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Not that anyone cares, because there is still a real world cup going on today, but the lacrosse world cup kicks off today in Denver.
Biggest storyline for this year is definitely the Iroquois team. In 2010, they couldn't participate after England refused to acknowledge their passports and sovereignty. It was a bunch of political bureaucracy and bullshit and the English refused to bend because the Onondaga Nation had not followed the proper procedures or whatever to get recognized. It was unreal to watch unfold. The United States offered to let them all participate on US passports, but the Iroquois basically said "Thanks, but fuck you too. We invented this game and if we can't participate independently then we're not playing."
This year, they bring an incredibly talented roster to the games. The offense is as good or better than USA/Canada and it seems like a three horse race for the championship. Whether they're truly competitive will likely depend on their defense/goalie/faceoffs... but this is top to bottom the best group they've ever brought to the games.
Also, Uganda is fielding an international team for the first time. This is really exciting for me personally as I put a fair amount of effort into helping former Notre Dame player/coach Kevin Dugan launch their program through Fields of Growth. They've come a long way in a short time and I'll definitely be rooting for them.
Canada vs. USA kicks things off tonight on ESPN2. Tactically, I'm interested to see how Canada looks without John Grant Jr. who is one of the greatest players of all time. He's been on medication for a staff infection for awhile and requested a waiver to continue taking it while participating in the games (it includes testosterone) but was denied... he's the heart and soul of the Canadian team and led them to the championship in '06 and almost won it for them last time around in '10.
Anyways, tune in at 9 tonight if you're interested. The rest of the games I think will be streamed online at ESPN3 or live on their TV networks. I'll try to keep this thread updated.
Biggest storyline for this year is definitely the Iroquois team. In 2010, they couldn't participate after England refused to acknowledge their passports and sovereignty. It was a bunch of political bureaucracy and bullshit and the English refused to bend because the Onondaga Nation had not followed the proper procedures or whatever to get recognized. It was unreal to watch unfold. The United States offered to let them all participate on US passports, but the Iroquois basically said "Thanks, but fuck you too. We invented this game and if we can't participate independently then we're not playing."
This year, they bring an incredibly talented roster to the games. The offense is as good or better than USA/Canada and it seems like a three horse race for the championship. Whether they're truly competitive will likely depend on their defense/goalie/faceoffs... but this is top to bottom the best group they've ever brought to the games.
Also, Uganda is fielding an international team for the first time. This is really exciting for me personally as I put a fair amount of effort into helping former Notre Dame player/coach Kevin Dugan launch their program through Fields of Growth. They've come a long way in a short time and I'll definitely be rooting for them.
Canada vs. USA kicks things off tonight on ESPN2. Tactically, I'm interested to see how Canada looks without John Grant Jr. who is one of the greatest players of all time. He's been on medication for a staff infection for awhile and requested a waiver to continue taking it while participating in the games (it includes testosterone) but was denied... he's the heart and soul of the Canadian team and led them to the championship in '06 and almost won it for them last time around in '10.
Anyways, tune in at 9 tonight if you're interested. The rest of the games I think will be streamed online at ESPN3 or live on their TV networks. I'll try to keep this thread updated.
