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April 14, 2024 — An inspired hire
I didn’t want to go too much further without recognizing the news last week that Acacia Walker-Weinstein, the coach for the Boston College women’s lacrosse team, will be the next head coach of the U.S. women’s national team.
As such, she will be tasked with building and extending the U.S. national team pool in the hopes of winning the 2026 WorldLacrosse Women’s World Cup in Japan.
For Walker-Weinstein, the prospect is too good to pass up. The U.S. team, especially in road World Cups, is one of the surest things on the planet. The States have won nine World Cups, and have won eight out of eight times the tournament was played outside of the U.S.
As such, the last time, with the U.S. as host, should have been a more difficult task than it turned out to be. The Americans won eight out of eight games and never allowed any opponent to get within three at the final horn. It was a dominating performance.
Given the prowess and excellence of the potential player pool in 2026, Walker-Weinstein’s job is likely to be one of having to balance a number of talented players and make them realize that there is only one ball.
By 2026, the national team pool will likely retain at least three former Boston College players in Dempsey Arsenault, Sam Apuzzo, and the redoubtable Charlotte North. Also likely to feature in the next World Cup are young stars like Izzy Scane, Caitlin Wurzburger, Shaylan Ahearn, and Erin Coykendall. I think two-time Athletes Unlimited champion Taylor Moreno is a lock in the goal circle.
In other words, once the senior national team camps are over with, the hard work (at least for the coaching staff) is pretty much over. I think the 2026 team is going to be that good.
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