The Mercer Island (Wash.) boys and a handful of Russian lacrosse players maneuvered their way through the tourist crowds Aug. 5. Still in the uniforms they wore when the teams faced off just hours prior — after the metro ride from Sokolniki Park back to the heart of Moscow — the players passed the State Historical Museum, walked along the entrance to the historic GUM department store and eventually settled on a spot of the stone pavement that made up Red Square.

That’s where a dream 18 months in the making was realized. Players gathered together, sticks in hand, with the Russian national flag as a prop, for an unprecedented photo in front of the multi-colored St. Basil’s Cathedral — a building that predates the game of lacrosse itself. Directly adjacent to the towering red walls of the Kremlin, the home of the Russian government, players from the United States and Russia showcased their friendship.

Parents hugged one another while onlookers joined the players for selfies.

“Can you believe it?” said Ioulia Howard, the Russian native who helped organize Mercer Island's trip to Russia. “Can you picture it now?”

After facing off against @russia_lacrosse in Moscow, @MIBoysLacrosse took the metro (still in their gear) to Red Square for a rare photo-op. pic.twitter.com/BmYhFbISmt

— Matt Hamilton (@Matthamilton92) August 6, 2017

Posing with Mercer Island, the first American lacrosse team to visit Russia, were some of the figures that made up the growing lacrosse movement in the world’s largest country. That group included Artur Ventsel, a Russian national team player that leads the Moscow Rebels, Alexander Zarubin, a former player turned referee, Dima Khamin, who heads the 40-player Moscow youth lacrosse program and Ivan Zvezdov, a member of the newly founded Yaroslavl Bears whose smile and goal celebrations stole the show.

For them, Mercer Island’s visit represented more than a cultural exchange. It was a chance to kickstart the growth of lacrosse in a nation largely unfamiliar with it.

“Walking along Red Square was all key,” Ventsel said. “Mercer Island and the Moscow team, where everybody can see us and they know what the sport of lacrosse is. Now, everybody can see how real lacrosse should be played at the highest level. When we started lacrosse in Russia, nobody knew about it, they didn’t know how beautiful it could be. ... When we played Mercer Island, everyone could see their weak sides and know where they can improve their game.”

The Red Square was the highlight and culmination of Mercer Island’s 12-day trip to Saint Petersburg and Moscow. The Islanders faced off against Russian competition once in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, where they conducted a youth clinic on their final day. 

Coach Ian O’Hearn and his team got a taste of Russian culture, and helped teach the Russian players about the sport. It was just the third time a foreign team has visited Russia, and it came at a time when the United States and Russian governments are at odds. In fact, the U.S. slapped sanctions on Russia on Aug. 2, while the Mercer Island boys were in Saint Petersburg, and the Russian government threatened to remove U.S. embassy employees in Moscow.

However, the relations between the two governments had no effect on Mercer Island’s time with Russia Lacrosse.

“More often than not, this is a disagreement and a fight between governments,” said Jonathan Melvin, the Spokane, Wash., native and captain of the Saint Petersburg White Knights. “We are just human beings and people. … Our interest is lacrosse, and that’s all that matters. When it comes to sports, it transcends cultural boundaries and language boundaries.”

Over the course of three days in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, O’Hearn and his team came across a group of 20 players in each city who were passionate about lacrosse and eager to learn more about it.

Some learned of the sport from friends. Some from their time in America. There were a handful that were introduced to the game through “American Pie.” Over the decade since the Moscow Rebels and Saint Petersburg White Knights were founded, these native Russians have been flocking to lacrosse in lieu of the ex-pats that helped get the program off its feet.

Now, more than 90 percent of Russian lacrosse players are native. But in a country where millions play soccer and hockey, it has been difficult for lacrosse to gain steam. Even American football has a following in Russia, with a professional league of roughly 20 teams across the country.

It doesn’t help that, according to Ventsel and Melvin, Russians are typically not open to new sports.

“Russia is very conservative from a sports point of view,” Ventsel said. “When we started to develop the sport, it was one of the most challenging things, because we had to explain what the sport was about. Tell that it looked like hockey.”

“I’ve only had positive reactions to it,” Melvin said. “But it’s just people who have positive reactions, just coming out and seeing it and saying, ‘Oh, this is cool.’ But what are they going to do to contribute to the sport? They have their own lives. It’s going to take the attention of somebody who is very wealthy or very influential.”

Money, of course, is key in the development of a program like Russia Lacrosse. Cities like Moscow are very dense, and playing fields are scarce. That means lacrosse players have to pay up to $150 per hour to rent field space for practice, or indoor arenas (where they play 4-on-4 field lacrosse) in the winter.

As much as the twice-annual Capital Cup between the Saint Petersburg White Knights and Moscow Rebels — the countries two biggest club teams — is an event, players have aspirations of playing abroad. But they’ll have to pay out-of-pocket to travel and for hotels. And with a recent Russian financial crisis dating back to 2014, it has become even harder to chip in for any other team expenses.

That’s why an equipment donation like the one Mercer Island provided on its trip to Russia is so important to the teams in Saint Petersburg and Moscow. Any type of equipment shipped to Russia requires a hefty tariff, making it difficult for outside sources to help.

Melvin routinely brings balls to his home to sand and clean them, making sure to maintain as many as possible. He also keeps bags of equipment in his flat for when new players emerge. So far, the growth in both Saint Petersburg and Moscow has been slow, but there’s hope for the next decade.

Ventsel and Russian Lacrosse Federation head Eugene Arkhipov have applied to the Russia Ministry of Sport with the hopes that lacrosse can be officially recognized by the country. If that happens, the field costs will decrease or vanish completely, and they’ll get more support from the Russian government. That will help the current generation of Russian lacrosse players improve, but it’s the next generation that’s vital.

Khamin’s youth program is the first in the history of his country. The Mercer Island team interacted with many from that program for a two-hour clinic on its final day in Moscow. The ages ranged from 6 to 14, and each got a crash course in the basics of the game from O’Hearn and his team.

Parents took in the clinic from the sidelines, and many were drawn by the new sport. Khamin said the clinic did wonders for his program, which represents the next step in the development of the sport in Russia.

“At this moment, I see only one way of developing this spirt in Russia — kids,” he said. “In every sport, you should start with youth teams. Like we say in Russia, ‘Kids is our future.’ That is why I spend so much time and effort on kids. Without any doubt, the clinic Mercer Island made is a huge step for world lacrosse, sport in common.”

O’Hearn, who had performed clinics in a number of countries since his playing career at Albany ended in 2000, said the Russian experience was one of the most unique.

“As I was talking at the end, it really struck me that this is the first youth group to ever exist in Russia,” O’Hearn said. “So if the sport takes off and grows 20 years from now it’s an established thing, that was the first youth group. … It’s cool for the kids to see the beginning roots of a new country taking off.”

That was the goal when the Saint Petersburg White Knights and Moscow Rebels were founded in 2007, and it remains the goal 10 years later. And now that the Russian players have gotten a taste of American lacrosse, they want more. Many got the chance to compete with the Russian national team in the 2014 FIL World Championship in Denver, but they’d love to come back.

“We really looking forward to visiting the United States,” Ventsel said. “We need to gain more experience from United States players, and we understand that it’s very important for us. ... There are thousands of camps. It’s our first intention, to visit the United States and learn more and more.”

Could they return the favor with Mercer Island? How much could it influence the growth of the game? It may take years to show the tangible benefits of Mercer Island’s trip, but those involved with lacrosse in Russia are hoping it can help change the landscape of the game in their country for good.