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United States men's national beach soccer team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The United States men's national beach soccer team represents the United States in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the USSF, the governing body for soccer in the United States. The national team competes in multiple events, including the Acapulco Beach Soccer Cup, the El Salvador Beach Soccer Cup, the Mundialito, the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, which also serves as the qualifying tournament for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.[4] USA has been fairly successful, commonly falling in the top 3 positions of the CONCACAF championship, and is also ranked first in the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship Ranking.[5]
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The U.S. Men's National Beach Soccer Team has been around since the sport was officially considered a professional international sport, having the first event hosted in Miami.[6]
The national team also is very active in the sport, playing in many competitions and tournaments very often.[7]
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History
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Early years
The sport of beach soccer is said to have originated in Brazil, where locals played soccer on the beaches for recreation. In 1992, the founding fathers of Beach Soccer Worldwide created the official rules for the sport.[6] Then in 1993, the United States held the first ever professional beach soccer event in Miami, Florida which included national teams from Brazil, Argentina, and Italy. This event led to the creation of more teams in other countries, rapidly growing the sport.[6]
Beach Soccer World Championship (Pre-FIFA)
The United States participated in the inaugural Beach Soccer World Championship in Brazil in 1994, marking the start of their competitive journey. The U.S. team competed consistently in the tournament from 1994 to 2001, achieving a runners-up in 1995, fourth place in 1996, and third-place finish in 1997.[8][9] The U.S. team joined FIFA once the World Championship was officially recognized by the association.
CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship
CONCACAF, the governing body for football in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, began hosting qualifying tournaments for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2005.[10] The inaugural event, the 2005 CONCACAF and CONMEBOL Beach Soccer Championship, was a joint tournament with CONMEBOL held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the United States national beach soccer team secured third place by defeating Argentina in the third-place playoff. In 2006, CONCACAF held its first standalone Beach Soccer Championship in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, which the U.S. won, defeating Canada in the final. In 2007, another joint CONCACAF and CONMEBOL Championship took place in Acapulco, Mexico, with the U.S. winning the title by defeating Uruguay 4-3 in the final.[11][12]
From 2008, CONCACAF hosted standalone championships. The U.S. placed third in 2008, fourth in 2009, and third in 2010.[10] After a three-year hiatus, the tournament resumed in 2013 in Nassau, Bahamas, with the U.S. emerging as champions, defeating El Salvador 5-4 in overtime.[13] The championship continued biennially, with the U.S. finishing fourth in 2015, fifth in 2017, second in both 2019 and 2021, first in 2023, and third in 2025, defeating the Bahamas in the third-place match but failing to qualify for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.[14]
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup
The sport of beach soccer, and the United States national beach soccer team, became a recognized part of FIFA – the main international governing body of soccer – in 2005, in which CONCACAF – the Confederation of North & Central America and Caribbean Association Football – became the officiating body for qualifying tournaments.
The U.S. national beach soccer team went on to compete in FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup tournaments from 2005 through 2013 against some of the 98 total national teams from all around the world. The U.S. has competed in all CONCACAF tournaments since their inception, achieving three titles (2006, 2013, 2023) and qualifying for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup seven times: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2019, 2021, and 2024.
In 2005, the U.S. team made it to the World Cup in Brazil. In the group stages, they were unable to win either of their games, resulting in them not making it through to the playoffs.
In 2006, the men's national team won the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship and qualified for the FIFA World Cup, which was held in Brazil. Due to them only winning one game in the group stages, they did not qualify for the playoffs.
Ben Astorga set a tournament record by scoring just four seconds into a match against Canada during the 2006 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship.[15]
In 2007, the team made it to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil again. They ended up losing in the group stages and were unable to make it through to the playoffs.
In 2008, 2009, and 2010, the U.S. team fell in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championships and did not qualify for the World Cup. The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup changed to being held every other year, meaning the next opportunity for the U.S. to qualify would be in 2013.
In 2013, the men's national beach soccer team won the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship and qualified for the World Cup which was held in Tahiti. They did not make it through the group stages and were out before the playoffs.
Anthony Chimienti is the U.S. all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup play with 9 goals, participating in 3 World Cups.
At the 2015 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, the U.S. lost in the semifinals and did not qualify for the World Cup. In 2017, they lost in the quarterfinals and once again did not qualify for the World Cup.
At the 2019 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, the U.S. lost in the finals, but their 2nd-place finish qualified them for the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
In 2023, the U.S. National Team managed getting first at the 2023 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, qualifying them for the 2024 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, with their top scorer at the World Cup being Alessandro Canale.[16] They fell short, not making past the group stage.[17]
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Coaching staff
Ian Carry has been appointed as the new head coach of the U.S. Men's Beach Soccer National Team, succeeding Francis Farberoff.[18][22] Carry previously served as the team's goalkeeping coach and brings over 20 years of coaching and technical experience to the role.
🇺🇸 Former Head Coaches
- Phillip Gyau – 1998–2002
- Roberto Ceciliano – 1999–2008[23]
- Eddie Soto – 2009–2019[23]
- Francis Farberoff – 2020–July 2024[22]
🇺🇸 Former Assistant Coaches
- Chris Antonopoulos – Assistant coach, 2005–2006[24]
- Tighe O’Sullivan – Assistant coach, 2006–2009[25]
- Francis Farberoff – Assistant coach, 2014–2020[22]
- Ben Astorga – Assistant coach, 2021–2024[26]
- Morgan Church – Assistant coach, 2021–?[27]
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Players
2024 squad
The following 12 players were named to the roster for the 2024 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.[28]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Competitive record
BSWW Beach Soccer World Championships
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup
CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship
CONCACAF / CONMEBOL Beach Soccer Championships
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References
External links
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