CHICAGO (Sept. 17, 2024) – U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy (CP) National Team head coach Stuart Sharp has named a 17-player roster for the team’s participation in the 2024 CP International Friendlies Series from Sept. 22-29 in Dublin, Ireland.
Continuing U.S. Soccer’s mission to develop winning teams and celebrate the game in all of its forms, the Series will see the CP MNT play friendlies against Scotland on Sept. 27 (2 p.m. ET) and Republic of Ireland on Sept. 29 (8 a.m. ET), with both matches at the Athletic Union League complex in Dublin.
The two friendlies will serve as the team’s final preparation matches before the 2024 ICFPF World Cup in Salou, Spain, where the USA was drawn into Group C and will face Australia (Nov. 10), Netherlands (Nov. 12) and Thailand (Nov. 14). The U.S. is looking to improve upon its fourth-place finish from two years ago, its strongest-ever World Cup performance.
“Our opportunities to bring this squad together outside major tournaments have been recently limited, so these friendly internationals are crucial for team development,” Sharp said. “This trip is our final on-field preparation, so we will focus on key game moments and solidifying our final roster for the World Cup, which is now less than seven weeks away. The squad is ready and excited to apply the work from our domestic camps in a competitive setting.”
Thirteen players return from last month’s training camp in Rome, Ga., while the roster also features 11 players that helped the USA claim bronze at the 2023 Parapan American Games last November in Santiago, Chile, including captain and 2023 U.S. Soccer CP Male Player of the Year Josh Brunais (Stafford, Va.), as well as veteran midfielders Ben Lindau (Chicago, Ill.) and John Sullivan (Tucson, Ariz.) plus striker Cameron DeLillo (Brandon, Pa.).
Additionally, the camp marks the return of 2017 and 2019 World Cup veteran Nick Mayhugh (Manassas, Va.) to the CP MNT. Mayhugh, whose 35 career goals rank him second on the team’s all-time scoring chart, most recently represented the United States in Track and Field at both the 2021 and 2024 Paralympics in Tokyo and Paris, respectively. He last appeared for the CP MNT in 2019, helping the side earn the bronze medal at the Parapan Am Games in Lima, Peru.
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brixton Blasi (Flower Mount, Texas; 0/0), Marc Estrella*^ (Bakersfield, Calif.; 16/0)
DEFENDERS (4): Josh Brunais*^ (Stafford, Va.; 44/7), Chileshe Chitulangoma^ (Rochester, Minn.; 2/0), Jacob Kaplan*^ (Morganville, N.J.; 19/2), Frankie Lowery* (Fort Collins, Colo.; 5/2)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Ben Lindau*^ (Chicago, Ill.; 31/3), Kevin McCandlish*^ (Chesapeake, Va.; 3/1), Kyle Montgomery (Newport News, Va.; 0/0), Wesley Pincince* (Dunbarton, N.H.; 6/0), Michael Ruiz (Gilroy, Ga.; 0/0), John Sullivan*^ (Tucson, Ariz.; 16/1)
FORWARDS (5): Jacob Crumbley*^ (Fortson, Ga.; 16/3), Cameron DeLillo*^ (Brandon, Pa.; 43/34), Shea Hammond*^ (Montclair, N.J.; 22/15), Gavin Kohner (Phoenix, Ariz.; 0/0), Nick Mayhugh (Manassas, Va.; 35/28)
The CP MNT are 2W-0L-0D against Scotland during the team’s modern era (2014-present). The USA earned a 2-1 victory on June 19, 2015 at the IFCPF World Cup before a goal from Shea Hammond helped propel the side to a 2-0 win at the Tri-Nations Cup on March 13, 2022. Both matches were played in Burton-upon-Trent, England.
The USA holds a 2W-2L-1D modern era record against Ireland, going unbeaten in the last three matches, in a streak that dates back to 2016. The run began with a 2-1 U.S. win on Sept. 14, 2016 at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before Cameron DeLillo’s brace pushed the USA to a 3-2 victory on Sept. 22, 2017 at the IFCPF World Cup in San Luis, Argentina. The most recent meeting again came at the World Cup, with Nick Mayhugh’s 14th minute goal ensuring the USA earned a 1-1 draw and a top of the group finish on July 12, 2019 in Seville, Spain.
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.