U.S. Paralympic national team kicks off 2012 Paralympics against Ukraine

The U.S. Paralympic national team begins its 2012 Paralympics campaign against the reigning gold medal winners Ukraine on Saturday, Sept. 1, at 9 a.m. ET at Riverbank Arena in London.

The U.S. faces a tough draw in Group A of the Paralympics with Ukraine, Brazil and host nation Great Britain expected to provide a stern test.

The U.S., which has qualified for three of the last five editions of 7-a-side soccer at the Paralympics (1996, 2004, 2012), squares off against Brazil in its second group match of the tournament on Monday, Sept. 3, at 4 a.m. ET.

A match against Great Britain on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 11:15 a.m. ET ends group play for the U.S. Fans can watch matches online through the International Paralympic Committee at www.paralympic.org and follow updates via Twitter @ussoccer.

U.S. PARALYMPIC NATIONAL TEAM
PARALYMPIC GAMES SCHEDULE

PARALYMPIC GAMES 8-TEAM FIELD
Group A: USA, Brazil, Great Britain, Ukraine
Group B: Argentina, Iran, Netherlands, Russia

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Keith Johnson (Houston, Texas); Alex Hendricks (Columbus, Ohio)
DEFENDERS (4): Chris Ahrens (Baldwinsville, N.Y.); Bryce Boarman (Colorado Springs, Colo.); Chad Jones (Virginia Beach, Va.); Gavin Sibayan (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Adam Ballou (Virginia Beach, Va.); Tyler Bennett (Wadsworth, Ohio); Josh McKinney (Cary, N.C.); Marthell Vazquez (Long Beach, Calif.); Jerreme Wade (Chesapeake, Va.)
FORWARDS (1): Rene Renteria (San Fernando, Calif.)

U.S. PARALYMPIC NATIONAL TEAM
BT PARALYMPIC WORLD CUP RESULTS
May 23-26; MANCHESTER, ENGLAND

ROSTER NOTES

• One-third of the players on the roster are 20 years old or under (Alex Hendricks, Chad Jones, Adam Ballou, Tyler Bennett).
• Midfielder/forward Josh McKinney recorded his 100th cap with the U.S. Paralympic National Team on May 7 in a 5-0 loss to the Netherlands in Yevpatoria, Ukraine.
• McKinney begins the tournament with 106 caps following competition in the BT Paralympic World Cup in May.
• Goalkeeper Keith Johnson and McKinney are the only two players on the roster with experience in previous Paralympic Games. Both were part of the U.S. team that qualified for the 2004 Athens Paralympics.
• McKinney is the only player on the roster that has appeared in all three Paralympics in which the U.S. has qualified (1996, 2004, 2012).
• Eight players from the squad that qualified for the 2012 London Paralympics at the 2011 CPISRA World Championships are included in the current roster. Johnson, Bennett, Chris Ahrens, Bryce Boarman, Jones, Ballou, Marthell Vazquez and McKinney all were part of the team that clinched a spot to the Paralympics.
• Forward Rene Renteria is a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and defender Gavin Sibayan is a retired member of the United States Army.
• Defender Ahrens earned a master’s degree in Adaptive Physical Education from SUNY College at Brockport (N.Y.) in 2008 and works as an Adaptive Physical Education teacher in the San Diego (Calif.) Unified School District.
• Johnson is one of only two U.S. Paralympic athletes born in the state of Alaska.
• Seven states are represented on the roster with Virginia leading the way as the home state of three players (Ballou, Jones, Jerreme Wade). Two each hail from Colorado (Boarman, Sibayan), Ohio (Hendricks, Bennett) and California (Vazquez, Renteria) while New York (Ahrens), North Carolina (McKinney) and Alaska (Johnson) each sent one player to the roster.

USA PARALYMPIC GAMES HISTORY

• The U.S. has qualified for three of the last five editions of the Paralympics. The team’s first appearance was in the 1996 Atlanta Games as host country, followed by 2004 in Athens and 2012 in London.
• Through two previous appearances in the Paralympics, the U.S. has compiled an overall record of 2-5-0 in seven games and a top finish of fourth place (1996).
• The USA’s best finish at the Paralympics came during the 1996 Atlanta Games as the team suffered a 2-1 loss to Spain in the bronze medal match. During group play, the U.S. lost to Russia 5-0, but also defeated Ireland 3-1 and Brazil 4-0 on its way to fourth place.
• The U.S. has faced Brazil twice in the Paralympics, compiling a 1-1-0 record against the South Americans. Brazil has outscored the U.S. 5-4 in the series thus far.
• Although it has faced Great Britain three times during 2012, the U.S. has never faced the host nation in the Paralympics. The U.S. also has never faced Ukraine in the competition.

BY THE NUMBERS:

2          Players with previous Paralympic Games experience (Josh McKinney, Keith Johnson)
3          Team members born in the year 1992 (Chad Jones, Adam Ballou, Tyler Bennett)
4          Players on the roster that are 20 years old or under (Jones, Ballou, Bennett, Alex Hendricks)
9          Goals scored by the U.S. in seven Paralympic matches
10        Players making their first trip to the Paralympics
16        Age of the U.S. Paralympic National Team’s youngest player, goalkeeper Alex Hendricks
17        Years Josh McKinney has suited up for the U.S. Paralympic National Team
106      Caps for team captain McKinney during his 17-year career with the Paralympic National Team

ON USSOCCER.COM:

• Video: U.S. Paralympic Team Ready for London Games
• Release: Hoffman Selects 12-Player Roster for 2012 Paralympic Games
• Feature: McKinney Reaches 100-Cap Milestone with Paralympic Team

JAY HOFFMAN FACT FILE: Head coach Jay Hoffman has been at the helm of the U.S. Paralympic National Team since 2003, helping guide the team to berths in the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games and the 2012 London Paralympics. Hoffman formerly served as a National Staff Coach at U.S. Soccer for eight years from 1992 to 2000 and was an assistant coach with the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1997 to 1999.

• Hoffman was named head coach on the U.S. Paralympic National Team on April 4, 2003.
• This marks the second time Hoffman has helped lead the team to the Paralympic Games; the first time was in the 2004 Athens Paralympics.
• As an assistant coach with the U.S. Women’s National Team in 1999, Hoffman was part of the coaching staff during the team’s 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup triumph at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

LAST TIME
On the field for USA:
May 26, 2012 – Manchester Regional Arena – Manchester, England – 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup

USA                 2          Rene Renteria 7, Josh McKinney 32
Ireland            1          Luke Evans 52

LINEUPS:
USA: 1-Keith Johnson; 2-Gavin Sibayan, 5-Bryce Boarman, 6-Christopher Ahrens (4-Chad Jones, 40); 9-Josh McKinney, 11-Tyler Bennett; 16-Rene Renteria
Subs not used: 18-Alex Hendricks, 3-Moises Morales, 8-Dylan Brown, 14-Jerreme Wade
Head coach: Jay Hoffman

IRL: 1-Brian McGillivary; 2-Kieran Devlin (4-Luke Evans, 30), 8-Eric O’Flaherty; 5-Daragh Byrne, 7-Gary Messett; 10-Aaron Tire (9-Daragh Snell, 45), 11-Peter Cotter (3-Joseph Markey, 51)
Subs not used: 16-Simon L’Strange, 6-Finbar O’Riordan
Head coach: JJ Glynn