Pittsburgh’s Tyler Stack, US Deaf Soccer MNT ready for kickoff at Deaflympics in Brazil

Photo Courtesy Susan Stack

The United States Men’s Deaf Soccer Team has arrived in Brazil, ready to compete in the Deaflympics.

One member of the squad. Tyler Stack, who hails from Pittsburgh, is a Seton LaSalle High School grad and currently a rising junior at Mt. Union University, has made the trip to Brazil as part of the US Deaf MNT.

Former Seton LaSalle standout Tyler Stack earns spot on USA Deaf Men’s National Team

After making the team, Stack, who is profoundly deaf, but has a Cochlear Implant, shared more about his experience connecting with other deaf soccer players and representing the United States in an international competition.

“The experience was definitely surreal. being able to meet, know and, play with other people who have similar hearing issues as I have,” Stack said.

“During the camp was a new experience as we’re not allowed to wear any forms of hearing assistance and using only body language or sign language.”

Stack was also featured on 93.7 The Fan this week with Shelby Cassessee.

While the event’s Opening Ceremony is slated for Sunday, May 1, the soccer competition begins on Saturday when the US Deaf MNT face Iraq.

Here’s the full US Deaf MNT schedule:

Please bare with us if there are technical difficulties.

Link for the men's match vs Iraq tomorrow at 9am EST:https://t.co/A1OAurAOhS

— U.S. Soccer Deaf MNT (@ussoccer_dmnt) April 30, 2022

Stack is expected to be slotted as a Center Back or Outside Back with the squad.

His initial involvement came when was invited to take part in Deaf Team camp last July.

While he has little previous experience with using American Sign Language (ASL), Stack, who is profoundly deaf and wears a Cochlear Implant, has integrated and been part of mainstream schools and sports since he was in his later elementary school years (he attended Pittsburgh’s DePaul School for Hearing and Speech until his was 13).

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A little background on Deaf Team USA, soccer, as with other team sports played with deaf participants, dates back to the founding of each sport; in the case of soccer, in England, the first organized game between deaf teams was played in 1871. However, United States participation in international soccer came along rather recently.

International organized deaf sports dates back to the formation of The Comite International des Sports des Sourds, founded in Paris, France on August, 1924; in the United States, the American Athletic Union of the deaf was formed in 1945, with the name being changed to the USA Deaf Sports Federation in 1997.

In 1965, the United States first entered a men’s team in the Deaf Olympics, hosted by the United States, The USA team was 10th out of 10th teams. The United States has entered teams in most international deaf sports events since.

The Women’s team formed to participate in the first Deaflympics in Australia, in 2005, and took the gold medal. The men’s team was 9th out of 16 teams.

Here’s more from the Deaflympics.