has two children.

#5 NICO PEREA | DEFENDER | Age 31 | HOLLYWOOD, FLA.

Caps/Goals: 35/19
Beach MNT Debut: May 17, 2021 vs. Turks & Caicos (Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship)

• Born August 6, 1992 in in Bucaramanga, Colombia…fmoved to USA when he was seven…
• Bilingual in English and Spanish...
• Played club soccer at Weston FC in South Florida.
• Played four years at Syracuse University, and was part of the first Orangemen men’s soccer team to qualify for NCAA College Cup tournament in 2012…made Sweet 16 as sophomore year…graduated with Psychology degree in 2014…
• Played professionally with Jacksonville Armada, Rio Grande Valley and Indy Eleven.
• Was identified by Beach MNT head coach Francis Farberoff during 2018 camp in Ft. Lauderdale…first Beach NT camp was January 2019…
• Beach MNT debut was at 2021 WCQ in Costa Rica…
• Previous Beach World Cup Experience: Veteran of 2021 World Cup, where he scored four goals…
• Won 2022 NASCC in Virginia Beach with HRSC Elite…
• Assists Instagram influencer and girlfriend Taylor Dante with handle @taystytravels with creative content and logistics…
• Co-launched beach club with national team teammates Conner Rezende and Andres Navas called Club Futbol Playa Miami to grow the sport…
• Instagram: @nicolasperea

#6 CODY VALCARCEL | DEFENDER | 29 | SANTA CRUZ, CALIF.

Caps/Goals: 21/16
Beach MNT Debut: Sept. 9, 2016 vs. Argentina (Friendly)

• Born December 24, 1994 in Santa Cruz, Calif…
• Grew up playing multiple sports, starting with tennis, then organized baseball, soccer, basketball…
• Dad is from Peru, mom is from California.
• As a Junior Lifeguard, won California state ‘sand’ long distance running competitions…
• Trains regularly with 5-10 mile runs on the beach…
• Focused on basketball Soquiel High School and didn’t play soccer…graduated in 2013….attended Cabrillo Community College in 2014…didn’t make basketball team…the following year he tried out and made Cabrillo CC soccer team…
• Went to Peru with his dad and was able to train with a local club…returned and played two more seasons at Cabrillo…
• Began playing beach soccer casually in 2015...took time off, and transferred to Humboldt College, graduated in 2022 with a degree in Geography / Geospatial Analysis…
• In 2019 focused on beach soccer with ‘Cruzn,’ Santa Cruz Beach Soccer …was recommended by Tanner Akol to Beach MNT coach Farberoff, who invited him to U.S. Beach MNT Touchpoint Camp in April 2022 in Chula Vista, Calif.…
• Debuted in Paraguay in a friendly against Argentina prior to the 2022 Asuncion Cup
• Played in the 2022 BSWW America’s Winner’s Cup with Cruzn in El Salvador; played 2023 BSWW World Winner’s Cup in Italy with Cali BSC…
• Works for his family’s business in packaging and shipping…also independently in construction, masonry, landscaping…
• On a road trip with friends in 2019, was in a bar in Idaho when he decided to return to school and get into beach soccer…
• Beach Soccer World Cup Experience: Joins teammates Ricardo Carvalho, Antonio Chavez and Austin Collier as the four U.S. players heading to their first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2024.

#7 ANDRES NAVAS | MIDFIELDER | AGE 33 | MIAMI, FLA

Caps/Goals: 16/5
Beach MNT Debut: November 1, 2022 vs. Japan (Intercontinental Cup)

• Born December 31, 1990 in Quito, Ecuador…moved to the U.S. at nine years old in 2000, and became a U.S. citizen in 2013…
• Grew up in Miami and played collegiate soccer at Florida Gulf Coast University, were as captain in his senior year the team won its second straight Atlantic Sun Championship…graduated in 2013 with a Bachelors degree in Sports Management and in 2016 an MBA in Business Admin.
• Started playing Beach Soccer during the 2020 pandemic when other facilities were closed, and caught the eye of Beach MNT coach Francis Farberoff.
• Earned his first call up to the U.S. Beach MNT in April 2021 ahead of the 2021 Concacaf Championship, and made his debut in November 2022 at the Intercontinental Cup in Dubai
• In 2023, played with Bologna FC in Italy’s Serie A (6 goals), with Grasshopper Club Zurich in the Swiss League (9 goals) and in the Argentine League with Ituzaingó Fútbol Playa (4 goals)…played with Canada Beach in Costa Rica in the 2023 America’s Winners Cup..in the 2022 (Bologna FC) and 2023 (with Cali Beach) BSWW World Winners Cup.
• In January, led the team he co-started with US Beach teammates Nico Perea and Conner Rezendea - FC Playa Miami - with nine goals at the 2024 NBSL Ft. Lauderdale Open.
• Owns and operates an indoor soccer center, ‘Soccer Miami’ and a kids academy called ‘Top Class Training’.

#8 CONNER REZENDE | FORWARD | Age 31 | DAVIE, FLA

Caps/Goals: 33/5
Beach MNT Debut: May 17, 2021 vs. Turks and Caicos (Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship)

• Born Jan, 21, 1993 in Greenwich, Connecticut…grew up Davie, Fla…
• Dad is from Brazil and has an identical twin brother Calvin, who has also played with U.S. Beach MNT.
• Played club soccer at Weston SC in South Florida…played and attended University High School…played for Univ. of Virginia as freshman in 2011…left for Europe, trained with Italian club Cortone FC and Spanish side Cadiz.
• Returned to US and attended / played at Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania, graduated with Business degree in 2018…
• Played in 2016 for Miami FC in NASL under head coach Alessandro Nesta...
• Was  a contestant on “America Ninja Warrior” in 2016.
• Introduced to competitive beach soccer in 2011 while playing for FBS at NASSC in Virginia Beach…first call up to Beach MNT was in January 2017, in a combined camp with Japan’s Beach NT in Ft. Lauderdale.
• Previous Beach World Cup Experience: Veteran of 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
• Certified as an online Personal Coach and Nutritionist, providing health and fitness plans via his YouTube page and Instagram handle.
• Played in small-sided international competitions, including 2023 Red Bull Four 2 Score in Germany and 2022 Red Bull Neymar Jr's Fives in Qatar…
• Won 2022 NASCC in Virginia Beach with HRSC Elite …played in 2023 BSWW World Winners Cup in Italy with Canada Beach Soccer Club…
• Co-started beach club with national team teammate Nico Perea and Andres Navas called Club Futbol Playa Miami…
• Instagram: @_kiingcon

#9 ALESSANDRO CANALE | FORWARD | 34 | VENICE BEACH, CALIF.

Caps/Goals: 93/66
Beach MNT Debut: Aug. 4, 2013 vs. El Salvador (Friendly)

• Born Dec. 29, 1989 in Santa Monica, Calif and grew up in Venice Beach…
• Dad is Italian, mom is from Costa Rica…
• Played club soccer for Santa Monica United Scorpions; played at Santa Monica High School, also one year at Santa Monica College before transferring to UC-San Diego for final two years, where he earned degree in Urban Studies and Planning…
• Has appeared in Oreos, KFC, Dr. Pepper commercials and episode of popular sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle…dad is an actor…
• Made Beach MNT debut in 2013 versus El Salvador
• Beach Soccer World Cup Experience: Youngest member of the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup team (2 goals), and veteran of 2019 (3 goals) and 2021 World Cups (4 goals)…With nine goals all-time, is tied with Anthony Chimienti for the USA’s scoring lead at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup … joins teammates Nick Perera and Chris Toth in earning their fourth World Cup roster spots, tying Francis Farberoff for most about U.S. Beach MNT players all-time.
• Has played with the Tacoma Stars (MASL) since 2021 season…
• Owns a boutique creative design business called “Pattern Pending”…
• INSTAGRAM: @ssvndro

#10 GABRIEL SILVEIRA | FORWARD| Age 31 | SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.

Caps/Goals: 54/44
Beach MNT Debut: Aug. 17, 2018 vs. Japan (Balaton Cup)

• Born April 28, 1992 in Greenbrae, Calif…both parents are from Brasilia, Brazil…moved with his family to Natal, Brazil from ages 2-7 before returning to Northern Calif…
• Fluent in both Portuguese and English…
• Played all forms of soccer growing up, from futsal to beach and traditional 11v11…played club soccer with Marin FC and futsal with Bay Area club DiBufala…
• Played at Redwood HS and four years at Sacramento State University…graduated with an International Business degree…played on San Francisco Glens PDL club (now USL League Two), where he now coaches its youth teams in MLS NEXT.
• Earned first Beach MNT cap against Japan at the 2018 Balaton Beach Soccer Cup in Hungary.
• Traveled with U.S. Futsal National team to a camp in Croatia in early 2020.
• Beach Soccer World Cup Experience: Veteran of the 2019 and 2021 (2 goals) FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup teams.
• Played in Spanish Beach Soccer League in 2023 with Bahia de Mazaron…played in 2023 Euro Winners Cup in Nazare, Portugal with Turkish club Cityline Alanya…played in 2023 America Winners Cup in El Salvador with Canada Beach Soccer Club, which included a highlight win over Brazil’s Flamengo.
• Started his own club - Ocean Beach Soccer Club - in San Francisco, providing opportunities for players of all ages to play the game…represented his club at the National Beach Soccer League’s (NBSL) 2024 Ft Lauderdale Open in January…
• INSTAGRAM:  @gcamelosilveira

#11 CHRIS ALBISTON | MIDFIELDER | Age 31| VIRGINIA BEACH, VA

Caps/Goals: 48/22
Beach MNT Debut: Aug. 17, 2018 vs. Japan (Balaton Cup)

• Born Sept. 26, 1992 in Virginia Beach…
• Played club soccer with Beach FC…played at Frank W. Cox High School, helping team to 25-0 record and a No.1 national ranking per ESPN.com in 2010…back-to-back state champs (2009 and 2010)…played four years at William & Mary University, graduating in 2015 with Kinesiology degree…attended three years at Univ. of Richmond Law School…
• Played for HRSC Elite in the North American Sand Soccer Championships U.S. Open and caught the eyes of Beach NT coaches.
• Made Beach MNT debut at the 2018 Balaton Cup in Hungary against Japan, scoring the tying goal in 5-3 win…
• Beach Soccer World Cup Experience: Was among the final 15 player pool for the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and a veteran of 2021 World Cup in Russia.
• Passed bar exam in fall of 2019 and is an attorney in Virginia…was recognized as 2024 Top Lawyer honor among area peers.
• Won 2022 NASCC in Virginia Beach with HRSC Elite.
• Served as Beach MNT captain for the first time in January’s Maranhao Cup in Brazil.
• INSTAGRAM: @chris_albiston

#12 AUSTIN COLLIER | GOALKEEPER | Age 26 | CHESAPEAKE, VA

Caps/Goals: 11/0
Beach MNT Debut: April 6, 2023 vs. Belize (Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship)

• Born June 9, 1997 in Chesapeake, VA.
• Played at Hickory High School, where he was also a member of the National Honor Society…played four years at Randolph College in Lynchburg, VA, was Senior Scholar Athlete in 2019 (best GPA amongst senior athletes)…graduated in 2019 with a BS Mathematics degrees.
• Works as a Strategy Specialists on Strategic Planning Team at Dollar Tree.
• Always played in the prestigious Virginia Beach NASSC (North American Sand Soccer Championship with friends team in amateur division for years)…
• Played in the 2022 NASSC pro division with Virginia Beach (BSVB), finished fourth
• Invited to U.S. Touchpoint Camp in 2022… Debuted in ANOC World Beach Games qualifiers on April 6, 2023 vs. Belize
• Won Golden Glove at the 2023 NBSL in Ft. Lauderdale with BSVB…
• INSTAGRAM: @atcollier19