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Fireside Chat With Mike Brand and Peter Tumbas

Editor’s note: LAS sat down with Mike Brand and Peter Tumbas of the American Revolution summer team to talk about their upcoming trip to England and Denmark.  This trip sounds ridiculous.  Their uniforms are unreal.  And they have a helmet coming that will literally blow your socks off.  Super top secret.  Want more info on the trip of a lifetime for college kids and recent grads?  Read on!
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LAS: First of all, what’s in a name? Why did you guys choose to call the team the American Revolution?

Coach Brand: It was the brainchild of Coach T.  I think we wanted to touch on the relationship between America and Europe.  Also we knew there would be a bottomless pit of images to use in our kit and promotional materials.

We hope the English have a sense of humor about it.

Are you at all worried they won’t take it the right way?  It doesn’t seem too bad but you never know, right?

Coach Brand: I’ve lived and coached over there and I know for a fact that they will “take the piss” but after our matches a few pints and laughs will be shared I guarantee.

That’s right, we’ve heard you’re quite the traveler, Brand. Your interview series is proof enough. Why’d you guys choose to go to London and Denmark?

Coach Brand: We chose London because it’s an easy city to fly to and is a top tourist destination.  Also I have a lot of contacts in that city and the guys there are really keen to play us.

Copenhagen was one of the cities we targeted including Hamburg, Amsterdam and Prague but the kicker was that they were hosting a tournament that fit our schedule.  Coach Tumbas and I have crazy recruiting and instructional camp schedules in the summer so the Copenhagen Cup fit our schedule perfect.

Also I have taken teams to England and Australia in the past so I personally wanted to see a new city and a new lacrosse scene.

Great reasoning. Switching over to the fashion side of things, this one is for Coach T. Are you heaven right now or what? Seems like everyday there is a new variation of American Revolution threads on 412 Lax. What is your ultimate goal for the American Revolution kits?

Coach Tumbas: It’s important for us that our players have a sense of pride when they put on our uniform. For most athletes, its a dream come true to wear your country’s colors and it’s not every day you get the opportunity to represent your country. We didn’t want to let our athletes down by getting stock reversible and shorts. By partnering with the best team outfitter in ProAthletics and best equipment supplier in Warrior, it gave us unlimited options to create something the players on the team will be honored and thrilled to wear. We’ve given the general public an opportunity to provide their critiques of our kits but ultimately the coaches and team will have final approval.

All of the mockups we’ve seen so far have been beyond ridonculous… how do you make sure you play just as well as you look?  Any ringers we should know about?  Is your starting attack Bitter, Stanwick, Pannell?

Coach Tumbas: We’re not concerned about backing up our uniforms or holding tryouts in hopes of recreating the 1998 USA roster. Instead, the team is being selected on a first come first serve basis as we want to take MCLA and NCAA athletes who are the most interested in this experience of a lifetime. To quote Coach Herb Brooks, “I’m not looking for the best players…I’m looking for the right ones.” The athletes who belong on this team are going to be the ones that make the journey.

American Revolution 412 Lax jerseys
Your name where 412 LAX is? Nice touch o’ class.

We’ve heard from everyone from MCLA D2 players to NCAA D1 players from Princeton and Colgate. It will be a great opportunity for an MCLA player to see how an NCAA athlete carries himself and on the other hand, we hope our NCAA participants gain a measure of respect from the MCLA players rostered.

Speaking of “experience of a lifetime”, you’ve got quite a few off-the-field opportunities scheduled. Which tour are each you most looking forward to and why?

Coach Tumbas: I’ve always been a fascinated by Victorian England. It’s probably the English major in me. But I also love being on the water so the city tour of Copenhagen by boat is high on the list. We’re also in talks to participate in a clinic with ArchLevel Lacrosse which will be a great opportunity for us to give back to the host country and help grow the game.

Coach Brand has already been to England. Therefore, I presume he’s more excited by the off field events in Denmark including the BBQ to conclude the Copenhagen Cup. What do they serve at a Danish BBQ?

What are your expectations for the Copenhagen Cup?  Any idea what the competition will be like?  Where are most of the teams coming from?  You guys feel like making any outlandish prophecies about your chances over there?

Coach Brand: We are going to go into the Copenhagen Cup with championship expectations.  That being said, it’s a roll of the dice until we see who is entered.  There will most likely be other American teams, Canadian and of course European clubs as our competition.  It also depends on who signs up for the trip that will determine our level although so far I think we will have a very competitive side.

What’s great about these type of trips is as competitive it can get in a cup style tourney once the last whistle is blown everyone seems to be on the same team.  Euros really know how to enjoy post game festivities and on the field they’ll want to “spank the yank” but off the field they want to absorb our lax knowledge.  Plus we’re on their turf and they know the way around!

Great answers. Thanks for your time, coaches. One last question – Can you tell our readers when you guys expect to have a finalized roster and where they can get more information? There may be some players reading this who are interested in joining the Revolution.

Coach Tumbas: We are accepting interested athletes on a first come, first serve basis and have already received deposits. As such, there isn’t a deadline or timetable so we encourage players to reach out to us immediately through our website www.americanrevolutionlax.com. High school seniors who will be playing college lacrosse through current college seniors are eligible for the tour. It’s going to be the experience of a lifetime.

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This has been another Lax All Stars Fireside Chat. Check out our full list of interviews here.