For the first time, US Lacrosse is heading up the staff and player selection of a team that will represent the United States in the 2015 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Indoor Championship. Tony Resch has been named head coach and will be assisted by Adam Mueller and Chris Schiller. Jimmy Butler will serve as general manager, Tim Soudan as assistant general manager, and Mike Fox as equipment manager.
“I am honored to be named the head coach of the 2015 U.S. indoor team,” Resch said. “There is no greater privilege than to represent your country in any capacity. I am excited to work alongside the experienced staff that we have in place. Our goal is to put together a committed, talented, hard-working team of players that will embrace the great challenge ahead of us to win an indoor world championship.”
Player evaluation ill begin this fall with several tryout and training opportunities. The schedule and player selection timeline will be finalized later in September.
The 2015 FIL World Indoor Championship will be held Sept. 18–26 in Onondaga Nation, N.Y., and Buffalo, N.Y. The U.S. has placed third in each of the three previous world championship events, held in 2003, 2007 and 2011.
“We’re extremely excited with the announcement of the staff for the U.S. men’s indoor team,” said Skip Lichtfuss, chair of the US Lacrosse Men’s National Team Subcommittee, who led the coaching search. “The staff is comprised of outstanding coaches and administrators with extensive experience both as professional players and coaches in the NLL. We have great confidence that the staff will field an extremely competitive team, highlighted with many of the most recognizable names known to the U.S. fan base.”
In addition to improving continuity of player experience between indoor and outdoor teams, ownership of the U.S. indoor team will assist US Lacrosse in determining the appropriate integration of indoor skills and techniques into the organization’s field game curriculum.
Head coach Tony Resch is regarded as one of the game’s top defensive coaches at any level. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Wings from 1993-2001, leading the team to four NLL titles (1994-95, 1998, 2001), and in 2001 he was named NLL coach of the year. He was inducted to the NLL Hall of Fame in 2008.
A mainstay in MLL coaching circles, Resch led the Philadelphia Barrage from 2005-2008, winning MLL championships in 2006 and 2007. Twice he was named MLL coach of the year (2006, 2008). He has been an assistant coach on five other MLL championship teams, including Chesapeake (2003, 2012-13), Long Island (2009) and Denver (2011).
Resch was an assistant coach on the 2010 U.S. outdoor team in Manchester, England. A two-time All-American defenseman at Yale University, Resch was a member of the gold-medal winning 1990 U.S. outdoor team. He currently works as athletic director and associate head coach at La Salle (Pa.), where his teams have won four state titles in 12 years.
Offensive assistant coach Adam Mueller brings 19 years of MILL/NLL experience as a player and coach. The only coach in NLL history to lead three teams to the playoffs, Mueller guided the Philadelphia Wings, Minnesota Swarm and New York Titans to postseason berths, earning NLL coach of the year in 2008 with the Titans. Mueller’s playing career spanned 11 years with the Philadelphia Wings, Baltimore Thunder, Albany Attack and Detroit Turbos.
Defensive assistant coach Chris Schiller has a long association as a player in both the NLL and MLL. A past member of the U.S. indoor (2011) and outdoor (2010) teams, he brings a wealth of crossover experience to the staff. Schiller played 12 seasons with the NLL’s Rochester Knighthawks (2001-12) and Philadelphia Wings (2012-13), winning the 2007 NLL title with Rochester. In the outdoor game, he played nine seasons with the Rochester Rattlers (2001-08) and Charlotte Hounds (2013), winning the MLL championship in 2008.
General manager Jimmy Butler has extensive experience as assistant general manager of the U.S. men’s outdoor teams in 2002, 2006 and 2010, as well as the NLL’s Orlando Titans.
Assistant general manager Tim Soudan has been the head coach of the MLL’s Rochester Rattlers since 2011 and has front office experience with the NLL’s Rochester Knighthawks. Most recently, he led the Rattlers to the league’s championship game and was named 2014 MLL coach of the year. A two-time goal medalist with the U.S. outdoor team (1994, 1998), Soudan’s professional career spanned 11 seasons with the Knighthawks and three seasons with the Rattlers.
Equipment manager Mike Fox has more than 35 years of sports industry experience, including equipment manager roles with the U.S. indoor team (2007, 2011), Philadelphia Wings (2005-2014), Philadelphia Barrage (2004-2008) and Boston Cannons (2011-present).
