NETANYA, Israel — With the Iroquois Nationals, it’s never just about lacrosse.

The Native American team, comprised of players who hail from the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, arrived at its hotel in Netanya, Israel, just six hours before its Federation of International Lacrosse Men’s World Championship opener Thursday against the mighty U.S.

Originally scheduled to fly out of Toronto on Monday night, the Iroquois were turned away when they attempted to travel on their Haudenosaunee passports — an issue that forced them to withdraw from this event in 2010 when it was held in Manchester, England.

Despite the delays, the Iroquois stunned the U.S. briefly, scoring the first three goals and taking a 7-5 lead at halftime before fading in a 17-9 loss.

“They have a lot to play for every time they step on the field,” said U.S. attackman Rob Pannell, who led the charge with three goals and four assists. “Off the plane, they came out here and wanted to prove they have as much to play for as anyone. They’re blue collar, they grind it out, they’re hardnosed and they fight.”

The same could be said about the Iroquois’ steadfast position on the passport issue. Israeli officials wanted Canada to vouch for the players, who refuse to travel on American or Canadian passports because they say it undermines their sovereignty. Most of them come from self-governed reservations.

“My understanding was that they didn’t know if Israel would let us in. And then Canada didn’t want to send us, because they didn’t want to not be able to put us back in the country if they sent us away,” Iroquois coach Mark Burnham said.  “It was kind of a Catch 22. They won’t let you back so we can’t let you leave.”

The FIL intervened, as did New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a high-profile supporter of the event, and San Diego Seals owner Joseph Tsai, a Taiwanese-Canadian billionaire who played lacrosse at Yale.

“My hat goes off to both of them for helping out to make this thing happen,” Burnham said.

With the right amount of lobbying, increased security measures at the Toronto airport and the assurance of an escort for the team when it would arrive in Tel Aviv, the Iroquois were able to board two separate planes for flights at around 5 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday. Given the nearly 11-hour flight plus seven-hour time difference and after regrouping in Israel, the players and coaches did not check into their hotel until approximately 2:30 p.m. local time Thursday.

“The whole way, we were wary,” Iroquois midfielder Jeremy Thompson said. “OK, what’s the next step? We’re going to get held up here. We got on a bus. Are we going to get pulled over? Once we got our things, we came through customs and they stamped our things, yeah, it’s really a dream come true.”

Making matters even more complicated, leaders of a Palestinian movement to boycott Israel called for the Iroquois to withdraw from the tournament based on a claim that the Wingate Institute, where most of the games will be played, is a settlement on Palestinian land. The movement calls for non-violent opposition to what it considers Israeli occupation and, in this case, attempted to appeal to the Iroquois in their shared “struggle for self-determination and against ongoing dispossession and colonization.”

Thompson said he researched the Arab-Israeli conflict and that the Iroquois chiefs had concerns about potentially putting the players in harm’s way. There were rumors they would be greeted by protesters.

“What I thought personally was, what does this game represent and what has it taught our people? It’s a game of medicine,” he said. “Coming over here as a sovereign nation, if it’s somehow within the spirit, physically or emotionally, if it’s something that we say or an action that we do that makes a difference for them people, if it makes a difference for one person, I’m going away happy with a smile on my face.”

PHOTO BY ADAM SCOTT

Ten of the 23 players who represented the Iroquois in the 2014 world championship — including all the four Thompson brothers (Jeremy, Jerome, Lyle and Miles) and their cousin (Ty) — are back on the world stage four years later. But there’s also a youth movement with budding stars like Austin Staats, Tehoka Nanticoke and Chase Scanlan.

Jeremy Thompson said it’s important for the younger players to understand and uphold the value of their sovereignty — even if only in the symbol of a passport.

“Keep educating people around us about where we come from, who we are and our identity,” he said. “Where we come from, when you have to overcome so many obstacles and adversity just within your own communities — a lot of us come from a little bit of poverty — the biggest thing is to expect nothing.”

On the field, the expectation was that the travel-weary Iroquois would wilt. Instead, they looked fresh and almost reinvigorated by the ordeal. Considering an unplanned practice Tuesday in Toronto was the team’s first with the 23-man roster, the returning bronze medalist should only get better as the tournament progresses.

The Iroquois have off Friday before returning to pool play Saturday against England at the Wingate Institute.