BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Oct. 20, 2026) – The U.S. Power Soccer National Team downed Argentina 3-1 behind two second-half goals from veteran Lexi Heer on Tuesday afternoon at the 2026 FIPFA Powerchair World Cup to help position the team for a top-four position in group play and a spot in the World Cup semifinals at the Olympic Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The much-needed victory against the hosts came after a scoreless draw earlier in the day against Uruguay. The 0-0 match was the second of the tournament for the U.S. and the second in their history.
The U.S. was able to put the disappointment from that scoreline against Uruguay behind them as they took the court against Argentina, even after surrendering an opening minute goal to La Albiceleste’s top striker, Valentino Zegarelli. Just seconds into the game, an errant pass out of the back from goalkeeper Zach Dickey was intercepted by Zegarelli, who redirected it into an empty net from the midfield to put Argentina up 1-0.
Following that tough start, it was all U.S., who were able to quickly draw even just four minutes later with Riley Johnson redirecting a perfectly-placed corner kick to the far right post from Zach Dickey. The goal from Riley was the 25th of his illustrious U.S. career and his 12th career World Cup goal and second of this tournament.
With the scored tied at 1-1 heading into the second half, it didn’t take long for Heer to make her mark on the game, charging onto a pass from Jordan Dickey in the 21st minute and forcing the ball home with a couple of rebound touches as Heber Lopez and goalkeeper Khaleb Manzur struggled to keep it out of the goal. Although Dickey didn’t get an assist on the play, his perfectly placed ball into the area from deep down the left wing was critical in setting up the strike.
The goal for Heer was her 16th for the United States and was soon followed by number 17 in the 33rd minute to ice the game. On that strike, she once again combined with Jordan Dickey and Johnson on a quick-passing restart from the U.S. that showcased the team’s abilities.
From a dead ball on the right side of the midfield, Johnson found Dickey with a half-field pass that he slotted from the left edge of the penalty area back into the penalty area, freezing the Argentina defense as Heer once again skillfully found the pass and slotted home with one touch for the goal.
Next up for the U.S. are the team’s final two matches of group play on Wednesday, October 21 against Japan at 12 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local) and England at 3 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local). The top four teams in the 10-team tournament advance to the semifinals on Thursday, Oct. 22.
The easiest route to a top-four finish and a spot in the World Cup semifinals for the U.S. would be the team defeating Japan in their first match of the day on Wednesday and have Argentina lose to France in their first match of the day. Those two results would guarantee the U.S. a top-four finish and a berth in the semifinals.
All the FIPFA World Cup tournament action can be streamed live on the official FIPFA YouTube page, along with each U.S. game.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Match: U.S. Power Soccer National Team vs. Uruguay
Date: October 20, 2026
Competition: 2026 FIPFA World Cup – Group Stage
Venue: Buenos Aires Olympic Park – America Hall (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Kickoff: 10 a.m. local time
Attendance: 82
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| URU | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Lineups:
USA: 3-Jordan Dickey; 8-Lindsay Muench, 9-Pete Winslow, 22-Riley Johnson (capt.)
Substitutes: 5-Lexi Heer, 10-David Dowling, 11-Zach Dickey
Subs Not Used: 2-Nathan Mayer
Head coach: Tracy Mayer
URU: 23-D. Romano; 9-Francisco Wild, 10-L. Barboza, 20-J. Platero
Subs Not Used: 7-N. Pulas, 8-M. Diasi
Head coach: S. Palacio
Stats Summary: USA / URU
Shots: 6 / 0
Shots on Goal: 5 / 0
Saves: 0 / 4
Blocks: 0 / 1
Corner Kicks: 7 / 0
Fouls: 1 / 3
2 v.1: 4 / 5
Misconduct Summary:
None
Officials:
Referee: L. Claudio Dos Santos (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: R. Wesley (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: M. Bean (ENG)
Fourth Official: L. Frega (ARG)
Match: U.S. Power Soccer National Team vs. Argentina
Date: October 20, 2026
Competition: 2026 FIPFA World Cup – Group Stage
Venue: Buenos Aires Olympic Park – America Hall (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. local time
Attendance: 311
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| ARG | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| ARG – V. Zegarelli | 1st minute |
| USA – Riley Johnson (Zach Dickey) | 5 |
| USA – Lexi Heer | 21 |
| USA – Lexi Heer (Jordan Dickey) | 33 |
Lineups:
USA: 11-Zach Dickey; 3-Jordan Dickey, 5-Lexi Heer, 22-Riley Johnson (capt.)
Substitutes: 2-Nathan Mayer
Subs not used: 8-Lindsay Muench, 9-Pete Winslow, 10-David Dowling
Head coach: Tracy Mayer
ARG: 10-V. Zegarelli, 17-S. Arocena, 7-Heber Lopez, 8-J. D’Angelo
Substitutes: 9-M.Zubiarain, 11-L. Lipari, 13-Khaleb Manzur, 23-N. Quikuen
Head coach: C. Gordon
Stats Summary: USA / ARG
Shots: 7 / 4
Shots on Goal: 4 / 3
Saves: 1 / 1
Blocks: 1 / 0
Corner Kicks: 1 / 4
Fouls: 7 / 4
2 v.1: 5 / 4
| Misconduct Summary | |
| USA – Lexi Heer (Caution) | 35th minute |
| ARG – V. Zegarelli (Caution) | 39 |
Officials:
Referee: S. Crump (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: M. Bean (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: N. Balin (FRA)
Fourth Official: E. Smithers (AUS)