DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Feb. 19, 2024) – The U.S. Men’s Beach Soccer National Team fell 5-4 to Egypt in extra time in its final match at the 2024 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Despite the defeat, the match was historic as goalkeeper and captain Chris Toth earned his 100th cap, making him U.S. Soccer’s first Beach Soccer athlete to hit the century mark since the Federation began overseeing the discipline in 2005.
Additionally, Alessandro Canale earned his 12th World Cup cap, moving him into sole possession of the team lead in World Cup appearances, while his brace also extended his USBMNT scoring record at the event to 13 goals. Meanwhile while substitute goalkeeper Austin Collier scored his first career goal in what was his FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup debut. The USA also had its best defensive performance at a World Cup, conceding 11 goals over the three matches.
The USA made one change to the Starting V with Ricard Carvalho replacing Conner Rezende, and played patient in possession early as Egypt sat back. Defender Antonio Chavez had the first solid U.S. attempt after two minutes with a shot from the left that was blocked five yards from goal for a corner. The Pharoah’s first threat came on a throw-in from the left across the middle where Mostafa Ahmed hit his first-time effort wide right.
The USA looked to its flanks to start plays, but Egypt kept numbers central to make centering attempts difficult. The USA came close at 3:57 when Toth stepped forward to draw a defender then passed right to Nico Perea, who quickly headed it forward to Carvalho. His left-footed side volley was met by Egypt ‘keeper Mohamed Elsayed who read the play and took the shot to stomach from close range.
Egypt broke through after 10 minutes when Hossam Paulo collected a rebounded ball left of center near midfield alone. He quickly took a low shot from 20 yards that skipped off the sand in front of Toth and crept inside the left post.
The USA leveled seconds later. On the left, Rezende attempted a shot that hit off Ahmed Elshahat’s arm, and the referee whistled for a penalty kick. Playing in his fourth career World Cup, Canale stepped up and hit hard and low to the right of Ibrahim Hassan with two minutes remaining.
Egypt would retake the lead less than a minute later when Hassan made a long throw to Elhusseini Taha, who turned on Andres Navas and was ready to shoot. Toth came out to stop, but the ball got by and Paulo was alone on line to head across the line at 1:38 of the first period.
Substitute U.S. goalkeeper Austin Collier made his Beach Soccer World Cup debut when he was inserted to start the second period, and made immediate impact, hitting a rope from 28 yards to the top left corner to tally his first-ever international goal at 8:22. Combined with Toth’s goal in Saturday’s match against the United Arab Emirates, it marks the fifth time two goalkeepers on the same team have scored in one edition of the tournament.
Collier contributed again seconds later. Off a restart, the ball was played forward by Egypt, but the goalkeeper picked up ball and made a long throw down right. Rezende snuck by a defender to win the ball, then quickly passed to Canale who had an easy tap-in at 8:09. The goal gave the Venice, Calif. native a brace in the match and marked his U.S.-record fifth career multi-goal game at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
The USA defended well with Collier only needing to clean up a few innocent through-balls, but the USA kept pressure, too. Rezende had a shot saved from 12 yards out, then set up Canale on a corner but the veteran mis-hit his attempt from 14 yards away.
Navas joined Collier in collecting his first career goal with just two seconds remaining, converting a free kick from 11 yards low to the left side past Ibrahim Hassan to make it 4-2. Navas’s goal made him the fifth player to score for the USA at the 2024 World Cup.
Toth returned to the U.S. goal to start the third and started with a big save, denying Paulo’s attempt following a Loha free kick at 9:05. Back the other way, the USA nearly found a sixth when Nico Perea’s bicycle attempt was tipped over the bar by Elsayed with 7:30 left.
Egypt began their comeback at the midway point of the third when Elsayed’s throw through the middle found Moustafa Sasa. He held up and fed Paulo who beat Toth inside the right post, making it 4-3 with 6:19 remaining.
The USA nearly restored is two-goal edge at 4:26, when Gabe Silveira was fouled while attempting a bicycle kick from 15 yards out. Silveira’s put his free kick low to the right Elsayed made a diving stop at the post.
Egypt then pulled level about 30 seconds later when Rezende tried to win a ball but was judge by the referee to have fouled Elshahat. On the penalty, the Egypt defender sent Toth the wrong way as he slotted his effort inside the left post to make it 4-4 with 3:52 remaining.
The USA had one more quality chance before extra time, when Toth’s volley to the right corner was well saved by El Sayed with 1:50 remaining. Locked after 36 minutes of play, the USA headed to overtime for the second-straight match.
In the three-minute overtime period, Egypt won the ball on the right and it quickly squirted to Taha who blasted a right-footed effort from midfield past Toth and into the upper 90 to give the Pharoah’s a comeback 5-4 win.
Match: United States Beach Men’s National Team vs. Egypt
Date: February 19, 2024
Competition: 2024 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup – Group A
Venue: Design District Beach Soccer Stadium; Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Attendance: 749
Kickoff: 6:30 a.m. ET (3:30 p.m. local time)
Weather: 80 degrees, sunny
Scoring Summary: 1 2 3 ET F
USA 1 3 0 0 4
EGY 2 0 2 1 5
EGY – Hossam Paulo (Elhosseini Taha) 2:09 (1st Period)
USA – Alessandro Canale (penalty kick) 2:00 (1st Period)
EGY – Hossam Paulo (Moustafa Sasa) 1:38 (1st Period)
USA – Austin Collier (Cody Valcarcel) 8:22 (2nd Period)
USA – Alessandro Canale (Conner Rezende) 8:09 (2nd Period)
USA – Andres Navas (free kick) 0:02 (2nd Period)
EGY – Hossam Paulo (Haitham Costa) 6:20 (3rd Period)
EGY - Ahmed Elshahat 4:01 (3rd Period)
EGY – Elhosseini Taha 1:22 (Extra Time)
Lineups:
USA: 1-Chris Toth (Capt.); 4-Ricardo Carvalho, 5-Nico Perea, 10-Gabe Silveira, 11-Chris Albiston
Substitutes: 12-Austin Collier, 2-Tanner Akol, 3-Antonio Chavez, 6-Cody Valcarcel, 7-Andres Navas, 8-Andres Navas, 9-Alessandro Canale
Head coach: Francis Farberoff
EGY: 12-Mohamed Elsayed, 4-Ahmed Elshahat, 5-Moustafa Sasa, 7-Elhusseini Taha, 11-Hossam Paulo
Substitutes: 1-Ibrahim Hassan, 2-Hassane Hussein, 3-Ismaeel Bahgat, 6-Moustafa Samir (Capt.), 8-Mostafa Ahmed, 9-Haitham Costa, 10-Loha
Head coach: Moustafa Abdellatef
Misconduct Summary:
EGY – Ahmed Elshalat (caution) 2:00 (1st Period)
USA – Alessandro Canale (caution) 0:45 (2nd Period)
EGY – Moustafa Abdellatef (caution) 0:02 (2nd Period)
EGY – Moustafa Sasa (caution) 0:00 (2nd Period)
EGY – Hassane Hussein (caution) 8:57 (3rd Period)
USA – Conner Rezende (caution) 3:53 (3rd Period)
Officials:
First Referee: Eduards Borisevics (LVA)
Second Referee: Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy (TAH)
Third Referee: Abdulaziz Abdullah (KUW)
Fourth Referee: Micke Palomino (PER)
Timekeeper: Francisco de Oses Bumedien (ESP)