The Best in Action

CHAMPIONS TROPHY DRUM-ROLL...

Argentina finished first, ahead of India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Canada, Belgium and Malaysia in the Azlan Shah Cup.
In comparison to the team that played in the Auckland Olympic Qualifiers, Juan Gilardi is back, pushing Pedro Ibarra off the list.
Tomas Argento and Facundo Callioni make their return to the national team after longer absences, at the expense of Lucas Rossi and veteran Fernando Zylberberg.
And Joaquin Gonzalez Rothberg replaces Juan Espinosa as second goalkeeper to No 1 Juan Vivaldi.

ARGENTINA

NAME AGE CAPS
1 Juan Manuel VIVALDI (GK) 28 84
2 Juan GILARDI 26 37
3 Juan Martin LOPEZ 22 48
4 Matias VILA (C) 28 194
7 Mario ALMADA 33 235
8 Lucas REY 25 70
9 Rodrigo VILA 26 144
10 Matias PAREDES 26 135
11 Lucas CAMMARERI 27 114
12 Lucas VILA 21 39
13 Juan GARRETA 24 59
20 Tomas ARGENTO 21 65
22 Matias REY 23 47
24 Lucas ARGENTO 21 37
26 Joaquin ROTHBERG (GK) 24 0
28 Facundo CALLIONI 22 21
29 Agustin CORRADINI 23 25
31 Ignacio BERGNER 23 37

Off-Field Staff
Coach: Carlos RETEGUI
Assistant Coach: Santiago CAPURRO
Manager: Juan Manuel GRONDONA

NETHERLANDS

NAME AGE CAPS
1 Guus VOGELS (GK) 33 226
2 Wouter JOLIE 22 27
3 Geert-Jan DERICKX 27 124
6 Thomas BOERMA 27 50
7 Sander van der WEIDE 31 262
8 Ronald BROUWER 29 175
9 Roderick WEUSTHOF 26 87
11 Laurence DOCHERTY 28 27
12 Jeroen DELMEE (C) 35 387
14 Teun de NOOIJER 33 374
15 Eby KESSING 23 44
16 Floris EVERS 25 141
18 Rob RECKERS 26 154
19 Matthijs BROUWER 27 196
20 Jeroen HERTZBERGER 22 13
23 Timme HOYNG 31 98
24 Robert van der HORST 23 90
26 Jaap STOCKMANN (GK) 23 9

Off-Field Staff
Coach: Roelant OLTMANS
Assistant Coach: Hans STREEDER
Manager: Robert van MAASAKKER

Aussies pick their best

HOCKEY Australia has selected a strong squad combining youth and experience for the upcoming Men's Champions Trophy tournament to be played in Rotterdam, Netherlands from 21 until 29 June.
Overall five players (Des Abbott, Nathan Burgers, Kiel Brown, Fergus Kavanagh and Eli Matheson) will make their Champions Trophy debuts.
Andrew Smith, Simon Orchard, Russell Ford, Brent Livermore, Nathan Eglington (injured) and Stephen Mowlam (injured) are the remaining Kookaburra squad members who have missed out on making the Champions Trophy squad.
The 2008 Men's Champions Trophy will see the Kookaburras face off against Argentina, Spain, Germany, Korea and the Netherlands in what is the last major international tournament on the world hockey calendar prior to the Olympics.
With the 2008 Beijing Olympics only two months away, Kookaburras coach Barry Dancer says the team is aiming to get the best preparation possible.
'There are several outcomes that we are looking to achieve during our time away, not only during the Champions Trophy but also during our two matches against Belgium prior to the tournament.
Firstly we are looking to develop our mental toughness and our competitive pressure in what will be a high pressure event.
The tournament will also allow us to further develop our team understanding while also giving us an opportunity to develop form and confidence amongst the group as we expose ourselves to some quality opposition.' Said Dancer.
Dancer says that while being selected in the Champions Trophy squad will give the players a final opportunity to impress prior to the Olympic squad selection, other factors will also be taken into consideration.
'The performances of the players at the Champions Trophy tournament and the two games against Belgium won't be the only factor when we sit down to select the Olympic squad in July. But in saying that, it presents a good opportunity for this group of players to step up and put their best foot forward against the world's best opposition.'
Australian 2008 Champions Trophy squad: Des Abbott, Travis Brooks, Kiel Brown, Nathan Burgers, Liam De Young, Luke Doerner, Jamie Dwyer, Bevan George, David Guest, Robert Hammond, Aaron Hopkins, Fergus Kavanagh, Mark Knowles, Stephen Lambert, Eli Matheson, Eddie Ockenden, Grant Schubert, Matthew Wells.
Source: Hockey Australia

USA gets serious

BY GARY HAWKINS

MAINE (USA): After spending a year playing with and against some of the better men's field hockey talent in the country, Gardiner's Ross Gorham has formed his long-term goal.
"Now it's much more toward the 2016 Olympics," said Gorham, a current member of the U-21 national team.
Gorham, a 2007 graduate of Gardiner Area High School, has spent the past two weekends competing in tournaments in California and New York. Later this month, he'll play at a festival in San Diego where the junior and senior men's national teams will be re-selected.
"It's getting more and more intense as we draw closer to bigger events," Gorham said.
Gorham, 20, figures there will be 50-60 players competing for one of the 24 roster spots on the U-21 team which will play in the Pan Am Games in October and at the Junior World Cup next June.
Gorham, who is a defensive midfielder, has played field hockey most of his life. He was a member of a middle school team that won three straight championships. Although boys are longer allowed to play on girls teams in high school, he was around the team coached by his aunt, Moe McNally, throughout his years at Gardiner.
"More and more (men) are playing as the national championships get bigger," he said. "There's a lot more younger (boys) playing than ever before."
The men's game is played at a quicker pace and is much more physical than the women's. At 6-foot-1 and 178 pounds, Gorham can hold his own at the junior level.
"I think I do have to get stronger the make it to the next level," he said.
The U.S. men's team failed to qualify for this year's Olympic Games and Gorham thinks many of the players may retire, creating openings throughout the program.
A freshman majoring in sports studies at the University of New Hampshire, Gorham worked out and traveled with the women's field hockey team.
"I'm with the team all the time when they're together," he said. "It's kind of a coaching thing."
Gorham's trip to San Diego will preclude an opportunity to help coach at McNally's Big Cat Field Hockey Camp. But he will coach for Seacoast United in New Hampshire later in the summer.
"There's players from all over the place," he said. "There's a couple of kids from Augusta."