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Cassese, Powell Named U.S. Team Captains

by Corey McLaughlin | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

Head coach Mike Pressler called U.S. team co-captain Ryan Powell a "constant professional" and "selfless, driven young man." Team USA players, coaches and staff voted Powell and Kevin Cassese to lead them in Manchester. © Kevin P. Tucker

Kevin Cassese and Ryan Powell will lead Team USA into the FIL World Championships in Manchester, England.
 
Cassese, a three-time U.S. men’s national team member, and Powell, a two-time player, were voted captains Thursday by their teammates, Team USA coaches and support staff, according to head coach Mike Pressler.

The picks were announced to the team at the conclusion of its five-day training camp, at a restaurant near Bryant University in Rhode Island around 1:30 p.m. The FIL opening ceremonies are July 15 and the U.S. opens against Australia on July 16.
 
“We have a lot of leadership on this team, but the team and the staff went with two or our most veteran guys that have the greatest level of experience,” Pressler said on the way to Boston, where Thursday night the U.S. team was set to play a group of Major League Lacrosse stars (live blog) in the MLL All-Star Game at Harvard Stadium. “With a 23-man roster, I felt co-captains were the way to go. A Cassese-Powell captaincy is a very positive thing moving forward.”
 
Cassese and Powell are among five current players who were on the U.S. team that finished runner-up to Canada at the 2006 world championship.
 
“This is Kevin’s third time, and I know he must be thrilled. Kevin and I have a strong relationship on and off the field,” Pressler said of Cassese, who played for and served an as assistant coach with Pressler at Duke and is the current head coach at Lehigh. “He’s a guy we can all lean on.”
 
Of Powell, Pressler said: “He’s a constant professional and a selfless, driven young man who has been to the highest level of lacrosse at every level of his playing career.”