US Blind Soccer team is driven to grow the sport, win Paralympic medal at LA Games
LOS ANGELES — David Brown hears the ball. As it rolls across the soccer pitch, it contains rattles that make the crunching sound of soldiers marching through a sand pit. He moves toward the ball and responds with measured steps when a coach yells, "left, left."
The ball strikes Brown squarely on the calf. He listens, finds the ball and ping-pongs it between his feet before giving it a swift kick. The attack on goal is averted and his teammates begin an assault of their own.
Brown is a center back on the United States Blind Soccer team, assembled only a few months ago with gold medal dreams and a five-year timetable ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics in 2028.
He and teammate Antoine Craig already are Paralympic track and field stars, the fastest visually impaired sprinters in the U.S. They were excited to shift to soccer, intrigued by its tactical challenges and warmed by the camaraderie among teammates.
A gold medal winner in the 100 meters at the Rio Paralympics in 2016, Brown brings an unbridled competitive spirit and sense of urgency to this fledgling U.S.
