US soccer release statement after 'unimaginable tragedy' in Kansas kills two

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FT Desk

Two people have been killed and several more injured after a car driven by a 34-year-old woman ploughed onto the field during a youth soccer game in Kansas.

Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, died in the incident, which unfolded mid-game at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita.

The man and boy were from McPherson, Kansas, but were not related to each other, a Wichita police spokesperson said. Ten other people, ages 5 to 68, were also hit and hospitalised with traumatic but non-life-threatening injuries.

McPherson City FC competitive youth soccer club called their deaths “an unimaginable tragedy”.

“I saw the truck hitting things. I saw debris flying in the air,” onlooker Erica Case said, as quoted by NBC News.

“I don’t know if it was a cone, a chair or a person, but you could see matter flying as the truck was barreling through the soccer field at a decent rate of speed.

“The moment that I recognised that that wasn’t gunshots, that that was bodies, I lost it. I lost it because it wasn’t just adults. It was also children.

“There are a lot of silent heroes that I know experienced much worse than I did, having to do mouth-to-mouth or CPR on somebody that’d been ran over by a truck."

The woman behind the wheel of the Chevrolet pickup truck has been released on bail while authorities await the results of toxicology reports.

She had two of her children in the pickup with her, and a third was playing soccer elsewhere at the complex, police said.

Kansas authorities confirmed that “no charges have been filed at this time…investigators continue working to determine the circumstances that led to the crash”.

A statement from U.S. Soccer https://t.co/GAVpH3ndtT

— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) October 18, 2026

US Soccer reacted to the tragegy with a statement of support which read:

"We are heartbroken by the tragedy at a youth soccer game in Wichita, Kansas. Our deepest condolences go out to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts are with those injured and everyone impacted.

"We are grateful to the community members and first responders who cared for the injured. The entire U.S. Soccer family stands with the soccer communities in Wichita and across Kansas during this incredibly difficult time.

"We will work closely with Kansas Youth Soccer to understand how we can best support the community in the days and weeks ahead."

The driver is said to have cooperated with the police following the incident.

Wichita’s police chief, Joe Sullivan, said that the hearts of those at his agency “are with the families of Adrian and Nicholas as they face an unimaginable loss”.

“What should have been a day of children playing soccer and families spending time together ended in tragedy,” he added.

“We are also thinking about those who were injured, their loved ones and everyone who witnessed what happened.

“We know this tragedy has affected many people throughout our community, and we want those families to know they are not alone. Our officers and investigators will continue working to understand exactly what happened.”