United States men's Paralympic soccer team
| CONCACAF | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1913 |
| FIFA affiliation | 1914 |
| CONCACAF affiliation | 1961 |
| President | Sunil Gulati |
The United States Men's Paralympic soccer team is operated by the United States Soccer Federation. Their Head Coach is Stuart Sharp. Comedian Josh Blue is one of their former players.
The U.S. Paralympic Soccer Team is an elite level program that selects players from across the United States in preparation for International standard competition. The National Team, in addition to friendly matches and invitational tournaments, competes in the following events:
- Intercontinental Cup - Copa America - World Championships - Parapan American Games -Paralympic Games
For players to be eligible, they must be ambulant (no requirement for assistive walking aids) and have a one of the following neurological conditions:
- have had a Stroke - have Cerebral Palsy - have had a Traumatic Brain Injury / Acquired Brain Injury
Individuals with the above conditions may display varying degrees of the following impairments:
Diplegia Hemiplegia Triplegia Quadriplegia Monoplegia Dystonia Athetosis Ataxia Balance issues Co-ordination issues Weakness in certain areas of the body
In many cases the above conditions may result in only minimal levels of motor dysfunction (some not noticeable to the untrained eye); however, under the rules of the sport, this could still make players eligible for the U.S. Paralympic National Team.
"Football 7-a-side" is the standard term for the game informally known as "C.P. Football," and international tournaments are hosted by the International Paralympic Committee, FIFA, or International Federation of CP FootballIFCPF. Team selection and tournaments are competitive, and tend to be run like professional sport organizations. The USA team trains at the Olympic Training Center at Chula Vista, California, and the Home Depot Center at Carson, California.
