ATLANTA (July 31, 2025) - U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team head coach Everett Palache has selected 23 players for the team’s upcoming domestic training camp to be held Aug. 5-10 at McCurry Park in Fayetteville, Ga.
This camp reflects the Federation’s commitment to the U.S. Way, by investing in resources, infrastructure, and comprehensive support for our Extended National Teams, including the Deaf National Teams, to ensure they are fully prepared to compete and succeed on the world stage.
Taking place three months ahead of the Deaflympics in Tokyo this November, the August camp will be the Deaf MNT’s fourth meeting this year, and serve as the last gathering before the team comes together for its doubleheader with the U.S. Women’s National Team on Oct. 26 in East Hartford, Conn.
“The roster for this training camp emphasizes meticulous preparation as we gear up for the upcoming Deaflympics,” Palache said. “We have successfully integrated a balanced mix of emerging talent and seasoned veterans, whose contributions we anticipate will be vital in Tokyo. This group has exhibited significant potential, which we are eager to further develop during the August camp.”
On Tuesday, the Deaflympics tournament draw revealed that the USA has been placed in Group D, where it will face Ukraine (Nov. 15 at 10 p.m. ET) and Senegal (Nov. 18 at 2:30 p.m. ET) in the group stage. The meeting against Senegal will be a rematch of the 2023 DIFA Men’s World Deaf Football Championship quarterfinal in Malaysia, where the USA fell 1-0. Twelve players from this month’s camp were part of the squad that played in that fixture, including veterans Raul Silva (San Diego, Calif.) and 2023 Male Deaf Player of The Year Chris Bourdon (San Diego, Calif.). Bourdon featured in all 630 minutes in Malaysia, where he recorded two goals in his first major competition for the Deaf MNT. The other group stage match will be against Ukraine, the reigning world champions who defeated Japan 2-1 in the final.
Palache’s roster features 19 of the same players from the Deaf MNT’s most recent camp in June, including defender Tate Lancaster (Overland Park, Kan.), 2024 Male Deaf Player of the Year Kevin Fitzpatrick (Hopatcong, N.J.) and forward Michael Schmid (Oberlin, Ohio). The three veteran players were all part of the 2024 Deaf Pan American Games squad in Canoas, Brazil. The Deaf MNT earned the bronze medal in that competition with a 4-0 victory against Mexico, which qualified the team for the upcoming Deaflympics.
U.S. MEN’S DEAF NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER (Hometown):
GOALKEEPERS (3): Sam Lang*^ (Fort Thomas, Ky.), Andrew Lenert (Long Beach, CA), Ethan Sullivan (Laguna Niguel, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (8): Aidan Burns* (Cornwall, N.Y.), Phillip Cruz (St. Augustine, Fla.), David Dircio*^ (San Diego, Calif.), Kevin Fitzpatrick*^ (Hopatcong, N.J.), Luke Haubruge*^ (San Marcos, Calif.), Tate Lancaster*^ (Overland Park, Kan.), Kevin Oladimeji* (Washington, D.C.), JJ Waterman* (Altoona, Iowa)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Braden Anderson*^ (Boise, Idaho), Dawson Anderson*^ (Boise, Idaho), JP Kanashiro*^ (Springfield, Va.), Hewit Keeler (Fredericksburg, Va.), Joseph Kennedy Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa.), Raul Silva*^ (San Diego, Calif.)
FORWARDS (6): Chris Bourdon*^ (San Diego, Calif.), Jacob Contreras (Tuscon, Ariz.), Daniel De Moura* (Holliston, Mass.), Stanley Odoms Jr. (Pflugerville, Texas), Tommy Salvi*^ (Fairfax, Va.), Michael Schmid*^ (Oberlin, Ohio)
*Part of 2024 Deaf Pan American Games roster
^Part of the 2023 DIFA Men’s World Deaf Football Championship roster
About Deaf Soccer
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.
About the U.S. Way
The U.S. Way is a shared philosophy, a strategy and a practical toolkit to enable excellence at every level of the game and for us to win. The U.S. Way is intended to work in partnership between the club and National Team environment to cultivate the next generation of talent with three areas of focus: World Class Development Pathways and Environments, including scaled Talent Identification, expanded Youth National Team programming and accelerated development and foundation building across the Extended National Teams; Shared and Scaled Infrastructure, highlighted by the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, U.S. Way digital platform and unified youth calendar;and Professional Development for the Entire Ecosystem, featuring formal courses, technical and administrative staff community building, leadership development, and best practice resource sharing. For more information, visit ussoccer.com/ourvision/us-way.
