Men's International Lacrosse History
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Current Team USA member Ryan McClay earned all-world honors in helping the U.S. win the 2002 world championship. © Bill Welch |
Related links:
• All-time Results
• Record Book
International competition has been a tradition in the sport of
lacrosse since 1860, when the Montreal Lacrosse Club competed
against a team of Caughnawaga and St. Regis Native Americans before
the 19-year-old Prince of Wales, who went on to become King Edward
VII.
Lacrosse was an Olympic exhibition sport at the 1904 Games in St.
Louis, the 1908 Games in London, the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, the
1932 Games in Los Angeles and the 1948 Games in London. In 1984, an
international exhibition series was held in conjunction with the
Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The quadrennial men’s world lacrosse championship finds its
roots in a 1967 international tournament in Toronto that was staged
as part of Canada’s centennial celebration. The Mount
Washington Lacrosse Club from Baltimore represented the United
States in the four-team invitational and won the event. Following
that event, the International Lacrosse Federation was formed in
1974 and hosted the first formal men’s world championship in
1974. Led by Jack Thomas, the United States poured in 70 goals in
three games to win the championship with its closest competition
coming against host Australia — a 20-14 victory.
The 1978 ILF World Championship in Manchester, England featured
the biggest upset in the event’s history. The U.S. dominated
Canada 28-4 in roundrobin play, but in the championship match
Canada stunned the U.S. 17-16 in overtime. Stan Cockerton, who had
played collegiate lacrosse in the U.S. at North Carolina State, had
six goals and three assists to lead the Canadians to the improbable
victory. It marks the only loss for the U.S. in the ILF
championship.
The ILF event came to the United States for the first time in 1982
and the U.S. recaptured the championship trophy with a 22-14
victory over Australia. Vinnie Sombrotto, who would eventually play
on four U.S. teams, was one of six U.S. players named to the
inaugural All-World team.
Canada served as host of the 1986 ILF championship and advanced to
the final game before falling to the U.S. 18-9 for the title.
Three-time U.S. team goalie Larry Quinn led a contingent of five
U.S. players on the All-World team.
The 1990 ILF championship in Perth, Australia saw the first
expansion of the event since its inception with the addition of the
Iroquois Nationals to the field. The U.S. team came out on top with
a 19-15 victory over Canada for the title while Dave Pietramala
became the first U.S. team player to be named MVP of the event
since Jack Thomas in 1974.
Japan joined the field for the 1994 championship in Manchester,
England as the U.S. dominated the competition, including a 21-7
victory over Australia in the championship. Mark Millon set a U.S.
team record with 41 points in the championship and the U.S.
defense, anchored by future National Lacrosse Hall of Fame members
John DeTommaso, Sal LoCascio and Pietramala, limited its seven
opponents to just 44 goals.
The 1998 championship returned to Baltimore with a record 11
nations competing. In a game referred to by some as the best game
ever played, Canada rallied from an 11-1 deficit in the third
quarter to force overtime before the U.S. eventually won, 15-14,
before 10,793 fans at Homewood Field. LoCascio made a record 32
saves for the U.S., including five in the overtime period.
The U.S. entered the 2002 championship (14 nations competing) in
the rare role of underdog. With so many of the nation’s top
players choosing to play in the newly-formed Major League Lacrosse,
the U.S. roster was a collection of primarily college players or
recent college graduates. Darren Lowe, the lone returning player
from the 1998 U.S. team, provided leadership and a team-high 30
points while Doug Shanahan earned MVP honors following a four-goal
performance in an 18-15 victory over Canada for the title.
Canada ended the U.S. stranglehold in 2006, winning on its home
soil by a 15-10 score. Twenty-one nations competed in the event and
the U.S. was undefeated heading into the championhip game by virtue
of a wild 13-12 victory over Canada in round-robin play. Canada won
20 of 28 faceoffs in the championship game to help wrap up the
victory. Jay Jalbert was named the outstanding midfielder at the
championships and was joined on the all-world team by Michael
Powell and John Gagliardi.
