Below you can find a collection of National Team Pool C Rosters for the upcoming 2016 European Lacrosse Championships! Not all the countries have made their rosters public, but many have, so here’s the roster info you absolutely need to know, as well as links to full rosters, where available.
Our Pool A Preview is already up, and can be seen HERE.
Our Pool B Preview is already up, and can be seen HERE.
Below the team-by-team analysis, you can find my group preview, and my pick for the Top 2 finishers in Pool C. The top 2 qualify for the quarterfinals, so this is a big deal!
Get ALL the #EC16 info on LAS right HERE!
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Watch highlights and more video HERE, on the old LAS YouTubez!
Sweden Roster
Sweden came in third place back in 2012, and enters 2016 as the “top” seed in their pool, but Israel finished ahead of Sweden in Denver in 2014, so Sweden is by no means the heavy favorite to win this group. That being said, they are bringing in a strong squad for 2016 and it starts with an imposing defense. American viewers will recognize Eric Smith (Michigan), but the rest of the D is equally impressive. Sweden only brings four attackmen, but has a deep midfield and two solid goalies. They will be in the hunt again, and can not be overlooked in way, shape, or form.
You can learn more about the Swedish team, HERE.
Israel Roster
Israel is bringing a heavily Israeli squad to the Euros, with very few “US” players. The guys on this team either live there, were born there, or played a minimum of six games in the Israeli league. It’s great to see the homegrown presence continue to increase for this squad. There are some notable returners from 2014 and 2015 in Jacob Silberlicht, Matt Flapan, Noah Miller, Matt Cherry, Seth Mahler, and others. Israel should put up some serious goals, so scoring will be at a premium in all their games.
You can find the entire Israel roster HERE.
Switzerland Roster
I am not entirely sure that what I found online is the actual updated Swiss roster, but I’m using it anyway. I can’t read the words, but I think this is it. The Swiss are bringing three attackmen, 2 LSMs and SIX defenders. Heavy on defense it seems! Given the roster only lists 4 short stick middies, I’m thinking it’s not 100% up to date. The Swiss will play fundamental lacrosse, and will run. Typically, they lack the size of some of the bigger programs, and this could hurt them for loose balls and key possessions they will need to steal any games.
You can find the entire Swiss Lacrosse roster HERE.
Spain Roster
I have yet to see a Spanish roster, so if you’ve seen one, please send it my way via the comments section below! Right now all I have to go on is the 2014 Spanish Roster from Wikipedia. It’s something I guess! Wait for it… Barcelona Lacrosse hooked me up on Twitter. Boom!
@ConnorWilsonLAS here’s the rooster for @SpainLacrosse , hope it’s useful for your Pool C Review! #EC16pic.twitter.com/deKX9PhF1x
— barcelonalacrosse (@barcelona_lax) July 25, 2016
I can’t tell you much about this team, and I like that. I’m going to see for myself in a couple of days, and so will you.
Belgium Roster
The Belgians have posted a photo roster, of sorts, via Facebook. It’s a neat approach to announcing selections. They have also posted a full and official roster HERE, also on Facebook! Thanks to Pieter for the tip on where to find the full roster. Belgium will have some experienced players with them and a bunch of guys who played in Denver 2014. They also bring some 18-19 year olds, and one 16 year old. This will be a learning experience for their younger guys, but also a good chance to earn some quality wins for the national program.
Slovenia Roster
I can’t find a Slovenia roster anywhere. The Slovenian webpage is down, but their Facebook does have uniform photos up, so we know they will look good at the very least. It’s a new team. They will take some lumps. But that’s how you start out!
Pool C Preview
According to the World Rankings from 2014, the Pool C teams should finish like this (final 2014 ranking in parentheses):
1 – Israel (7th overall), 2 – Sweden (11th overall), 3 – Switzerland (15th overall), 4 – Belgium (27th overall, 5 – Spain (30th overall), 6 – Slovenia (Did not play in 2014)
I actually like the 2014 world rankings as a predictor of success here. Sweden will be good, but Israel is likely to outclass them for first place in the group. Switzerland should be very competitive, but I don’t see them garnering a top 2 spot. Maybe they will surprise me! Belgium, Spain, and Slovenia have some work to do against the top programs, but should see plenty of great games between themselves.
