Historically field lacrosse has been dominated by the Americans. The United States have won 9 out of 11 World Lacrosse Championships and boasts a majority of players in the MLL. However, they may not be alone when it comes to the world of lacrosse. Canadians are making their way outside, and its easy to see. Earlier this week Canada beat the United States in the Duel in Denver, which isn’t all that surprising when you looked at some of the players on the Canadian roster.
John Grant Jr. and Brodie Merrill have been a staple on Canadian lacrosse teams for a while now, but he’s now joined by a group of younger stars that have made names for themselves in field lacrosse. Kevin Crowley, Mark Matthews, Jordan MacIntosh, Jordan McBride, and Kiel Matisz have all only played one or two MLL seasons but are already the faces of Canadian field lacrosse.
The young group of Canadian players can be attributed to the growing trend of Canadian players crossing the border to play collegiate lacrosse in the States. Not surprisingly all of these young players played lacrosse at an American university.
Many of the Canadian players have refined their outdoor game with the Hamilton Nationals in the MLL, as seven members of their roster are Canadian born. However they are not restricted to staying in Canada to play as players like Mark Matthews (Denver), Jordan MacIntosh (Rochester), and Kiel Matisz have made home elsewhere.
Many patriotic Americans may be a tad worried that Canada is starting to nip at their heels, but they really shouldn’t be. This is a sport about growth, and field lacrosse growth in Canada is a very good thing for the sport. Especially with impending expansion in the MLL the bigger the player pool, the better. Added competition also increases interest in international play, which usually has the same teams always winning.
The more Canadians involved in the sport, the more interest there is among Canadian fans as well. If you’re an NLL fan, why would you be that drawn into the MLL if you know none of the players? If fans see some familiar faces it could lead to increased attentiveness. Even though the MLL currently says they have no plans to expand into Canada any further, it’d be hard for them to pass up an opportunity if it presents itself.
What do you think about the advances in Canadian field lacrosse in recent years> Will Canadians in the MLL increase in the future? Has Canada already surpassed the United States international team? Comment below with your thoughts or head over to the InLacrosseWeTrust forums.
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