The Pan American Games is without a doubt the most important tournament of the year. It is the reason why the USA Men’s National Team has competed in over thirty international matches and have spent innumerable number of hours on and off the pitch preparing.
The 16-man Pan American Team that will journey to Guadalajara, Mexico next month has been named and includes a combination of veterans and rookies that will aim to challenge seven other continental competitors for a chance at Olympic history.
"We are really pleased with the group that has been selected as there is a nice combination between youth and experienced players,” said Head Coach Nick Conway. “This is the fittest and fastest collective group that we have ever competed with and we are all really looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that the Pan American Games has for us, especially as we expect to do well."
Included on the stacked roster are old-timers Pat Cota, Shawn Nakamura and Jarred Martin. Both Cota and Nakamura have achieved over 100 caps with the Men’s Team, an extremely commendable accomplishment. Nakamura recently celebrated his hundredth milestone in a series against Barbados.
“Shawn's greatest attribute is his ability to provide a consistently high level of performance,” said Conway. “Shawn was first capped at the 1999 Pan American Games, he has since captained the team for an extended period and now continues to provide leadership and consistency from within the program on a daily basis.”
Soon to join Cota and Nakamura will be Martin, who is set to earn his 100th cap in the first match against Cuba next month.
Joining the experienced players on the pitch in Mexico will be Moritz Runzi, Tyler Sundeen and Michiel Dijxhoorn who are relatively new to the team but are hungry for success and looking to be instrumental in disrupting a tradition that has transpired since 1975. Canada and Argentina have for the most part alternated taking home the gold for the last nine Pan Am Games.
While the Men’s Team is in a challenging pool and will have to face tough opponents like Cuba, Argentina and the host nation Mexico in the opening matches, Conway is confident in the teams ability to fair well against their opposition.
"We are very aware of the challenge that each pool match presents. However, we are exclusively focused on our first match against Cuba. This is a defining game and one that we are very confident that we can win given our collective tactical awareness and technical abilities."
Success at the XVI Pan American Games means one thing: a ticket to the 2012 London Olympic Games. Eight teams will enter the tournament on October 20 with their eye on winning gold. Shall the USA fail to do so, there will be another opportunity to qualify in early 2012.
However, as Conway stated above, the team will take one step at a time and focus on the first task at hand, which is a victory over Cuba in the opening match of the tournament.
Pan American Team: Jarred Martin (Albany, NY), Michiel Dijxhoorn (Tampa, FL), Jon Ginolfi (Moorpark, CA), Will Holt (Camarillo, CA), Steven Mann (New York, NY), Pat Cota (Camarillo, CA), Rob Schilling (Moorpark, CA), Tom Sheridan (Ridgewood, NJ), Shawn Nakamura (Thousand Oaks, CA), Ajai Dhadwal (Agoura, CA), Kevin Barber (Camarillo, CA), Sean Harris (Moorpark, CA) Tyler Sundeen (Simi Valley, CA), Moritz Runzi (Boston, MA), Ian Scally (Thousand Oaks, CA), Andy Sheridan (Ridgewood, NJ)
Source: USFHA
