When midfielder Max Seibald signed a one-year contract to remain with the Boston Cannons, he hoped he could help a young Cannons team exceed expectations and earn his first MLL championship. There was another reason he wanted to continue to suit up, however — he was preparing to play in the 2018 FIL World Championships.
Seibald will not be donning the red, white, and blue with Team USA, however, something he did in both 2010 and 2014; the veteran was selected to play for the host country, Israel.
“I’m excited,” he said. “Fifty countries get to show up where 95 percent, if not more, would have never been to or come to Israel for any other reason. As a result, that alone is an awesome opportunity. I’m glad to be a part of it and glad to be an ambassador in that respect. This experience is a broader experience. It’s to show what a special place it is.”
While Team USA is comprised entirely of players currently in the MLL, and the teams representing Canada and the Iroquois have a number of current and former MLL players on the rosters as well, they aren’t the only countries fielding MLL players.
Just like in the United States, current and former MLL players, including Seibald, are helping grow the game in other nations as well.
“I’ve been involved with Israel lacrosse pretty close to their inception,” he said. “I was on conference calls early on with guys that helped found the program from its infancy stages. I’d always been involved with a local clinic or event. I’d never played with them but wanted to help the game.”
Even though Seibald previously played for the United States, he was able to make the Israel roster through a series of circumstances. The first was that after the 2014 World Championships, Seibald did not participate in any United States team events. While Seibald is not a citizen of Israel, he is considered a diaspora (the diversion of people from their original homeland), he is Jewish, and his parents were married in Netanya, providing him enough connections to be eligible for selection. The final piece of the puzzle was traveling to Israel to try out for the team.
Through multiple trips to Israel, Seibald has immersed himself in growing the game of lacrosse in Israel.
“When I was over there coaching, the kids have to find their way there themselves or Israel lacrosse busses the kids there,” he said. “They provide camps and clinics and games. They’re constantly in schools introducing the game. Their goal is to continue to grow. They’ve been there for over five years, probably closer to eight years. There’s some very good players over there. How it compares to other sports, it’s a long ways away, but this event is a huge opportunity to grow the game in Israel.”
In addition to Seibald, the Israeli National Team features current Denver Outlaws face-off specialist Max Adler and former Boston Cannon Ari Sussman.
Another former Cannon, Ricky Pages, is also making a return to competition, playing for Puerto Rico. Like Seibald, Pages was not born in Puerto Rico, but he is of Puerto Rican descent, as his grandfather was born there. He was referred to the national team management by Major League Lacrosse, even though he had retired from the league in 2013 due to a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus.
Getting to play with Puerto Rico lacrosse was a great honor for Pages who said it gives him an opportunity to return to competitive lacrosse and to honor his mother.
“We marched in the Puerto Rican Day parade, and we were able to bring our family members. It was great to see how happy they were,” Pages said. “It’s a proud moment to represent your family like that and see your mom or dad’s face and the joy it brings them.”
Pages joins a group that has two other players with MLL experience — Lance Yapor and Devin Cruz each appeared for Ohio at one point — and several that were on teams in the 2018 NCAA Final Four: Will Ramos and Steven Ramirez of Albany, John Thomas Giles-Harris of Duke, and Thomas O’Connell of Maryland.
He still is the most experienced player on the roster and looks forward to passing on his knowledge to a younger squad.
“To my teammates who have played at high levels and still are, to have that role model there and keep them composed through the adrenaline rushes, the ceremonies, the first game jitters, I can reel everyone back and help them grow,” he said. “At their age I made a lot of mistakes. I can help them out with that.”
With the recent flooding in Puerto Rico that still plagues the island, Pages hopes the team can also band together and help the people get back on their feet.
“After the world games, we’re putting together a bunch guys, and we’re trying to help out outside the major cities that don’t have power as a community outreach,” he said. “Hopefully the communities can see they do have a national lacrosse team, and we can help the schools with food, power and things like that.”
Atlanta Blaze defender Callum Robinson will be playing for the country in which he was born: Australia.
Robinson lived in Perth, Australia until he was 21 when he moved to the United States to go to college and play lacrosse at Stevenson. A first-generation lacrosse player, Robinson’s love for the game intensified when the World Championships were played in Perth in 2002.
He hopes his time playing in both the MLL and World Championship inspires the same passion in other potential players in Australia.
“I want to be that stepping stone where guys know it is a realistic opportunity to play collegiate lacrosse and pursue it farther into professional lacrosse,” he said. “A very close mentor, Adam Sear, he was that person to me. He played four years at Maryland. He was responsible to giving me a shot here. A big philosophy of mine is to pay it forward. I’ve been lucky with everything that’s crossed my plate. I want to do everything in my power to give kids an opportunity and to aim for the stars.”
According to Robinson, lacrosse may not be the most popular sport in Australia, but it does have a very passionate following.
“Not having collegiate sports or high school sports in Australia, being a club-based system, it’s harder to get kids involved in the game,” he said. “The people that are involved are very passionate players and lifelong supporters of the game and chosen lacrosse over more favorable sports or more general sports.”
While players on the teams representing the United States, Canada, and Iroquois will be disappointed with anything but gold, the same expectations are not placed on other countries. Still, as is the nature of competitors, it doesn’t stop them from believing they have a chance.
“We want to win our group and take each game at a time,” Pages said. “We have to learn from each game. We’re not used to playing together. Our expectations are really high, even if it’s our first time at the world games and playing together at an elite level. Our expectations are really high. We want to get as far as possible, and I know we can. It would be great to match up against USA and Canada, but we want to take it one game at a time.”
Seibald said he welcomes the ability to play in the competition without the immense pressure that comes with playing for Team USA, but he added that winning games shines a spotlight on all the hard work the team from Israel has put in leading up to the tournament.
“Our goal is to medal,” he said. “We want to showcase the talent we have and the growth of the game. It’s a culmination of the behind the scenes work of the growth in Israel.”
The team to have expectations that rival the three medalists from the 2014 World Championship is Australia.
“Were competing in the blue division as well. We’re among the best nations in the world,” Robinson said. “Up until Denver, we had medaled in every World Cup. Anyone would be kidding themselves if our goal is not to medal. We can run with any team. It’s a matter of adjusting to international lacrosse. We’d be selling ourselves short if we weren’t aiming to be on the podium by the final day.”
At the FIL World Championship, the players’ competitive spirits will be on display, as will their skills. While the ultimate goal for all players is to win gold, being able to represent your country and help grow the game globally are big honors to all participants.
“We don’t do it for money,” Robinson said. “We’re paving the way for future generations. Hopefully, we can move the sport to sounder health for future generations. We all love it. We’ve committed our lives to it. We all have a common goal in seeing this sport grow.”