CHICAGO (March 7, 2024) – As part of U.S. Soccer’s strategic pillar to develop winning teams, the Federation will host the third annual ADAPTandTHRIVE Invitational from March 13-18 in Rome, Ga. The event will feature the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Cerebral Palsy National Teams and the co-ed U.S. Power Soccer National Team as they continue preparations for premier international tournaments this year and early next year.
As U.S. Soccer continues to celebrate soccer in all of its forms, the three Extended National Teams will be joined by some of the Federation’s Disability Soccer Organizations, including the American Amputee Soccer Association, CP Soccer and Down Syndrome Sports of America Futsal. Additionally, U.S. Women’s Deaf National Team players Kate Ward and Beth Barbiers will run a free youth soccer clinic for the USA Deaf Soccer Association on Saturday, March 16.
“The ADAPTandTHRIVE Invitational stands out as a source of excitement for our numerous Extended National Teams,” said U.S. Soccer Head of Extended National Teams Stuart Sharp. “The Invitational takes on a unique shape each year and I eagerly anticipate the emphasis on our U.S. Soccer Member Organizations in the upcoming edition. Beyond providing a valuable training opportunity for our elite athletes, it increases connections between players across our national teams as well as offering them a chance to express support for grassroots initiatives that our members are carrying out. Witnessing the event come together fills me with enthusiasm and is a valuable milestone as we continue to grow all forms of the game in the U.S.”
Created to showcase and unite adaptive versions of the game, the inaugural ADAPTandTHRIVE Invitational was held in January 2022 in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., while the second event was held last March in Chula Vista, Calif.
Nearly 40 elite athletes in total from across the U.S. have been selected by the respective National Teams’ coaching staffs for this unique training camp, with each squad kicking off a busy year this month in Rome, Ga. The three rosters are below.
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The U.S. Power Soccer National Team features male and female athletes with disabilities that include quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy, among others. Played 4v4 in a gymnasium, it is the first competitive team sport developed specifically for power wheelchair users. The 2024 ADAPTandTHRIVE Invitational is the team’s first gathering since finishing third at the 2023 FIPFA Powerchair Football World Cup and will kick off the team’s preparation for the 2025 APFC Copa America, which will serve as qualifying for the 2026 FIPFA Powerchair Football World Cup in Argentina from Oct. 20-26, 2026.
Goalkeeper (1): Nathan Mayer* (Minnesota Shockwave; Monticello, Minn.; 22/2)
Wings (6):Alejandro Aguirre (San Jose Flash; San Jose, Calif.; 0/0), Lexi Heer* (Sudden Impact; Fishers, Ind.; 18/9), Lindsay Muench (Minnesota Shockwave; Campbellsport, Wisc.; 0/0), Natalie Russo-Dickey* (Sudden Impact; Carmel, Ind.; 21/21), Peyton Sefick* (CNY United; Syracuse, N.Y.; 15/5), Chad Wilson (Minnesota Shockwave; Chanhassen, Minn.; 0/0)
Center (4): Jordan Dickey* (Sudden Impact; Pendleton, Ind.; 27/16), David Dowling (Turnstone Flyers; Fort Wayne, Ind.; 0/0), Riley Johnson* (Minnesota Shockwave; Saint Cloud, Minn.; 20/15), Michael Rayton (San Jose Flash; San Jose, Calif.; 0/0)
Striker (1): Pete Winslow* (Minnesota Shockwave; Woodbury, Minn.; 14/6)
*Part of 2023 FIPFA World Cup roster
Head Coach: Tracy Mayer
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The Men’s and Women’s CP National Teams feature athletes with Cerebral Palsy, Stroke or Traumatic Brain Injury. The men’s discipline is a 7v7 game played on a smaller field that is 70 meters long and 50 meters wide with goals which are five meters wide by two meters tall. The women’s discipline is a 5v5 game, played on a field that is 40 meters long and 27 meters wide. Both the CP MNT and WNT will use the ADAPTandTHRIVE Invitational to begin preparation for the 2024 IFCPF World Cup to be held in Salou, Spain this November. The CP WNT won the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 2022, while the CP MNT earned a team-best fourth-place finish.
Goalkeepers (2): Sean Boyle* (Minneapolis, Minn.; 41/0), Carson Lundhagen (Canton, Ga.; 0/0)
Defenders (3): Josh Brunais* (Stafford, Va.; 44/7), Chileshe Chitulangoma (Rochester, Minn.; 2/0), Jacob Kaplan* (Morganville, N.J.; 19/2)
Midfielders (8): Luke Donegon (Colorado Springs, Colo.; 0/0), Ben Lindau* (Chicago, Ill.; 31/3), Kevin McCandlish (Chesapeake, Va.; 3/1), Jonah Meyer-Crothers (Sylvania, Ohio; 9/5), Kyle Montgomery (Savannah, Ga.; 0/0), Dane Rowe (Springfield, Mo.; 0/0), Michael Ruiz (Gilroy, Ga.; 0/0), John Sullivan* (Tucson, Ariz.; 16/1)
Forwards (3): Jacob Crumbley* (Fortson, Ga.; 16/3), Shea Hammond* (Montclair, N.J.; 22/15), Gavin Kohner (Phoenix, Ariz.; 0/0)
*Part of 2023 Parapan Am Games Roster
Head Coach: Stuart Sharp
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Goalkeeper (1): Rebecca Ostrander* (Carson City, Nev.; 5/6)
Defenders (3): Cassidy Leake* (Murrieta, Calif.; 2/0), Joey Martin* (Smyrna, Ga.; 3/3), Madison Reinert (Oley, Pa.; 0/0)
Midfielders (4): Kristine Knief (Ankeny, Iowa; 0/0), Isabella Stankunas (Trappe, Pa.; 0/0), Kaia Spencer (Seattle, Wash.; 0/0), Echo Yale (Boston, Mass.; 0/0)
Forwards (4): Jordan Bruce (Albuquerque, N.M.), Leah Glaser* (Montclair, N.J.; 4/2), Emeril Gordon (Atlanta, Ga.; 0/0), Jesslyn Kuhnel* (Panama City, Fla.; 5/6)
*Part of 2022 IFCPF World Cup Roster
Head Coach: Tricia Taliaferro
Members of the 2023 World Deaf Football Championship squad, U.S. Women’s Deaf National Team captain Kate Ward and defender Beth Barbiers will oversee a free youth soccer clinic on Saturday, March 16 from 10 a.m. – noon at Darlington School in Rome, Ga. For more information and to register, please click here.
The USA Deaf Soccer Association serves as the governing body for Deaf Soccer in the United States and began sending national teams to international competition in 1965. In 2022, the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Deaf National Teams joined U.S. Soccer’s Extended National Teams program and went to their first competition under the Federation at the 2023 DIFA World Deaf Football Championships in Malaysia. To compete in deaf soccer, athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55 decibels in their better ear. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are not allowed in order to maintain a level playing field. The game is played the same way as traditional soccer but officiated differently, with flags instead of whistles.
The American Amputee Soccer Association has dual missions. The first is to promote and develop the sport for the benefit of participants with limb differences, and grow the sport for juniors and adults and for women and men. AASA looks to accomplish this through outreach programs at the local levels to help interested players become introduced to the sport, maximize their proficiency, build self-confidence, learn the power of teamwork and build a strong social network. The second mission is to select, develop and train the elite amputee soccer athlete to represent the United States in international competition. The United States National Amputee Soccer Team is managed by the American Amputee Soccer Association and competes internationally in the World Amputee Football Federation. For more information, please visit usampsoccer.org.
CP Soccer’s mission is to build a nationwide soccer league for kids who are affected by cerebral palsy, stroke or traumatic brain injury. This is important because most kids who would qualify for CP Soccer find they are not capable enough to continue playing on competitive teams as they grow older and the level of play rises. They can’t keep up with able-bodied peers, so they end up being pushed out of the sport. By creating a national league, we are building a way for these kids to keep soccer in their lives. CP Soccer launched in the New York metro area in 2017 and has expanded to have 13 teams throughout the United States. For more information, please visit cpsoccer.us.
Down Syndrome Sports of America is a National Sports Organization dedicated to transforming the lives of athletes with Down syndrome who want to develop and compete in sports. DSSA works closely with its athletes and their support group to help them grow not only as an athlete, but as a person. Sports play a critical role in the development of the athletes, helping them learn teamwork, dedication, fair play and good sportsmanship. While developing these skills for the sports arena, DSSA also helps to translate these skills into daily aspects of the athletes’ lives. For more information, please visit dssasports.org.
For more information on the sports or to inquire about athlete eligibility, please contact U.S. Soccer's Extended National Teams Department via email at extendednt@ussoccer.org.
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.