Meet Jake Richard, Heart and Soul of U.S. Team's Fearsome Rope Unit

SAN DIEGO — Jake Richard exited the passenger van at the University of San Diego’s Manchester Village Apartments. He had his luggage in one hand and the other outstretched.

“Hi, I’m Jake Richard,” he said, introducing himself to the USA Lacrosse staff member upon arrival at the World Lacrosse Men’s Championship. Smiling, he added, “I score all the goals.”

A short stick with shtick, Richard, 29, is the senior member of a U.S. team rope unit that head coach John Danowski called “dynamite” after a 7-5 win over Canada in the event opener June 21. Short-stick defensive middies comprise nearly one-fifth of the U.S. roster, putting a premium on a position that has gained increased visibility over the last decade.

There’s Danny Logan, a two-time PLL SSDM of the Year and NLL Rookie of the Year finalist widely regarded as the best there is at the position. There’s Ryan Terefenko, a PLL All-Star and PLL Top 50 selection. There’s Zach Goodrich, a former McLaughlin Award winner and MLL Defensive Player of the Year.

And then there’s Richard, who never earned higher than third-team All-American honors and has made just one All-Star Game appearance in seven seasons playing professional lacrosse.

Yet he might be the most important member of the group as the U.S. prepares to play Canada again Saturday in the gold medal game at Snapdragon Stadium (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, ESPN2).

Both Terefenko and U.S. long-stick midfielder Liam Byrnes used the word “charismatic” to describe Richard. His camera-friendly walkups have earned him the nickname “Starboy” on U.S. men’s national team social media channels. Whereas the other short sticks play with a quiet intensity, Richard is the best organizer and communicator.

“He’s comfortable in that role. Other guys aren’t. He’s just kind of got that personality about him,” said Byrnes, who was Richard’s classmate at Marquette. “Every team that he’s been on, he’s been a leader.”

He finds glamour in the grunt work.

“I love this position,” Richard said. “We are targeted. The defense goes as we go. The offense goes as we go as well. It’s a tremendous challenge, similar to a cornerback in football.”

It’s no surprise to learn, then, that Richard played defensive back for the Henderson (Pa.) High School football team. He also was an option quarterback and received scholarship offers to play at the FCS level.

Instead, Richard decided to join an inaugural class of undersized and unheralded recruits coach Joe Amplo brought to Milwaukee to start the Marquette men’s lacrosse team in 2012. In a year without games, Amplo weeded out less-committed players with a militaristic approach that probably prepared him, too, for a future role at a service academy.

The survivors — the pioneers — included Richard and Byrnes.

Richard was a two-time team captain. Byrnes was the Big East championship MVP when the Golden Eagles stunned No. 1-ranked Denver and hosted an NCAA tournament game when they were seniors in 2016.

“They’ll tell you that they’re my resume,” said Amplo, now the head coach at Navy and defensive coordinator for the U.S. team. “When we’re trying to find that edge and desire to prove yourself, those guys have it. They’ve always had it. That’s why they’re here.”

WE GOT A STARBOY HIGHLIGHT.

Jake lays the boom to end the first half. pic.twitter.com/TeaXKi0Puj

— U.S. Men's National Team (@USAMLax) June 30, 2023

Richard fell in love with Marquette. So much so that he has been an assistant coach there since graduating while also playing professionally for the Atlas of the Premier Lacrosse League.

“If it wasn’t for [Amplo], who knows where we’d be?” Richard said. “I love Marquette. It’s a place I’m very passionate about. I’m trying to provide an experience similar to what I had. Marquette’s a special place.”

Byrnes and Richard were alternates on the gold medal-winning 2018 U.S. team, making it all the way through the final training camp but falling short of the travel roster that won it all in Israel.

“The staff does a great job of making you feel included when you’re in those roles. But when you’re not at the games playing, it’s just a different experience,” Richard said. “It was the only thing I thought about the last five years — what I had to do to give myself the best chance to make this team. It’s not lost on me that there’s a lot of guys that could be in my shoes.”

Byrnes was the 2019 Major League Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year and currently plays for the PLL’s Waterdogs and in the National Lacrosse League for the Panther City Lacrosse Club.

“It kind of lit a fire under our ass,” he said of not being a part of the world championship team. “I told my parents right away that both Jake and me made the team together. We’re lifelong friends. The first person I’ll look for once we win Saturday is Jake.”

He might have to get in line. Richard’s wife, former Marquette volleyball player Nicki Barnes, and their 11-month-old daughter, Noah, are here in San Diego. Among his six siblings is his brother, also named Noah, a long-stick midfielder who played for him at Marquette and with him on the Atlas.

And even if the fans mistake Richard for Michael Sowers — as one boy did when seeking an autograph after the U.S. defeated Israel in the quarterfinals Wednesday at Torero Stadium — plenty of teammates will want a piece of him.

Because on a team that preaches doing everything the right way and each players’ egoless embrace of his role, he really does score all the goals.