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Hot Pot: Team USA Gripes & Video

When it comes to legitimate Team USA training team selection gripes… I actually don’t have any. Sure, a couple of my personal favorites got cut, and while Kevin Rowen wasn’t perfect with his predictions, he sure was close! At the end of the day, it’s hard to really complain about the guys who are moving on to the second round. They might not be YOUR best 52, and they might not be mine, but we’re also not coaching the team…

Photo Credit: John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com, Courtesy US Lacrosse

Richie Meade is coaching the team. So let’s get some info from him first. Meade’s interview with Lacrosse Magazine is intriguing, and illuminating. There is some excellent insight there, and reading it after the team has been selected gives us a nice look into how messaging matches up with reality. Meade often talks of efficiency, the ability to play mistake free lacrosse, how players “mesh”, and how he wants players who can work in a specific system. Honestly, it sounds a lot like Meade’s philosophy when he was running the program at Navy, except he has a lot more talent to choose from.

Meade is clearly looking for athletes who can make good decisions, and be coached up. He wants team guys, and players who will buy in to the team concept. So far, it seems like he’s brought in a pretty solid group for that purpose.

Ok, now let’s get to some videos… there are a LOT of them, so get ready to spend some time here.

Veteran Kyle Sweeney Interview:

He’s moving on to the next round. It’s incredibly impressive when you consider this is his FOURTH Team USA tryout. Talk about longevity. Sheesh.

Peter Baum didn’t make the cut, but we’ve heard he did well. Let’s hear his thoughts on his first Team USA tryout:

Let’s hear from a goalie! Johnny Galloway. Good man, great goalie, moving on to the next round, and he’s got some interesting thoughts:

East Coast Dyes – Highlights, Sights, and Sounds:

iLacrosse video:

24SevenLax also has a great album of photos up on Facebook. Check ’em out!

It’s clear from who was selected to move on to the next of cuts that the 2014 version of Team USA will be very different from the 2010 version. There are a bunch of guys who have played for this national team before still in the mix, but there are also plenty of younger players, who are hungry for their first shot at representing the red, white, and blue.

The next set of cuts will be tough to make, but the level of lacrosse play should only get better. Team USA is starting to shape up for 2014. What do YOU think so far?