FUKUSHIMA, Japan (November 20, 2025) - The U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team advanced to the Semifinals of the 2025 Deaflympics after a dramatic and late 2-1 win over Brazil in the first quarterfinal match on Thursday afternoon. The attacking duo of Chris Bourdon and Raul Silva came through with clutch goals late in each half, with Bourdon putting the USA ahead just before the break, and Silva scoring the 89th minute game-winner to send the USA to its first-ever Deaflympics Semifinal match, ensuring that the team will play for a medal for the first time in this 100-year-old competition.
The USA will now face hosts, Japan, in the first Semifinal on Friday, November 21 at 10 p.m. ET (Saturday, November 22; noon local time) at J-Village. Japan defeated Great Britain 2-1 in the other Quarterfinal on Thursday.
The game was a re-match of the semifinals of 2024 Deaf Pan American Games held in Canoas, Brazil. In that game, the teams drew 2-2 after 120 minutes - with the U.S. playing the final 30 minutes with 10 players - before fall 6-5 in penalty kicks. The last time the U.S. defeated Brazil was at the 2019 Deaf Pan American Games in Chile.
Head coach Everett Palache started the same 11 against Brazil that started in the 4-2 win over Korea Republic three days prior in group play - and the Stars and Stripes continued its same attacking play from opening whistle.
The first dangerous play came from five minutes in when U.S. midfielder Braden Anderson whipped in a corner kick that a Brazilian defender tried to head away at the near post but instead flicked back and just past the right post for another corner.
USA winger Chris Bourdon was a particular nuisance for the South American side down the right flank, getting deep down the line and forcing Brazil to absorb pressure for much of the first 45.
However, the deep-seated Brazilians nearly took the lead in the 23rd minute when Alan Santos jumped on a misplayed defensive ball and chipped goalkeeper Sam Lang from 20 yards, only for the ball to hit off the right post and allow Lang to recover.
Ten minutes later, U.S. left back JJ Waterman got down the line and centered a cross that forward Michael Schmid headed back to the left post for Samson Abraham, who chested it down while well-marked, but his lunging shot was high.
Bourdon then started pinching in, and it nearly paid off at the half-hour mark when Waterman’s long throw-in from the left was mis-cleared by a Brazilian defender, the ball falling just inside the top of the box where Bourdon attempted a first-time left-footed volley that went slightly wide.
Bourdon got all of it next time.
After the referee stopped play for a Brazilian player that went down untouched in the 40th, play was restarted with an uncontested drop ball at the top of the box. A Brazilian player attempted a low 35-yard pass down the center that USA midfielder Joey Kennedy picked off at the center circle, maintained control and advance it forward to Bourdon who was cutting in from the right. He took one touch towards the center and from 28 yards above the arc hit a curling left-footed shot that skipped past the ‘keeper and tucked into the right inside of the goal to put the USA ahead 1-0 at the break.
The second half was more closely contested and got chippy as Brazil pushed forward attempting to equalize, although for the most part they could not get behind the USA defense, nor get many threatening shots off.
In the 58th, the USA took advantage of a breakaway after the Brazilians were up-in-arms over a perceived miscall in the USA defensive box. Braden Anderson collected the clearance and sent a long ball over the top that Bourdon caught up to down the right channel, took it into the box and laid off a center pass across the box to Schmid, whose first-time shot from seven yards went wide as the goalkeeper dove across.
Brazil leveled the match in the 77th when Marcos Silva’s free kick from 27 yards dipped over Lang and hit the underside of the crossbar, the ball rebounding off the line and out where Daniel Simoni headed it in unmarked from three yards out.
But the U.S. kept its focus and found the winner in the 89th. Anderson sent a cross from the right that was cleared at the near post by a Brazilian player. Silva deftly brought the ball down at the top of the box and quickly got a left-footed shot off that teammate Jacob Contreras jumped over and that eluded the diving attempt by Gleidson Cunha as it tucked into the right inside net.
The teams then played 10 nervy minutes of stoppage time, with the U.S. well-positioned to see the win out.
The U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team has only advanced to one other semifinal at a worldwide competition, finishing a program-best fourth place at the 2008 Deaf World Football Championships in Greece. The USA men’s best finish at a Deaflympics was eighth place at the 2019 Games in Taiwan.
Match: United States Men’s Deaf National Team vs. Brazil
Date: November 20, 2025
Competition: 2025 Deaflympics - Quarterfinal
Venue: J-Village National Training Center - Fukushima, Japan
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. local (2:30 a.m. ET)
Weather: 58 degrees, sunny
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| BRA | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| USA - Chris Bourdon (Joey Kennedy Jr.) | 40th minute |
| BRA - Daniel Simoni | 77th |
| USA - Raul Silva | 89th |
Lineups:
USA: 1-Sam Long, 2-Samson Abraham, 3-Raul Rivera, 7-Chris Bourdon, 8-Philip Cruz, 10-Braden Anderson, 13-Joey Kennedy, 16-Kevin Fitzpatrick (Captain; 11-JP Kanashiro, 83), 17-Tate Lancaster, 20-JJ Waterman (14-Bennett Haas, 60), 22-Michael Schmid (9-Jacob Contreras, 74)
Substitutes not used: 12-Andrew Lenert, 21-Ethan Sullivan; 4-Luke Haubruge, 5-Kevin Oladimeji, 6-Dawson Anderson, 15-Eddy Perry, 18-Aidan Burns, 19-Daniel De Moura
Head coach: Everette Palache
BRA: 1-Gleidson Cunha, 3-Daniel Simoni, 4-Luan de Freitas, 5-Joao Goncalves, 6-Gesselio Rodrigues, 7-Mateus Silva, 8-Marcos Silva, 9-Alan Santos, 10-Vitor Figueroa, 11-Juan Oliveira, 18-Ederson de Silva
Substitutes not used: 2-Jordi Alves, 12-Luciano Silva, 13-Diego Lima, 14-Kaue da Sliva, 15-Gustavo Figueiredo, 16-Lucas Henrique, 17-Hiago Ribeiro, 19-Valteir Goncalves, 20-Renato Pinto
Head coach: Paulo Pereira
Stats Summary: USA / BRA
Shots: 5 / 7
SOG: 2 / 1
Saves: 1 / 0
Corners: 6 / 0
Fouls: 16 / 6
Offside: 2 / 1
| Misconduct Summary | |
| USA – JJ Waterman (Caution) | 30th minute |
| USA – Raul Silva (Caution) | 76 |
| BRA – Mateus Silva (Caution) | 91+ |
| BRA – Alan Santos (Caution) | 91+ |