CHICAGO (Nov. 4, 2024) – U.S. Women’s Deaf National Team head coach Amy Griffin has selected 18 players for the team’s international training camp and friendly series against Japan from Nov. 8-18 in Tokyo.
The Deaf WNT will help mark one year out until the Deaflympics in Tokyo with two matches against the hosts on Nov. 14 and Nov. 16. Both matches will kick off at 8 p.m. ET (10 a.m. local time the following day in Japan).
"Traveling to Japan for this friendly series presents a remarkable opportunity for our team, not only to compete internationally but to gain familiarity with the environment where we’ll be striving for gold in the Deaflympics next year,” Griffin said. “This test run is invaluable -- immersing ourselves in the food, facilities, and surroundings is a powerful step in our preparation. With a squad that blends seasoned champions and fresh talent, this experience will be especially important for our new players as they acclimate to the competitive level and the culture of Deaf soccer.”
Griffin has selected a balanced squad, with 10 players coming from the roster that claimed the 2023 World Deaf Football Championship last fall in Malaysia, including Deaf WNT all-time leading scorer Emily Spreeman (Fountain Valley, Calif.), team co-captain Sydney Andrews (Wichita, Kan.), as well as European-based players Mia White (Littleton, Colo.), Paris Price (Fall City, Wash.) and Erin Cembrale (Oyster Bay, N.Y.).
Meanwhile, eight players will seek their first international caps, as the team continues its preparation to claim an unprecedented fifth gold medal at next year’s Deaflympics in Tokyo.
While there have been no competitions for the team in 2024, the matches will bring down the curtain on what has been a unique year for the Deaf WNT, which defeated Australia 11-0 as the first game of a double header with the U.S. Women’s National Team on June 1 in Commerce City, Colo. The game was broadcast live on truTV and Telemundo digital networks, marking the first time a U.S. Soccer Extended National Teams match was shown on network television in the U.S., and also marked the team’s first-ever home match and international friendly.
GOALKEEPER (1): Payton DeGraw* (Salt Lake City, Utah; 3/0)
DEFENDERS (6): Sydney Andrews*^ (Wichita, Kan.; 28/1), Josephine Blazic (East Tawas, Mich.; 0/0), Melia Lenert (Long Beach, Calif.; 0/0), Chelsea Tumey (Peoria, Ariz.; 0/0), Ella Wylie (Decatur, Texas; 0/0), Faith Wylie*^ (Decatur, Texas; 11/6)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Erin Cembrale*^ (Oyster Bay, N.Y.; 11/5), Gracie Fitzgerald*^ (Georgetown, Ind.; 18/4), Alexis Jones (Las Vegas, Nev.; 0/0), Tia LaBrecque (Raynham, Mass.; 0/0), Paris Price*^ (Fall City, Wash.; 12/1), Sabina Shysh* (Tucson, Ariz.; 2/1), Mia White*^ (Littleton, Colo.; 12/1)
FORWARDS (4): Giselle Larraga (Los Fresnos, Texas; 0/0), Sophie Post*^ (Murry, Utah; 12/6), Emily Spreeman*^ (Fountain Valley, Calif.; 24/33), Mikaela Stein (Las Vegas, Nev.; 0/0)
The Deaf WNT took its initial steps in 1999, when the first U.S. side won the St. John’s Tournament, a small-sided competition played in London, England. Two years later, the team was again victorious at 2001 De Hearne Kortrijk Indoor Tournament in Belgium. Those two competitions laid the groundwork for the modern U.S. Women’s Deaf National Team which began competing in 11-a-side competition at the 2005 Deaflympics in Melbourne, Australia.
Since that time, the Deaf WNT has gone a remarkable 38W-0L-1D in 39 all-time international matches, outscoring its opponents 188-15 en route to winning four Deaflympics (2005, 2009, 2013 and 2022) and three World Deaf Football Championships (2012, 2016 and 2023). And what about that one draw in their record? That came in the 2022 Deaflympics Final, when the USA tied Poland 2-2, claiming its fourth gold medal by winning 4-2 on penalty kicks.
The team is led by two world champions in head coach Amy Griffin and assistant coach Joy Fawcett. The pair helped the U.S. Women’s National Team take home the first FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991, while Fawcett also represented the U.S. at the 1995, 1999 and 2003 tournaments, winning another World Cup in 1999. Fawcett also won gold medals with the USWNT at the 1996 and 2004 Summer Olympics.
Out of the five disciplines that make up U.S. Soccer’s ENT programming, Deaf Soccer holds the closest resemblance to the standard game, with only two main rules that differentiate it. First, the sport is contested by Deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes, with qualifying players needing to have a hearing loss of at least 55 decibels in their “better ear”. All players competing in Deaf matches must remove all hearing aids before playing.
Secondly, referees have a flag which they raise along with blowing their whistle to provide a visual cue for players to know when play has stopped. Aside from those two adaptations, Deaf Soccer follows the standard 11-a-side Laws of the Game governed by the International Football Association Board.
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, it has aligned its efforts around five strategic pillars: Grow the game by increasing youth and adult participation and accessibility to the sport; Foster best playing environments through quality of referees and coaches, and commitment to 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.