Mason Abbiate

Mason Abbiate
Born	(1998-06-24) June 24, 1998 San Diego, California, U.S.
Occupation	Athlete
Known for	Paralympic soccer player

Mason Abbiate (born June 24, 1998) is an American athlete specializing in Paralympic soccer who has cerebral palsy. He competes in both CP football and traditional able-bodied soccer. Abbiate has played for the San Diego Soccer Club as well as for the varsity team at Del Norte High School.

Abbiate received his initial call-up to the United States Paralympic National Team in January 2015. During that year, he participated in the 2015 Cerebral Palsy Football World Championships and the 2015 Parapan American Games, taking part in multiple training sessions and competitions leading up to the 2016 Summer Paralympics.

Personal

Born prematurely on June 24, 1998, in San Diego, California, Abbiate weighed only two pounds at birth. He has a mild cerebral palsy condition impacting the right side of his body. Early medical advice indicated he might never be able to walk. He attended Del Norte High School during his secondary education.

Abbiate's height is 165 cm and his weight is approximately 61 kilograms.

Soccer

Starting at age six, Abbiate engaged in soccer alongside players without disabilities. He represented the San Diego Soccer Club across various youth divisions and competed at the varsity level for Del Norte High School.

Cerebral palsy football

Classified as a CP7 midfielder, Abbiate joined the national team following connections facilitated by Brian Quinn, Director of the San Diego Soccer Club. In January 2015, he was selected for a national team development camp held at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center. Among eight youth athletes aged between 14 and 19 invited, he was the sole individual elevated to the national team roster.

From April 29 to May 6, 2015, Abbiate participated in a national training camp in Carson, California, preparing for the upcoming 2015 Cerebral Palsy Football World Championships in England. Earlier that year, he competed in Portugal’s Footie 7 – Povoa 2015 tournament as part of a fourteen-player squad. At the World Championships, the U.S. team finished seventh overall; Abbiate started in the match against England which ended in a 10-0 defeat and came off the bench during a 2-1 victory over Scotland.

Abbiate was included on the fourteen-player U.S. roster for the 2015 Parapan American Games held in Toronto, where they faced teams from Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil. He played in the match resulting in a 6-0 loss to Brazil; overall, the U.S. team concluded with a record of zero wins, three losses, and one draw.

As the youngest athlete on the U.S. squad preparing for Rio, Abbiate took part in training camps at Chula Vista (March 2016) and Bradenton, Florida (April 2016). He represented the United States Paralympic National Team at the 2016 Pre-Paralympic Tournament in Salou, Spain. The U.S. secured sixth place after defeating Argentina 4-3 and losing to Ireland 4-1; these matches featured the first goals scored by the team during that tournament. The competition included seven of eight teams qualified for Rio and served as final preparation for all participants.