The U.S. men’s indoor national field hockey team yesterday finished off its best performance in an international world-level field hockey tournament since 1932 when it finished fourth in the FIH men’s Indoor World Cup.
And the States’ fourth-place finish was arguably better than the bronze medal finish at the 1932 Olympics, since the Americans finished third by default; only two other teams participated in the tournament.
The United States, a team full of spare parts, but with a lot of athleticism and heart, rode a wave of confidence and stuck with many other sides representing nations where field hockey is a way of life. This included the final two matches of pool play when the Boys in Blue defeated Argentina and Australia — two countries which have won a combined eight medals in men’s field hockey since 1992.
This also included the semifinal showdown with Holland, where hockey is practically a religion. But the plucky Americans stayed with them yesterday morning for the entire game, only losing out in the final eight minutes of play.
For a game where there are no varsity players at U.S. colleges (albeit you are seeing more practice players on rosters), and a scant few at American high schools, the Americans have punched far, far above their weight.
And it makes you wonder what would happen if the prevailing culture around field hockey would do more to foment the men’s game instead of finding any and every avenue to try to shut it down.
