Team USA Goalball Battles Valiantly, Inspires, But Drops Opener to Defending Paralympic Champions Brazil, 13-8

PARIS – Upon first glance, you might consider the sport a blend of bowling, soccer and dodgeball, while including frequent tennis-like warnings to fans of “Quiet Please, Play!”

In the three-versus-three game contested between visually-impaired athletes, silence in the arena is imperative as competitors listen and react to the sound of the tossed ball bouncing and skidding across the hardwood court. Additionally, there is a bell inside the specialized ball to further assist players as they attempt to score into and defend 18-meter-long nets.

The U.S. goalball team battled valiantly, but dropped their Paris 2024 Paralympic Games opener to the defending gold medalists, Brazil, 13-8, on Friday morning at the South Paris Arena 6.

“We are one of the elite teams here – I believe that, Tyler (Merren) believes that, and so does the rest of the team,” said U.S. co-captain and top offensive threat Calahan Young. “If we can score eight goals against Brazil, the best team in the world, then we should be able to beat any other team.”

Team USA came out flying in the second 12-minute half as the 6-foot-7 scoring phenom Young fired a rocket ball into the left corner of Brazil’s net to knot the game at 7-7. It was one of Young’s six goals in the contest, in a sport in which there is a 90 percent block rate.

“When Calahan is on he’s scary – he can hit big shots from different angles,” said U.S. head coach Keith Young. “What we have to do is to get other guys to compliment him.”

But the powerhouse Brazilians took charge shortly after Calahan’s tally, scoring six consecutive goals over a span of roughly eight minutes to cement the victory. Even to the casual fan, it appeared that there were a few defensive breakdowns by the U.S. players as Brazilian shots repeatedly found the twine.

“Communication is number one – if we’re not in sync, they you’re playing this sport alone and you can’t play this sport alone,” said 24-year-old Christian King, who dyed his blond hair red, white and blue, before arriving to France for his first Paralympics.

An interesting moment occurred in the second half when Japanese referee Kazuto Ono issued an official time-out to closely inspect Young’s blindfold, perhaps to make sure that it was dark enough or fastened firmly. “It’s all good,” Young exclaimed to the prying ref.

“It’s hard to convey to people that you can put on a pair of blacked-out eye shades and run around the court and throw this ball,” Calahan said. “We are legally blind individuals – some of us have some vision, others have a little bit more, but we are elite athletes. We are just trying to earn the respect from the world.”

The 29-year-old Young has served as a United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) sport ambassador and an athlete representative on the USABA Board of Directors.

Calahan’s co-captain Tyler Merren elaborated further about their collective mission.

“In my regular day life I use a cane, I read Braille, both Cal and I work and have families, but when we put on the blindfold to play goalball, I don’t feel blind,” Merren said. “There is nothing quite like stepping onto this stage, in front of the world, and making it happen."

Young, who grew up in Pennsylvania, said he has crafted and perfected his scoring touch after another well-known and prolific goal scorer from the area.

“Sidney Crosby never gave up – he brought home three Stanley Cups to the city of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh is the city of champions,” Young said. “I’ve always let that be my guide in life, to champion on-and-off the court. It’s a long tournament, so we just need to keep improving.”

Preliminary round action continues for the U.S. men's goalball team as its next opponents are the Paralympics hosts, France. The U.S. players appear to be primed to fight in what will certainly be a raucous environment.

“France is a scrappy team and they’re not going to roll over,” said U.S. co-captain Tyler Merren. “We have to play sharp, play strong, press through them, and play connected.

He added: “You miss 100 percent of the shots that you don’t take,” quoting another famous hockey superstar, one who has tallied a plethora of goals while wearing No. 99.

The U.S. goal-ballers believe that they can improve upon their fourth-place showing from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

“It’s incredible to be out here with these guys – no joking they were in diapers when I started playing goalball,” said the 40-year-old veteran Merren. “I just want to help our team to get to the medal stand and see all of our work come to fruition.”