LOS ANGELES — Emily Spreeman was born deaf, though her family was unaware of that until she was nearly 9 months old. But if Spreeman couldn't hear, that's all her parents believed she couldn't do since her dad signed her up for a youth soccer team at age 4. By high school she was already playing for the deaf national team, making her competitive debut at the 2005 Deaflympics in Australia. But last year the U.S. Soccer Federation expanded its umbrella to cover more extended national teams, including women's futsal and cerebral palsy teams, the men's and women's deaf teams and a co-ed power soccer wheelchair national team. What we're doing is we're creating relevant role models for different sections of society so they can aspire to be national team players."

Source: Los Angeles Times November 08, 2023 17:02 UTC