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Team USA Announces 38 Man Roster

US Lacrosse has announced who will be competing for Team USA against Loyola in January, and it is a long list of 38 top notch US players. Eventually the team will be cut down to 23 men (as per International Rules) but right now, the national program is trying to get a look at what some of these guys can do for the red, white, and blue. Let’s take a look at who has been named to the 2013 US scrimmage team, and see who has an early foot in the door to Team USA.

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Players are listed by name, current team, and their college:

Attack
Billy Bitter, Rochester Rattlers, North Carolina
Grant Catalino, Long Island Lizards, Maryland
Matt Danowski, Charlotte Hounds, Duke
Matt Gibson, Long Island Lizards, Yale
Mike Leveille, Rochester Rattlers, Syracuse*
Kevin Leveille, Rochester Rattlers, Massachusetts
Steele Stanwick, Ohio Machine, Virginia^
Chazz Woodson, Ohio Machine, Brown

Midfield
Sam Bradman, LXM Pro Tour, Salisbury
Steven Brooks, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Syracuse
Steven DeNapoli, Rochester Rattlers, Hofstra
Benson Erwin, N/A, Johns Hopkins
Graham Gill, LXM Pro Tour, Navy
Kyle Harrison, LXM Pro Tour, Johns Hopkins#
Ben Hunt, Chesapeake Bayhawks, North Carolina
Cameron Lao-Gosney, Hamilton Nationals, Lehigh
Roman Lao-Gosney, Hamilton Nationals, Lehigh
Peet Poillon, Charlotte Hounds, UMBC
Paul Rabil, Boston Cannons, Johns Hopkins*
Jeremy Sieverts, Denver Outlaws, Maryland
Kevin Unterstein, Long Island Lizards, Hofstra

Defense
CJ Costabile, Long Island Lizards, Duke^
Ryan Flanagan, Charlotte Hounds, North Carolina
Kyle Hartzell, Ohio Machine, Salisbury
Brian Karalunas, Long Island Lizards, Villanova
John Lade, Rochester Rattlers, Syracuse^
Eric Martin, Denver Outlaws, Salisbury*
Kevin Ridgway, N/A, Notre Dame
Dillon Roy, Denver Outlaws, Denver
Brett Schmidt, Charlotte Hounds, Maryland
Michael Simon, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Stevenson
Chad Wiedmaier, Hamilton Nationals, Princeton
Lee Zink, Denver Outlaws, Maryland

Goalie
Jordan Burke, Boston Cannons, Brown
John Galloway, Rochester Rattlers, Syracuse
Scott Rodgers, Hamilton Nationals, Notre Dame

Faceoff
Chris Eck, Boston Cannons, Colgate
Alex Smith, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Delaware*

* 2010 U.S. men’s national team member
# 2006 U.S. men’s national team member
^ 2008 U.S. men’s national under-19 team member

The above info is from a US Lacrosse Press Release.

Let’s start with the potential Attackmen, and move down the list from there.

Out of the Attack players listed above, I think Chazz Woodson stands out as a dodger, and both Leveille brothers stand out as finishers and scoring threats, as does Matt Danowski. Matt Gibson and Bill Bitter seem like good options for ball handlers and Catalino could be a great outside threat. Personally, I like the combination of Gibson, Kevin Leveille and Danowski, and think that starting unit could put up serious points. Of all the guys not listed, I think Ryan Boyle might be the most missed, but I could see Gibson growing into that type of QB player for the US.

When it comes to the Midfield, you see a lot of guys who can shoot the ball, and a few less who can create on their own. Rabil has to be a lock to make the team and be a top threat, but I also think Kyle Harrison has the potential to be a hugely impactfuly player. He is really at the top of his game right now. I also think Grahamn Gill and Peet Poillon could see a lot of run with the ball in their sticks. Brooks and Hunt add shooting touch and Bradman could get some goals inside.

Defensively, the midfield has some serious strength and speed. DeNapoli, Erwin, Sieverts and Unterstein can all clear the ball, and they can all run with anyone. When matching up with Canada, guys like this will be key. I’m interested to see how they play the current college guys.

When it comes the Defense, and ALL of the longsticks that were invited, the US has serious depth. Guys like CJ Costabile, Kyle Hartzell, Brian Karalunas and Mike Simon could all see time at LSM. All are super athletic and any of the 4 could end up being the starter.

Down low, Lee Zink and Eric Martin are my top two choices. Kevin Ridgway, Ryan Flanagan, John Lade, Dillon Roy, Brett Schmidt and Chad Wiedemaier could also see some serious time, and it might come down to cohesiveness when it comes to making the team for 2014.

In goal, Jordan Burke, John Galloway and Scott Rodgers all got an invite. Rodgers has been named as the favorite of fans and the general community for a while now but either Burke or Galloway have what it takes to step in and take the spot. Of all the positions out there, this one may be the most up for grabs.

When it comes to FoGos, the US has invited Alex Smith and Chris Eck, but one has to think that CJ Costabile is also being considered here, at least as a back up option. This tells me CJ’s chances are going up, and either Eck or Smith’s are going down. This is going to be a battle, and I could see either of these guys getting the nod.

There are definitely some guys NOT listed who stand out as omitted, but it could be that they just couldn’t make it, or had another event already lined up. Max Seibald, Ryan Boyle, Mitch Belisle, Jesse Schwartzman, all three Powell brothers, and a host of other guys seem to be missing, but I wouldn’t rule them out in the future. For now though, we have a list of 38 excellent players, and we’re going to see how they do!

If you had to pick THREE guys listed above as LOCKED IN for 2014, who would you pick?