Atlas Cup is Latest Chance for U.S. Men's Sixes Program to Show its Growth

Beating Canada in the sixes discipline had long been a struggle. Chance after chance went by since the United States last took down its rival in the 2021 Super Sixes event, yet they couldn’t find victory. 

Those trials and tribulations even extended outside the sixes discipline, with losses to Canada in the World Lacrosse Men’s Box Championship (2024), World Lacrosse U20 Men’s Championship (2025), Atlas Cup (2025) and Pan-American Men’s Lacrosse Championship (2026).

Then the United States mustered up a valiant late comeback to beat Canada earlier this month in the Pan-American Sixes Lacrosse Championships. It was a sign of the program’s growth under head coach Andy Shay. 

They have another shot to take down Canada this weekend at USA Lacrosse headquarters at the 2026 Atlas Cup.

“Every game you play as a competitor and an athlete, you go in expecting to win,” said Kavanagh, who delivered the game-winning goal last month in Oshawa, Ontario. “But they've had our number in the sixes format. Everyone knows it's more of a box style, and they're the best box players in the world.”

All those losses to Canada added up and certainly added a bit of weight to the shoulders of the U.S. athletes trying to break through. It wasn’t about going back to the drawing board, but each loss brought learnings and examples of how to improve.

And more sixes events — whether they end in wins or losses — give the athletes more opportunities to learn the intricacies of the game. For someone like Kavanagh, who played a little basketball growing up and loves hockey, some of it felt familiar. 

The style of offense suits his game. It’s a lot of two-man game and requires patience. Manipulating a defense that packs it in tight is a learned skill for many. You need to be able to play well off ball and not default to alley dodges and shots from deep when the ball lands in your stick.

Kavanagh said playing in the National Lacrosse League the past two years has helped him develop those skills even further. Then there’s the whole attackers-playing-defense thing. Kavanagh loves it.

“I put on a little bit of weight, so I feel like I've been holding my own on the defensive side of things,” he said. As an ‘O’ guy my whole life, it's unchartered territory and waters back there, but it's fun. You kind of get to bring out the dog in you on the on that side of the ball.”

With a training camp and Atlas Cup less than one month after the last sixes event, momentum can continue to build as Shay builds a roster ready to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Kavanagh isn’t playing in this weekend’s Atlas Cup, though his experience in the discipline has allowed him to lead by example during training camp. Shay still has many of the best players in the world at his disposal. 

Brennan O’Neill, the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship MVP, will make his sixes debut for the United States. Matt Campbell and Joey Spallina, who starred in Oshawa, will look to build on their recent success in the discipline. Blaze Riorden, who can see time in net and as a field player, is the veteran anchor of the roster.

The U.S. plays Ireland on Friday (8:30 p.m. EDT), Canada on Saturday (7 p.m. EDT) and Haudenosaunee on Sunday (12 p.m. EDT). Broadcasts of the games will air live on the USA Lacrosse YouTube channel and iHeart Media.

The world’s premier sixes program on the men’s side, Canada leans into its instinctive box principles to smother opponents. Its weekend roster lacks several names we’ve associated with the sixes program — Willem Firth, Dhane Smith, Josh Byrne and Josh Teat (injury) — but still boasts considerable talent.

Player to watch: Zach Currier — The 2026 Midfielder of the Year in the Premier Lacrosse League, Currier is built for sixes. He scraps on the ground, defends the length of the field and can score when presented with opportunities.

The Haudenosaunee Nationals rank fifth in the World Lacrosse men’s sixes rankings. Coached by NLL legend John Tavares this weekend, Haudenosaunee figures to be physical and athletic and led by the stellar leadership of Zed Williams and Kyle Jackson. 

Player to watch: Trysen Sunday — Sunday, whose 95 points led Onondaga Community College last spring, ranked 15th in points (15) at the Pan-American Sixes Championships. An obvious scoring threat, Sunday could be good for a highlight or two at Atlas Cup.

Ireland is making its Atlas Cup debut. The event will serve as a warmup of sorts for the pivotal European Sixes Lacrosse Championships, scheduled for Nov. 10-18 in Salou, Spain, at which the top five teams per gender will qualify for the 2027 World Lacrosse Sixes Championships in Colorado Springs.

Player to watch: Ronan Jacoby — A Division III star who eventually broke through to play in the PLL in 2024 with the Utah Archers, Jacoby brings high-level experience to Ireland's roster.