USA Lacrosse Names 2027 U.S. Men's Field Team Staff

USA Lacrosse and head coach Seth Tierney have named the staff for the U.S. Men’s Field National Team that will represent the United States in the 2027 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in Japan. Bobby Benson, Charley Toomey and Kevin Warne will serve as assistant coaches while Patrick Watson will serve as the team operations administrator and Mike Kettell will serve as the equipment manager.

“I’m really excited to work with this group as we build towards another world championship run,” Tierney said. “Charley brings both continuity from our last world championship team and his knowledge will benefit our goalies and defense. I had the pleasure to coach both Kevin (at Hofstra) and Bobby (at Johns Hopkins) and have followed their rise up the coaching ranks. Through my role with the Premier Lacrosse League, I’ve also had the opportunity to see the hard work and dedication that Patrick and Mike will bring to our team.”

Benson is the head men’s lacrosse coach at Providence College. He has led the Friars to the Big East Tournament in each of his first two seasons. Prior to taking the Providence job, Benson had a long run of success as an assistant coach at Johns Hopkins and Maryland. Benson was the offensive coordinator at Hopkins for 14 years, helping the Blue Jays reach the NCAA tournament 11 times, including a national championship in 2007. He moved on to Maryland as offensive coordinator for the 2021-22 seasons and the Terps went 33-1 in those two years. His 2022 Maryland team led the nation in scoring and won the national championship.

Benson also has strong ties to the U.S. national team program. He was as a player on the 2002 U.S. men’s team, helping the team win the world championship in Perth, Australia. The former Johns Hopkins All-America attackman was also an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s sixes team that competed in The World Games in 2022, winning silver.

Toomey, the head men’s lacrosse coach at Loyola University Maryland, is back for a second stint with the U.S. men’s team program. Toomey was an assistant coach for the 2023 U.S. men’s senior team that won the world championship in San Diego.

At Loyola, Toomey has won 184 games in his first 19 seasons as the Greyhounds coach and ranks 10th among active Division I coaches in career victories. He has led Loyola to the NCAA tournament 11 times, including winning the national championship in 2012 when he was named the USILA National Coach of the Year. He has had Loyola ranked No. 1 in the country in four different seasons and helped the Greyhounds to seven conference championships. He also served as an assistant coach at Navy and has been a head coach at the high school level. Toomey was a two-time All-American goalie at Loyola and also played professional indoor lacrosse. 

Warne is the head men’s lacrosse coach at Georgetown University. A five-time Big East Coach of the Year, Warne was the USILA National Coach of the Year in 2021. The Hoyas have won six consecutive Big East championships and are coming off of back-to-back NCAA quarterfinal appearances. A defensive guru, Warne’s teams led the country in scoring defense for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022. 

Prior to taking the Georgetown job, Warne had successful stints as an assistant coach at Maryland, Harvard, UMBC and Delaware. Warne is a graduate of Hofstra, where he was a two-time All-America East honoree and earned All-America recognition as a senior. 

Watson has worked with the Premier Lacrosse League for the last four years, moving to his current role of Lacrosse Operations and Player Experience Manager in January. He previously had roles as senior club liaison and equipment manager in the PLL. A Massachusetts native, Watson was a midfielder at Springfield College. In his final season in 2022, he helped the Pride reach the NEWMAC championship game and had a career-high 28 points on 10 goals and 18 assists.

Kettell is currently an equipment manager with the Premier Lacrosse League and the National Lacrosse League’s Albany FireWolves. He has worked with NLL franchises since 2008, first serving as an assistant equipment manager with the Philadelphia Wings before moving to the FireWolves franchise in 2014. A Pennsylvania native, Kettell was a student manager for the football team at Temple from 2007 to 2011. 

The U.S. men’s senior team has won a record 11 world championships, including back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2023. 

The U.S. Men’s National Team trains and plays using game-changing, high-performance equipment from Cascade Maverik and Warrior. 

In addition to these partners, Gatorade, MedStar Health and Stryker are official sponsors of the U.S. National Team Program. Team training is also aided by products from Athletic Republic. 

Funding for the national teams also comes from generous donors to the USA Lacrosse Foundation. Help support the team. 

About USA Lacrosse 

USA Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is a Recognized Sports Organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. As the governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse in the United States, USA Lacrosse leads the U.S. National Teams Program and establishes universal standards. With more than 425,000 members across the country, USA Lacrosse unites the community of players, coaches, officials, parents, and program leaders. Working together, we inspire participation, enrich the athlete experience, and support the growth of the sport.