U.S. Deaf Men’s National Team Falls to Host Japan 1-0 in Deaflympics Semifinals; Will Play for Bronze Monday Against France
USA Will Play for Bronze Against France on Monday, Nov. 24 (2:30 a.m. ET; JDFA YouTube)
FUKUSHIMA, Japan (Nov. 22, 2025) - The U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team fell to Japan 1-0 in the first Semifinal of the 2025 Deaflympics Saturday afternoon in a hard-fought match before a nice crowd at the J-Village Stadium. The hosts and 2023 World Deaf Football Championships runners-up scored early and managed the lead well the rest of the way.
For the U.S., this was the first time the team advanced to the Semifinal Round of the Deaflympics. The team will now play in its first Deaflympics Bronze Medal match against France on Monday, Nov. 24 at 4:30 p.m. local time (2:30 a.m. ET; JDFA YouTube).
Head coach Everett Palache was forced into making two changes Saturday from the team that started the past two matches – wins over Korea Republic and Brazil – as left back JJ Waterman and midfielder Raul Silva had picked up two yellow cards each through the Group Stage and Quarterfinals, and were suspended for the Semifinal game.
In adjusting, Palache also shifted the formation, opting to play with two wing-backs and two up top. Eddie Perry and Dawson Anderson each made their first start of the competition, with Perry slotting on the left wing and Anderson in the midfield behind his brother Braden.
The U.S. was facing a strong Japan side that was playing in front of a supportive crowd. The previous night, the Deaflympics organization shifted the match – originally scheduled to be played in an auxiliary field – to the main stadium at J-Village to accommodate the expected crowd.
The hosts showed their experience in big matches from the start, coming close on three occasions in the first ten minutes before taking the lead.
Just three minutes in, Japan’s corner from the left dropped inside the six-yard box – with neither team reacting as the ball bounced untouched out of play. Minutes later, Takuya Okada received a ball with his back to goal and quickly turned and got a shot off that USA goalkeeper Sam Lang did well to block with a kick save off his line. Lang then did well to retreat and save a dipping shot from Keita Fukushima from 30 yards.
The break came at the 10-minute mark. After a clearance from Lang, Japan won possession just past midfield and combined quickly, with Okada centering a ball from the left that Shinichiro Hoshikawa headed in from close range.
The U.S. struggled at times to build forward but had a close chance after the quarter hour when Braden Anderson’s corner kick to the back post was headed just over the crossbar by Philip Cruz.
Coming out of the break with the lead, Japan continued looking to extend. Diasuke Nishi hit a solid left-footed volley from the top of the box off the crossbar; Hoshikawa hit a low shot from 20 yards that went narrowly wide of the left post; and Kodai Hayashi tested Lang from distance, with the U.S. ‘keeper positioned well for the low save.
The next 20 minutes was a battle of wills – and numerous stops in action – with neither team able to create clear opportunities. The U.S. defense led by veterans Tate Lancaster and Kevin Fitzpatrick stuck in time and again to deny further threats within its own area, while Japan had numbers back often to prevent the U.S. from building up top, effectively negating chances to level.
The U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team now has a chance to earn its first podium finish in a worldwide competition with their third-place match against France on November 24. It’s previous best finish at a global tournament was fourth place at the 2008 Deaf World Football Championships in Greece. Regionally, the team earned Gold at the 2019 Deaf Pan American Games.
-U.S. MEN’S DEAF NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-
Match: United States Men’s Deaf National Team vs. Japan
Date: Nov. 22, 2025
Competition: 2025 Deaflympics - Semifinal
Venue: J-Village National Training Center - Fukushima, Japan
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. local (10:00 p.m. ET)
Weather: 56 degrees, sunny
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JPN | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| JPN – Shinichiro Hoshikawa (Takuya Okada) | 10th minute |
Lineups:
USA: 1-Sam Long, 2-Samson Abraham, 7-Chris Bourdon, 6-Dawson Anderson, 8-Philip Cruz, 10-Braden Anderson, 13-Joey Kennedy, 15-Eddy Perry (18-Aidan Burns 69), 16-Kevin Fitzpatrick, 17-Tate Lancaster (Captain), 22-Michael Schmid (14-Bennett Haas 83)
Substitutes not used: 12-Andrew Lenert, 21-Ethan Sullivan; 4-Luke Haubruge, 5-Kevin Oladimeji, 11-JP Kanashiro 19-Daniel De Moura
Suspended: 3-Raul Silva; 20-JJ Waterman
Head coach: Everette Palache
JPN: 1-Takumi Matsumoto, 2-Masanori Namura, 3-Shion Saito, 5-Ryusei Yuno, 6-Sota Horii, 7-Daisuke Nishi, 8-Yuya Nishi (18-Daichi Sugimoto, 99+), 10-Takuya Okada (16-Yuto Nakao, 79), 11-Keita Fukushima, 14-Kodai Hayashi (13-Akito Takizawa, 79), 19-Shinichiro Hoshikawa (20-Eigo Morishige, 69)
Substitutes not used: 12-Ryoto Norisue, 4-Yoshitaka Ejima, 9-Shun Okai, 15-Kento Nakai, 17-Kiyoaki Kiryu, 21-Reiya Okumoto, 22-Ryosuke Haraguchi, 23-Yuki Takeshita
Head coach: Takayoshi Nakamura
Stats Summary: USA / JPN
Shots: 2 / 18
SOG: 0 / 6
Saves: 5 / 0
Corners: 2 / 8
Fouls: 12 / 11
Offside: 2 / 1
| Misconduct Summary | |
| USA - Philip Cruz (Caution) | 42nd minute |
| USA - Chris Bourdon (Caution) | 45+1 |
| USA - Braden Anderson (Caution) | 45+3 |
| USA - Dawson Anderson (Caution) | 59 |
| JPN - Daisuke Nishi (Caution) | 74 |
| USA - Tate Lancaster (Caution) | 88 |
| USA - Chris Bourdon (Caution) | 90+1 |
| USA – Chris Bourdon (Ejection) | 90+1 |
| USA - Bennett Haas (Caution) | 90+1 |
Officials:
Referee: Paul Kirby
Asst Referee: Ryotaro Taknami
Asst Referee: Yoshuaki Sasaki
4th Official: Seiji Kato