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October 25, 2025 • 17 mins
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For the first time in the modern era of the US Extended National Team, the USCPMNT (Cerebral Palsy Men's National Team) comes home with a trophy...

The US traveled to Uruguay and won the Copa America championship over Argentina in the final

The CPMNT's Jacob Crumbley, 2024 US Soccer National CP Player of the Year, visits to talk about the tourney, the final, and the growth of the program
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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another edition of The Roots, powered by our
friends at No Foe Brewing. John Nelson here with you,
and this time around the Roots takes a bit of
a different direction because of a piece of history that
comes with the United States Extended National teams when it
comes to soccer. Last week, the team traveled to South
America to try and chase Staffer a Copa America title,

(00:24):
the first ever in the modern era, dating back about
thirty years. It would end up with a championship for
the United States and for those that might have been
listening to SDHAM, we caught up with head coach Stuart Sharp,
found out what it was like from his perspective to
win a title, what it means, but the growth of
the program, etc. For both Extended and for the us

(00:46):
CPM and t the United States Trebral Palsy Men's national team.
So this time on the Roots, we caught up with
one of the goal scorers, Jacob Crumley from the state
of Georgia. Got his perspective once he actually got back
into the country, and we got his perspective on what
it's like to see the team grow, to see the
team win this tournament and the incredible confidence that this

(01:08):
team has with an unbeaten twenty twenty five calendar year.
Here are the roots presented by Nofax Brewing. All right, Jacob,

(01:47):
let me ask you this first and foremost, where is
your medal? Has it sunk?

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Because sound in my hand.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
I was gonna say, has it sunk in yet that
that has actually been a part of your career?

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Now? No, not in the hall. So I keep telling
people and it just feels like I'm telling a story,
just a dream.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
Do you have to like take a did you have
you taken a picture of it with your phone? Put
the metal in the safe and so you can sit
there and say, see, look, this is actually this is
in you know, this is in my house, or this
is in the safety deposit box in the bank. This
actually is in a safe someplace that you can't find it.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
So yeah, yeah, I need to I need to right now.
It needs to stay in my eyesight.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
H What was that journey like for you and the
CPM and t to to go down there to the
Coopa and be a part of something that big in
a hemispheric sense and come away with the metal and
the trophy at the end of it all.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
I don't even know where to start. The journey was incredible.
I mean we've put in so much work and so
much sweat and just blood, sweat and tears, like everybody
says for everything. And I mean we started it back
in Fayetteville, I think was our first camp of the year,

(03:21):
and took it back down to Columbia, which from Stuart
was a genius idea and just to put us in
that atmosphere, we went down to Columbia and played them
in three friendly games to put ourselves, like I said,
in that atmosphere in South America on not perfect everything

(03:45):
and necessarily refs that weren't home biased refs for us
and play in South American style of soccer. Like for
him to make that decision, I think put us in
such a good state of mind, such a good place
to go forward and take it back down there to
Uruguay and ultimately prevail.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
And when you're you're in that environment obviously, when you
when you go to South America to be a part
of any tournament, I mean the crowds and we could
you could sense the crowds in that environment. It was
still I mean it was hot crowds, and I mean
they were. Everybody was as engaged as as you normally
see turning on a match any other day of the week.

(04:29):
What was it like for the national team. Obviously, you
go down for the friendlies, so you kind of knew
what you were getting into, but this is a different
kind of a thing where it's ramped up and you're
chasing after medals and it's international competition. I imagine it helped.
But how different was it even though you had the
friendlies to help out, just to get acclimated to what's
going on down there.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
Uh, honestly, I can't. I can't speak for the whole team,
but for me, I was I as comfortable as can be,
Like I felt from the get go we were winning it.
There was nothing that could stop us. The culture of
this team, the unity of this team, and our understanding

(05:11):
of what our game plan was was rock solid. The
only person that was going to beat us is us.
And you saw that in the Argentina. The first Argentina game,
we tied one to one, and we were like, we did
not even play close to our best game and they

(05:31):
played one of their best games, and we were very
pleased to come away with one one. Knowing that like
we have so much more to leave out there. So
it was it was awesome.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
You go from group stage, you get the one one
draw with Argentina, then you advanced to the final, knocking
off Canada six niel first ever final in CPM and
T history. I mean, how I mean was the was
the pregame talk from Stewart and Kevin Kratz? Was it
more was it more a matter of fact kind of

(06:08):
a thing that you're comfortable in this environment, You guys
know what you're doing, or was there conversations about what
it could mean to the program? How the pregame talk.
Was it fairly level headed or did it talk about
what it could mean to come out on top in
the green sky.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
No, it was fairly level headed. Like I said, we
are were We were so confident and just as a
matter of fact, like, look, this is what we're here
to do.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
This.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
If you would have told us back at the first
camp of the year in Fayetteville that we're gonna be
sitting here with Argentina in the final, I think everybody
would took that one hundred percent and ran with it
and like that's the best thing that could have happened
for us. So yeah, it was fairly level headed, and

(06:57):
it's just like, look, we know what we can can do.
We played them two days ago or three days ago,
whatever it was, and todd them one to one, and
that was not even our best game. So look, let's
just go out here and do what we know how
to do and play our game. The only one, like
I said, the only one that's going to beat us
is us.

Speaker 1 (07:18):
And as it turned out, uh, the first goal on
the board comes from somebody that that you and I
both know. And so here was the call of that
particular goal to give the US the one league first
half in the the one minute that was added to
once again thanks to once again our friends that were
hosting the Copa America. Lolly Hill up heads meant away,

(07:42):
My Goody.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
Presents the American Funds.

Speaker 2 (07:52):
It's a fritzy.

Speaker 3 (08:00):
Jacob Crumbley breaks the deadlock, the biggest goal he's ever scored.
Oh well, shrug hits I rolling.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
Into the corner.

Speaker 3 (08:17):
The United States of America love of the first time
A blown Yeah.

Speaker 1 (08:22):
So, I mean the the ball, if I remember the
play correctly, ball comes out to you at the edge
of the edge of the area. And I mean you
smashed it? Did you hit that about as purely as
I could have imagined something like that happening.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
Did it?

Speaker 1 (08:41):
Did it? Did it seem that way to you? It
looked like everything just set up. There wasn't anybody there
to to screen or anything like that, and you just
smashed it. You hit it clean.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Yeah. So if you've ever played soccer with me, or
any coaches that have ever watched me play, I like
hitting first time balls and I'll just about hit from anywhere.
And when I caught that ball, as soon as it
hit my foot, I was like, that's the goal. There's

(09:11):
nothing this keeper's got it either is going to the
goal or is taking him to the goal. The goal.
Uh yeah, it was just clean. I mean laid a
half inch off the ground the highway until it hit
the back of the net. Couldn't have caught it much cleaner.

Speaker 1 (09:29):
So it was thirty. Yeah, that was that was pretty sweet.
Thirty plus one. You guys end up with the one
the elite at intermission. Argentina scores in the fifth minute
of the second half, but then from the thirty fifth
minute on the final twenty five minutes or half hour
if you want to add the stoppage time, Jonah gets
a brace, John Sullivan gets a goal and assist, Frankie

(09:51):
Lowry gets an assist. You get the three goals in
basically like twenty minutes. When Argentina scores to equal lies,
you guys were just like, okay, you know everything's right
there for us. No no panic, no nothing. Yeah, after

(10:13):
we went So.

Speaker 2 (10:15):
The way I like to play is the game is
no matter what, either we're up seven nothing or we're down,
we're playing as if the game is zero zero. So
even after I scored to take that last fifteen twenty
thirty seconds whatever it was, we're playing as if it's
zero zero. And then we come out and we just

(10:38):
had a little bit of break down in the defense
and we can set goal and we're still hungry as ever,
just playing as if it's zero zero, which it was
back to zero zero, and then we get Jonah to
get his goal, and then it was it was on,
We're we're controlling this game, and don't I don't know

(11:00):
if you can see it in the broadcast, but I
didn't even see it during the game, but I was
just told that we had Brazil was watching this in
the stands because they had already secured third place, and
apparently they came out with little American flags huh, And
we're waving our flag and here in USA during during

(11:23):
the game, which that just says it all. And so yeah,
we just had control of the game and just pedaled
to the middle all the way until the final whistle.

Speaker 1 (11:34):
What does a win like this? I mean, you ran
the table this year in the calendar year, you didn't lose.
It was six wins in a draw in competition. What
do you think something like this, winning this first major
title means for US Soccer and for the CPM and
T What do you think that something like this means

(11:55):
for the growth of the program?

Speaker 2 (11:58):
Oh gosh that hopefully it just launches us into another
hemisphere of the program. I mean, yeah, there's so many
places that could take us, so many How it can
spread the news so much and get us some more
players that don't even know about our game yet. So

(12:19):
I mean, I can't I don't know. There's just so
much that could happen for our program and our team
and just taking it to the next level. For the
WARM twenty six.

Speaker 1 (12:32):
When you mentioned taking it to the next level, what
has it been like for you to be a part
of the program to take it to this level. I mean,
a lot of folks are learning about Hamilton, Georgia and
Harris County and all this kind of stuff here in
the state of Georgia. They're learning about the CPM and T.
What's it been like for you to be on this

(12:53):
journey to come away right now? I know that you
still have a good fifty or sixty years planned in
your career, but you know what you know to go
from the beginning with CPM and T. Now you've got
that metal that you've got to hide or put in
a safe place. You've got a trophy that you were
a part of. What's it what's this journey been like

(13:13):
for you to get to this marker now in your career?

Speaker 2 (13:18):
A lot of hard work, a lot of suf and UH,
a whirlwind like it's been as long as it has
so you know how to put it. It's just been
such an amazing journey.

Speaker 1 (13:35):
To get here.

Speaker 2 (13:36):
And hopefully, like said, I had another fifty years to
play for.

Speaker 1 (13:41):
Well for some and for someone who may not know
about extended national team, for someone who may not know
about CPM and T. What would you say to those
individuals about what Extended National team, what CPM and T
does to help folks be a part of something that

(14:03):
they may not know that they could be a part of.
What's it? What do you think the if for someone
who hasn't who doesn't know this exists until maybe this moment,
what would you say the benefits are for becoming acquainted
with extended and becoming acquainted with CPM and T.

Speaker 2 (14:21):
The places, uh and this experience that it can get you,
and just also to help grow the game. Like, yes,
I got on the team and I get to travel,
but now that I've been on the team, I want
to play and help grow the program for the next person.
So if you are that next next person, all I

(14:45):
want you to do is get on the team, enjoy
the end, play your heart out, work hard, and help
take the program to the next level from where you
get you're in your career ins So yeah, that there's
just so many experiences. Our culture is incredible. We try

(15:09):
to get that across all the Extended national teams, so
everybody thinks that our team is best.

Speaker 1 (15:16):
Obviously, do you think of yourself as a role model?
That's how I do.

Speaker 2 (15:23):
Yes, I always Uh. I've noticed that I have a
lot of people, a lot of eyes on me when
journey and now I take that and I lead with it,
or I try to at least try to lead the
best way I know how.

Speaker 1 (15:45):
So what's next on the calendar for you? How much
rest are you going to give yourself before you get
ready for twenty six? I mean we got like what
six weeks left in the calendar year. You go back
in the gym, you start to hang and banging and
clanging like Hulk Cogan used to sit there and say,
are you doing that? What are you taking time off?
You're gonna You're gonna go down to uh, You're gonna

(16:06):
go down to Columbus and go find waffle house maybe
every once in a while. What what's next for you
for the next six weeks before twenty six starts.

Speaker 2 (16:13):
I have an adult League game in eight hours, so
we're gonna go right back to work.

Speaker 1 (16:22):
So uh as as always, Jacob, it's great to see you. Congratulations.
You know, we had to reach out with with the
win in the KOPA and find out what it's like
to add this to the trophy case when it comes
to extended and when it comes specifically to the CPM
and T. Do not be a stranger. You know we'll
be keeping an eye on things, and you know we'll

(16:43):
be banging on your door when it comes to all
these tournaments and everything. Congratulations once again, make sure you
find a secure place for that metal. Show that metal
one more time, if you would please, sir.

Speaker 2 (16:54):
There it is.

Speaker 1 (16:54):
See it's a legit metal. I mean it's it's not
just like, uh, it's not just wait to it. Also, yeah,
see it's it's legit, so it's it's not one of
those things that's just like an AI generated thing. But no, uh,
could not be happier for you and for the entire
CPM and T for that, for the trophy that you
guys got, and uh, you know, I'll be catching up

(17:15):
with you soon, my friend. Great to see you catch
your breath and get ready for that game in eight hours.
We'll be catching up with you soon.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
That sounds good. Thank you,
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