Israel Lacrosse has announced their 12-player roster for the men’s national team which will represent Israel at The World Games 2022, a multi-sport competition that will feature over 3,600 athletes from more than 100 countries competing in 34 sports from July 7-17 in Birmingham, Ala.
The lacrosse competition will use the new high-intensity Sixes discipline developed by World Lacrosse as the lacrosse community prepares itself for potential inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Sixes is a fast-paced version of the sport played on a smaller field (70 x 36 meters), with fewer players (6-v-6), a condensed game length (four 8-minute quarters), and a 30-second shot clock. Israel is one of eight countries invited to The World Games to compete in this new lacrosse format.
| NUMBER | NAME |
| 1 | Eric Fischer |
| 5 | Dan Applebaum |
| 7 | Jake Silberlicht |
| 9 | Tim Semisch |
| 12 | Ian Kadish |
| 13 | Kevin Harper |
| 14 | Matt Popeck |
| 19 | Zach Pall |
| 34 | Doug Utting |
| 40 | Matt Flapan |
| 44 | Isaac Bock |
| 77 | Andrew Kruter |
In addition to these players, Israel Lacrosse has named Brad MacArther (Head Coach) and Max Silberlicht (Assistant Coach) as the staff for the Blue-and-White’s World Games team.
MacArthur has been the driving force behind the success of Israel’s national box lacrosse program, culminating in a Gold Medal result at the 2017 European Box Championships and a pair of top-five finishes at World Indoors. He holds a 14-7 record as Israel’s head coach in major quadrennial championship events, including a Blue Division schedule (against Canada, USA, etc.) in 2019. MacArthur is credited with training and developing Israel’s inexperienced field lacrosse player pool, making multiple trips to Europe to Israel’s annual box lacrosse training camps in the Czech Republic.
Silberlicht, who took the reins as head coach of the Israel men’s field program in 2019, previously served as head coach of Latvia from 2016-2018, leading their men’s national team to a program-best #18 world ranking following the 2018 World Championship. He also has an extensive resume coaching at the NCAA ranks in the United States, serving as an assistant coach at Boston University for four seasons, at Bowdoin College for five seasons, and at Lynchburg College for two seasons.
“This new game of sixes really combines the gameplay and strategy box and field lacrosse,” said Bill Beroza, Men’s National Teams Chair. “We’re very fortunate to have two experts from very different backgrounds who are coming together as we put our best foot forward on the path to the 2028 Olympics. Brad has a proven track record of success as a player and coach, from Gold Medals with Israel and Championships in Canada. Max brings us a wealth of experience as well, from his success coaching at both the NCAA and international ranks, which will help us tremendously.”
The new sixes discipline, which features a combination of elements of the traditional box and field games, has been played in a handful of exhibition games and small regional tournaments. However, Birmingham will be the first true test for the new version of the sport, with Israel joining traditional powerhouses such as USA, Canada and Iroquois with medals at stake.
If you’d like to support our athletes on this momentous journey, please take a look through their pages linked above or click here! For more information regarding Israel’s men’s lacrosse program, visit www.lacrosse.co.il