BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Oct. 21, 2026) – The U.S. Power Soccer National Team defeated Japan 1-0 behind a clutch, late first-half goal to clinch a berth in the semifinals of the 2026 FIPFA Powerchair World Cup being staged at the Olympic Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The critical win helped the U.S. vault into third place to close out group play and set up a semifinal showdown with defending world champion France on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 3 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local) live on the FIPFA You Tube streaming channels.
In their second match of the day, the U.S. lost to group winners England 5-0, following a hat trick from 17-year-old scoring phenom Dan McLellan. He is currently second in the tournament with 19 goal contributions through nine games, including seven goals and 12 assists.
Against Japan, the semifinal clinching goal for the U.S. came on the stroke of halftime. Recorded as an own goal to Japan’s Kazuto Hiranishi, the goal likely should have been awarded directly to the USA’s Jordan Dickey who finished brilliant from the left flank. Dickey hit a one-time shot with such power that the Japanese defense could only muster a weak deflective effort in trying to keep it out of the goal.
The victory over Japan was the 20th in head coach Tracy Mayer’s career with the U.S., bringing his all-time record for the team to an impressive 20W-4L-4D. Mayer is the winningest coach in team history.
Next up for the U.S. is the team’s semifinal showdown on Thursday, October 22 with France at 3 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local). The winner of that match will play in the tournament finals on Friday, Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. ET (3 p.m. local), and the tournament’s third-place match will be at 12 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local).
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. Japan
Date: October 21, 2026
Competition: 2026 FIPFA World Cup – Group Stage
Venue: Buenos Aires Olympic Park – America Hall (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Kickoff: 1 p.m. local time
Attendance: 79
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| JPN | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| USA – Own goal (Kazuto Hiranishi) | 20+1st minute |
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
JPN: 47-Kazuto Hiranishi; 11-T. Yamada, 17-M. Nagaoka, 73-K. Ikeda
Substitutes: 7-Y. Mikami, 8-M. Uchihashi, 9-S. Shioiri, 74-K. Utsumi
Head coach: N. Nagoshi
Stats Summary: USA / JPN
Shots: 5 / 2
Shots on Goal: 4 / 2
Saves: 2 / 2
Blocks: 0 / 1
Corner Kicks: 2 / 1
Fouls: 2 / 6
2 v.1: 4 / 1
| Misconduct Summary | |
| JPN – K. Ikeda (Caution) | 20th minute |
| JPN – Kazuto Hiranishi (Caution) | 33 |
Officials:
Referee: N. Sabovic (AUT)
Assistant Referee 1: E. Smithers (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: C. Gouldsbrough (ENG)
Fourth Official: R. Byrne (IRL)
Match: U.S. Power Soccer National Team vs. England
Date: October 21, 2026
Competition: 2026 FIPFA World Cup – Group Stage
Venue: Buenos Aires Olympic Park – America Hall (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Kickoff: 4 p.m. local time
Attendance: 193
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENG | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| ENG – D. McLellan | 9th minute |
| ENG – D. McLellan (J. Bolding) | 17 |
| ENG – J. Bolding | 23 |
| ENG – D. McLellan (D. Kelsall) | 27 |
| ENG – J. Bolding (D. Kelsall) | 34 |
Lineups:
USA: 11-Zach Dickey; 5-Lexi Heer, 8-Lindsay Muench, 10-David Dowling (Capt.)
Substitutes: 2-Nathan Mayer, 3-Jordan Dickey, 9-Pete Winslow, 22-Riley Johnson
Head coach: Tracy Mayer
ENG: 7-Chris Gordon; 8-Jon Bolding (Capt.), 10-Dan McClellan, 27-Dylan Kelsall
Subs not used: 4-Ed Common, 9-Marcus Harrison, 11-Tyler Reeve, 14-Ethan Fisher
Head coach: A. McEvoy
Stats Summary: USA / ENG
Shots: 3 / 13
Shots on Goal: 2 / 10
Saves: 2 / 1
Blocks: 4 / 1
Corner Kicks: 0 / 2
Fouls: 0 / 5
2 v.1: 10 / 1
Misconduct Summary:
None
Officials:
Referee: L. Frega (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: N. Balin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: N. Sabovic (AUT)
Fourth Official: E. Smithers (AUS)