CHARLOTTE — A Mooresville man, Fil Wilkinson, became the assistant coach and helped lead the men’s USA Blind Soccer team to two victories over Canada during its international debut, according to a release from the US Association of Blind Athletes (USABA).
To prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games, the team decided to get some practice in with a friendly competition against two Canadian teams. The games were held on March 19 and 20 in California, with the US team winning 1-0 in the first match and 3-0 in the second.
Crowds flooded the stands for both games, and the USABA even live-streamed them to YouTube. Team captain Noah Beckman praised Team Canada for partnering with them to bring more awareness to the sport.
“Hats off to Team Canada,” Beckman said. “I’m very happy that they came down here to partner with us in promoting and raising awareness for blind soccer. Together, we’re showing exactly what blind people can do and hopefully encouraging others out there to move to the next level.”
For more information about the US Association of Blind Athletes, please click here.
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