U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy National Team Finishes Second in the 2026 IFCPF World Cup

ATLANTA (Oct. 24, 2026) - The U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy (CP) National Team lost 2-1 in extra time after a dramatic final against England in the 2026 IFCPF World Cup at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center.

The U.S. looked to set the tone immediately at the start of the game with their first shot on goal coming within10 seconds. Cameron DeLillo drove into the box and tested the English goalkeeper Giles Moore early with a powerful shot.

The match turned into a defensive battle for the Americans when England looked to control possession and picked their spots on generating chances. However, the U.S. defense was up to task as they limited dangerous opportunities and easily handled shots on goal.

The most impressive defensive moment for the Americans came in the 20th minute when goalkeeper Sean Boyle made a double save. England took a shot on goal, but Boyle cleared it out for the initial save. The ball was then deflected and England’s Ethan Day, took a powerful shot into the upper right corner where Boyle made an incredible leap to his left to clear it out with one hand.

USA’s attack produced quality shots when they were able to get inside the box, generating six shots on goal in the first half with three saves made by Moore to keep the score 0-0 at the half.

Exceptional goalkeeper play continued in the second half for the U.S. when England’s attack looked to gain momentum. In the 34th minute, Matty Robinson shot the ball from outside the penalty box on the left side toward the bottom corner of the goal. Boyle dove and blocked it with an outstretched hand.

England continued pressuring the defense, but the U.S also produced spells of possession and took advantage of set pieces.

The long-awaited U.S. goal came in the 56th minute off a corner kick. Ben Lindau found Meyer-Crothers at the far post who headed the ball to an unmarked John Sullivan, inside the box where he struck the ball into the back of the net.

England responded with a flurry of desperate shots that were met by timely clearances from the American defense and exceptional saves by Boyle.

However, in the first minute of stoppage time, Liam Irons took a shot, and Boyle was able to make yet another save to preserve the lead. The ball bounced out and landed at Irons' feet again.Irons made a pass towards Sam Dewhirst sitting at the far post, and Dewhirst tapped it into the net to tie the game at the end of regulation.

The game continued with two 10-minute extra time periods. In the 64th minute, England with momentum on their side, found their second goal of the match. Sam Dewhirst shot the ball, and Boyle made the initial save, but the ball deflected back out to England’s David Porcher. He was able to convert the opportunity and gave England a 2-1 lead in the first extra time period.

The U.S. battled until the final whistle looking to tie the game. In the 74th minute Meyer-Crothers took a powerful shot on goal from midfield, but Moore made the save.

Then in the 76th minute, Meyer-Crothers made a long pass to Shea Hammond to the right side of the box, who took a shot but was saved by Moore.

Following a free kick in the 80th minute, Lindau found Wesley Pincince who headed the ball just over the cross bar.

The match ended 2-1 with England earning the 2026 IFCPF World Cup title in a hard-fought battle with the U.S.

The Americans had an impressive run in the 2026 IFCPF World Cup. They scored 21 goals and conceded only three goals through six matches. The second-place World Cup result is the best finish for the Americans in program history after previously finishing fourth in the 2024 World Cup edition.

-U.S. MEN'S CEREBRAL PALSY (CP) NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Match: U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy (CP) National Team vs. England
Date: October 24, 2026
Competition: 2026 IFCPF Men’s World Cup – Final
Venue: Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center; Fayetteville, Ga.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: 65 degrees
Attendance: 300

Scoring Summary	1	2	F
USA	0	1	1
ENG	0	2	2

USA – John Sullivan (Jonah Meyer-Crothers)	56th minute
ENG – Sam Dewhirst	60+1
ENG – David Porcher	64th minute

Lineups:

USA: 1-Sean Boyle; 4-Wesley Pincince (11-Jacob Crumbley, 77), 5-Jonah Meyer-Crothers; 8-John Sullivan, 9-Cameron DeLillo (14-Shea Hammond, 70+1); 10-Ben Lindau, 13-Josh Brunais (2-Frankie Lowery, 28) (3-Kyle Montgomery, 60+3) (Capt.)

Substitutes: 6-Jacob Kaplan, 7-Adam Ballou,12-Marc Estrella
Head coach: Stuart Sharp

ENG: 1-Giles Moore; 2-Liam Irons, 5-Harry Baker; 6-Matty Crossen (9-David Porcher, 57) (Capt.), 8-Sam Dewhirst; 11-Ethan Day, 14-Matty Robinson

Substitutes: 3-Jack Fox, 4-Cailen Beckford, 7-James Blackwell, 10-Aaron Lucas, 13-Reegan McMillan, 22-Freddie Lamb
Head coach: Jack Rutter

Stats Summary: USA / ENG
Shots: 12/16
Shots on Goal: 9 /11
Saves: 9 / 8
Corner Kicks: 8/ 6
Fouls: 4 / 8

Misconduct Summary
ENG – Ethan Day (Caution)	43rd minute
ENG – Liam Irons (Caution)	70th minute

Officials:

Referee: Omar Oporto (CHI)

Assistant Referee 1: Pouya Ghadirian (AUS)

Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Wong (SIN)

Fourth Official: Margaret Domank (USA)

Fifth Official: Scott Henry (USA)

For more information on the sport or to inquire about athlete eligibility, please contact U.S. Soccer's Extended National Teams Department via email at extendednt@ussoccer.org.