Silver Linings: U.S. Men’s Box Program Takes Big Step Forward

It’s not often that a tournament that ends with a loss feels good, and there was certainly a solemness in the U.S. men’s locker room after falling to Canada, 13-7, in the gold medal game of the 2024 World Lacrosse Men’s Box Championship in Utica, N.Y. on Sunday.

At the same time, there was much to celebrate.

After five straight bronze medal finishes in the event that dates to 2003, the U.S. advanced to the championship game for the first time ever and brought home the silver medal.

"We’re closing the gap, but obviously we’ve still got more to go,” U.S. head coach Regy Thorpe said. “Gold’s the standard now. We’re happy with silver — it’s certainly better than bronze — but gold’s the standard and we’ve got to start working now for 2028.”

Thorpe knows how hard the climb has been. The longtime National Lacrosse League veteran played on the 2007 U.S. team and was the head coach at the most recent championship in 2019. That U.S. squad held a fourth-quarter lead over the Haudenosaunee in the semifinals before falling.

This time around, the U.S. achieved two major milestones: beating the Haudenosaunee for the first time ever in box lacrosse, a 16-9 win on opening night and then rallying from two goals down in the fourth quarter in a rematch against the Haudenosaunee in the semifinals to reach the championship game for the first time ever.

“We’ve always gotten bronze and haven’t been able to get over the hump,” Thorpe said. “I’m just really proud of not only this team, but the teams past that paved the way. Each year we’ve been getting a lit bit more and we’ve been close.” 

Tim Edwards played on the 2019 U.S. team and said the improvement was easily noticeable.

“We just have a bunch more experienced guys that have played a ton of NLL games,” said Edwards, who has played more than 100 games in the NLL since joining the league in 2017. “We’re just playing on a different level, especially from a defensive standpoint. It was great to take a step and make some progress. We’re right there.”

The wins over the Haudenosaunee were just one sign of the progress. 

The U.S. was tied with now six-time event champion Canada in the third quarter of its pool play game before falling, 14-10. In the gold medal game, the U.S. trailed just 4-3 at the half and would have been tied if not for an amazing save by Canada’s All-World goalie Christian Del Bianco on CJ Kirst late in the half.

Canada and the USA have long had one of the sport’s most compelling rivalries in field lacrosse. This year’s box championship added another wrinkle to the rivalry and even when things got chippy towards the end of the pool play game, there’s still a level of respect for the competitors.

“It’s two teams that don’t like each other, but two teams that really respect each other,” USA forward Charlie Bertrand said after the pool play game. “That’s what I’ve seen in my time wearing this jersey. It’s always an honor and a lot of pride goes with it and I think it’s the same thing on their end too. Everybody just wants to do what they can to not only make their team proud, but their colors proud. That’s why there’s a lot of passion on the field.”

The respect comes from both sides.

“The tournament just gets better and better each year in the competition,” Canada’s Shayne Jackson told World Lacrosse after the gold medal game. “It’s so much harder this year than in previous years. So to do it with this group of guys and that final buzzer when it was, it was almost a relief that we did it.”

The U.S. didn’t get that final joy, but the team will have many vivid memories from this event, perhaps none more so than goalie Gowah Abrams. He was on the 2019 team that just missed out on getting to the final. In 2024, he delivered the biggest play of the tournament, making a save on the legendary Lyle Thompson from point-blank range with 28 seconds left to preserve a 12-11 win in the semifinals.

“I was at the last world games and we were right there at the end,” Abrams said after the historic win. “This feels amazing, I can’t even explain it. These are memories that will live with me forever.”