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Dan Broome - Yorba Linda, CA
Active in high school athletics, Dan enjoyed participating in cross
country and lettered once in tennis and three times in soccer. Dan lost
his leg in an industrial accident while working a summer job before
college.
Frustrated by trying to play soccer with a prosthesis, he began
playing amputee soccer on crutches. It has been a passion since he began
in 1986.
He's a five-time Amputee Soccer World Cup veteran, US national team Captain and co-Captain, and a prodigious goal scorer.
Dan lives in Souithern California with wife susan and boys Ben, Andy and Nick.
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Nicolai Calabria - Concord, MA
Nicolai Calabria is a junior at Concord Carlisle High School in Massachusetts where he is co-captain of the varsity wrestling team and co-captain of the junior varsity soccer team.
At age 13 he became the first person to ever summit 19,341 ft. Mount Kilimanjaro on crutches and in so doing raised more than $100,000 for charity. He's the subject of a short documentary film entitled Nico’s Challengewhich received numerous honors including first place at the American Pavilion Film Festival in Cannes, France.
Nico is the recipient of the Ambassadors of Mobility Award from the Free Wheelchair Mission and the Inspiration Award from Shane’s Inspiration.
He's been a speaker at the Mountainfilm Festivals in Colorado and Vermont, has appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show and been a guest on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered.
He's currently a field tester for SideStix providing feedback that has helped to create the ultimate high performance sports crutch.
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Foday Dumbuya - Houston, Texas
Foday lost his right leg from gunfire in the Sierra Leone civil war in 1998 when he was 13.
He was introduced to amputee soccer in 2001 by Dee Malcho, a member of the very first amputee soccer team, when she was visiting Sierra Leone as a part of her church mission there. Foday said rather than just telling the amputees they could play, she took off her leg and showed them they could play.
Foday becasme Captain of the Sierra Leone team, was the star scorer in the 2007 fiorst Annual All Africa Topurnament, was was vioted Player Representative to the World Amputee Foorball Federation Executive Committee adn Cngress.
Foday also helped coach the start-up Haitian team as it prepared for its first tournament in 2010.
He now lives and works in Houston, TX.
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Bree McMahon - Brevard, NC
Bree's life changed in a heartbeat on September 26, 2009. Her club soccer team was holding a carwash. One of her teaammates accidently pinned me to a brick wall when her flip-flop slipped off the brake and hit the gas. Her legs were crushed just above the knees.
Bree siad, "Doctors tried, but it came down to a choice between my life or my left leg. Since then I've undergone 17 surgeries to rebuild my right leg and reclaim my life and my dreams."
Nine months after the accident she walked across the stage with ehr classmates to claim her high school diploma. Despite her injust Brevard College honored her soccer scholarship. She responded by making the varsity tream as a keeper. She's tudying Exercise Science with a minor in Coaching.
She says, "I've learned to run, again. I am learning to play again and love the feeling, the adrenaline rush of competing again. My dreams have not changed. I am still Bree, I want to break barriers and return to the field of my NCAA Division II College Soccer team.
"I want to represent my country in soccer and show other amputees that it's about a no limits attitude to the finish line, not always how we get there."
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Keith Mann - Northern New Jersey
Keith lost his leg when he was 17 after a freak accident at school involving glass severed part of his left leg. Keith quickly adapted to the changes of being an amputee and remained an excellent athlete, but thought he might have to give up soccer, his favorite sport.
Keith became interested in amputee soccer after getting in contact with Executive Director Rick just a year after he lost his leg, and played and was leading scorer in the 2003 US National 4 v 4 tournament.
During his sophomore year while attending Muhlenberg College, Keith completed the New York City marathon on forearm crutches. Keith now competes in various sprint triathlons without the use of his prosthesis.
Keitb is a Kindergarten assistant teacher at a nearby private school and lives with his long-time girlfriend, Samantha and two rescued dogs, Michael and Lulu in New Jersey.
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Ignacio Medrano - Sun Valley, CA
Ignacio Medrano "AKA Nacho" has have been playing soccer since the age of seven as a defender/midfielder.
He's a four-time amputee soccer world cup veteran and former co-captain of the US National Amputee Soccer Team.
Nacho is a BK (below the knee)amputee as the result of cancer surgery in 1991. That "inconvenience" didn;pt deter him from playing the sport he loves since just after the surgery.
Nacho had the distinction of playing in the LA Coliseum as an amateur player. Now, as an Amputee he plays as an elite level player on the international level.
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Robert Spotswood - From Birmingham, AL lives in San Francisco, CA
Robert has been playing soccer since he was 6 years old, including being a star scorer on his high school team and becoming a member of Alabama Olympic Development soccer team.
He lost his right (kicking) leg in 1998 as the result of a horrendous vehicle accident which broke nearly every bone in his body. A year and a day later he took the field in a US National Amputee Soccer Team uniform, served as team captain for the opening ceremonies in International competition, and scored his first international goal in that event as a left legged shot.
In 2000 played in his first Amputee Soccer World Cup.
Robert claims to be a "Migrant European banker; first at Credit Suisse and now Barclays." That much we know is true.
He also claims that "I’ve been caller number 9 over 10 times, can bounce on a pogo stick for 8 hours straight, enjoy urban hang-gliding, ice sculpting, suspension bridge engineering, the trombone, origami, and time travel." We don't think much of that is true. Except for the time travel part.
Robert is an avid outdoorsman; fly-fishing, bird hunting, kayaking, and skiing. But most of all, he says, he loves music, the ladies, fishing and soccer.
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Henry Sunday - Manchester, CT
Henry Vurasi Sunday is a 26-year-old university student originally from Port Hacourt, Nigeria.
Henry lead a normal life, working toward his personal and professional goal of becoming an electrical engineer.
But onm April 2006 a car collided with the motorbike on which he was a passenger.As a rsult of that accident Henry became an aboave-the-knee amputee.
Never giving up, Henry learned how to play soccer on crutches. He excelled, and was chosen for the 2011 and 2012 US National Amputee Soccer Team.
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Josh Sundquist - Alexandria, VA
Josh describes himself as "Josh Sundquist son, brother, cancer survivor, author, Paralympic ski racer, motivational speaker, YouTuber and occasional vegan."
Josh lost his leg to cancer at nine. In addition to playing soccer, he started ski racing when he was sixteen years old.
He trained for the next six years and in 2006 he was named to the US Paralympic Ski Team for the 2006 Paralympics in Turino, Italy.
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Eric Westover - Myrtle Beach, SC
Eric Westover - Keeper
Eric has been playing soccer since he was 8 years old. But his coach never let him play goalie because of his long legs. His home position became Sweeper.
He did, however, play goalie in hockey for more than 15 years. That's how he was recruited to play for the U.S. National Team in 2006. That and he's missing his right arm below the elbow.
Eric lost his arm in 2004 secondary to a nerve injury and the onset of CRPS II (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome). He's spent the last 8 years as an outspoken disability advocate & has lobbied on the local, state, and national level across the country.
Eric is a grateful believer & follower of Jesus Christ. He is a retired consultant but continues to serve in the community doing volunteer work & speaking engagements across the country. He was born & raised in Minneapolis, MN, but now calls Myrtle Beach, SC home.
Eric is married to his beautiful wife, Shawn, and has two children, Paig & Dylan. Their other children include two dogs, Tobie & Grace, and two cats, Ouiser & Boo. When Eric's not on the pitch he likes to hunt, fish, golf, scuba dive, camp, and hang out at the beach with his family.
Eric currently sits on the board of the AASA (American Amputee Soccer Association), is the Southeast Commissioner, and oversees the development & training of Keepers.
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