U.S. Paralympic National Team completes comeback for 2-1 win over Scotland

CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Paralympic National Team continued its run at the 2015 Cerebral Palsy Football World Championships on Friday with an epic second half comeback to defeat Scotland 2-1 in Staffordshire, England.

After Scotland got on the board early in the game with a goal in the 14th minute to head into halftime with a 1-0 lead, the USPNT stormed out  the locker room to not only find the equalizer thanks to a Scottish own goal, but then notch the game-winner five minutes later courtesy of Seth Jahn.

The victory means that the USA now has six points and is tied with Brazil atop Group A. Their matchup on Sunday will determine the winner of the group. The victory also qualified the U.S. for the quarterfinals of the World Championships.

“I am obviously delighted with the victory, especially against a team that has come out on top in this fixture on the last 3 occasions in major competition,” said U.S. PNT head coach Stuart Sharp.

“During the first half of the game Scotland played extremely well and they had us pinned at times which meant we had to adjust our game plan slightly. At halftime we discussed the requirements for the second half and each player responded with the required character change the course of the game. I am extremely proud of efforts of the players and staff that made this victory possible. However, despite the elation of this being the first time the USPNT has ever made it out its group at a World Championships, we also need to realize we have one group game left and then a quarterfinal to prepare for. That will be our focus over the next few days.”

The USA is one of 16 teams participating at the CPF World Championships. The PNT was drawn into Group C alongside Brazil, Scotland and Venezuela.

Next, the U.S. will wrap up group play on Sunday, June 21 against Brazil at 12 p.m. ET (5 p.m. local). All matches will be played at the iconic St. George’s Park in Staffordshire, and will be streamed live on the official tournament website at http://www.cp2015.com/.

The tournament serves as the main qualifier for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and the USA will need to secure six points during its three first games in order to position itself in a good spot to secure its ticket to next year’s event.

Following group play, the competition will continue into the second and third rounds before advancing to a final placement match. With today’s win, the USA has qualified to the quarterfinals of the tournament. The championship game of the World Championships is set for June 28.

– U.S. Paralympic National Team Match Report –

Match: U.S. Paralympic National Team vs. Scotland
Date: Friday, June 19, 2015
Competition: 2015 C.P. World Championships
Venue: St. George’s Park; Staffordshire, England
Kickoff: 7 p.m. local time
Attendance: 250
Weather: 52 degrees

Scoring Summary:      1          2          F

USA                             0          2          2
SCO                             1          0          1

SCO – Jonathan Paterson       14th minute
USA – Barry Halloran (OG)      34
USA – Seth Jahn                     39                   

Lineups:

USA: 23-Marthell Vasquez 5, 2-Gavin Sibayan 7 (3-Bryce Boarman 5 – 54’ ), 5-Jordan Weise 7 (4-Tyler Bennett 7 – 24’), 6-Adam Ballou 7, 9-Seth Jahn(capt.) 6, 7-Jarrett Razon 8 (10-Kevin Hensley 8 – 45’), 14-David Garza 6
Subs not used: 1-Keith Johnson 7, 11- Mason Abbiate 8, 19-Michael Moore 7
Head Coach: Stuart Sharp 

SCO: 1-Craig Connel 7, 3-Martin Hickman 7, 6-Ian Paton 6, 8-Jamie Mitchell 7, 9-Kyle Hannin 8 (Blair Glynn 7 – 48’), 10-Jonathan Paterson 7, 13-Barry Halloran 5
Subs not used: 4-Lewis McIntrye 7, 5-Ross MacMilan 8, 7-Mark Robertson 7, 11-Thomas Brown 6, 12-Scott Martin 5, 14-Darren Aitken 8
Head Coach: Andrew Smith  

Stats Summary: USA / SCO
Shots: 16 / 9
Shots on Goal: 9 / 6
Saves: 6 / 5
Corner Kicks: 6 / 9
Fouls: 15 / 6
Offsides: 0 / 0

Misconduct Summary:
SCO – Jonathan Paterson (caution)    18th minute
USA – Seth Jahn (caution)                  19
USA – Kevin Hensley (caution)          46
USA – Adam Ballou (caution)             58

Officials:
Referee: Hector Bondia
Assistant Referee 1: Tom Elliot
Assistant Referee 2: Keith Stroud
Fourth Official: Hayley Ives

Please Note: Games are 60 minutes long.