The rain had transitioned from an all-out downpour early in the day to a drizzle by the time John Danowski spoke to the U.S. men’s national training team. This weekend, a training weekend for the national team culminating in Sunday’s Blue-White Game at US Lacrosse Headquarters, was Danowski’s first chance to address the team as one.

The message to those dawning blue and white pennies after Saturday afternoon’s practice was clear. According to Danowski and his staff, there are no stars on this team. He stressed that although scoring is what gets the attention of fans, it's the little things that will make up the 2018 FIL World Cup squad come next summer.

“It’s going to be about playing right,” Danowski told the team at midfield on William G. Tierney Field. “If we are successful, we are alI the guys.”

Although the first practice of Saturday was drenched with rain, the skies opened a bit for Danowski to observe his team go head-to-head in 6-vs.-6 drills for the better part of an hour. 

For many of the U.S. national team members, this was the first time playing competitively since the MLL season ended. And for those that didn't make the playoffs, it’s been four weeks since the season concluded.

Players like Marcus Holman, Scott Ratliff and Drew Snider spent the past weeks traveling abroad, running clinics in Portugal and Spain.

With an extended time away from organized practice, Saturday saw players getting reacquainted with one another. For this weekend, Danowski said the goal is to find connections between the units on offense and defense.

“When you haven’t played for two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, and then to come and play really fast and really hard,” he said. “When you play in the MLL and you don’t practice and everyone is in the same boat, it’s fair. Here, you come and we’re asking guys to really work at this and they’re not used to practicing. … We’re working on building chemistry.”

Team USA will put its progress on display Sunday, playing in the Blue-White Game, which will be open the public. The forecast calls for 70s and sun, a welcome sight for players that were soaked on Saturday.

“That’s what I like to hear,” faceoff man Trevor Baptiste joked of the forecast.

The Champions Are In Town

Fresh off winning the MLL title in Texas on Aug. 19, three members of the Ohio Machine— Tom Schreiber, Marcus Holman and Jake Bernhardt — joined the U.S. national team as champions. Schreiber was named MLL MVP for the second straight season while scoring 18 goals and adding 26 assists.

Although they may have bragging rights over the rest of the MLL players on the national team roster, they aren't using them. 

“I want to keep the humility in check, especially around these guys,” Holman said. “Some of the best players in the world. I’ll have some bragging rights in my house, living with Will Manny and Adam Ghitelman out in Utah. I’ll have the house bragging rights.”

The chemistry between Schreiber and Holman, who teamed up for the Machine attack, was evident at Saturday’s practice. They helped the U.S. attack unit, which included names like Ned Crotty, Will Manny, Paul Rabil and Drew Snider, look cohesive on many occasions.

Schreiber and Holman’s rapport is a step in the right direction for the U.S. attack, which will have an opportunity to continue its growth Sunday. For Schreiber, he’s just happy to get back on the field with a few familiar faces.

“[The offense] will evolve as time goes on,” he said. “We’ve played with a few different guys just as the weekend has gone on. I think this weekend is about getting the concepts down, and that’s definitely happening. Just reacting to body language and the way people dodge is still a work in progress, but it’s getting better every time.”

Teacher vs. Student

With Joe Nardella absent from training with an injury, and Brendan Fowler on the sideline with leg injury, the U.S. team had three healthy faceoff men to use Saturday — Greg Gurenlian, collegian Trevor Baptiste and Tom Kelly.

That meant we got to see the Gurenlian-Baptiste matchup often toward the end of Saturday’s practice. Baptiste, who attended Gurenlian’s Faceoff Academy when he was in high school, was up for the challenge against his mentor, winning a few faceoffs that led to instant offense for his side.

Baptiste, one of just three collegians on the U.S. training team, said he’s grateful to have the opportunity to suit up with Gurenlian and Kelly.

“Faceoffs are a little different from MLL to college, so we’re all working through that together and having fun doing it,” he said. “They’re a great group of guys. … It’s amazing to be on the same roster as Greg, especially now that he’s getting older. I’m happy to have the chance to play with him.”