Shawn Nadelen Educating U.S. Men's U20 Training Team on Opportunity Ahead

SPARKS, Md. — Shawn Nadelen’s performance with the 2010 U.S. Men’s National Team that defeated Canada, 12-10, to earn a gold medal in Manchester, England, is the stuff of legend.

In many ways, it was a feat just to get on the field for that tournament, with Nadelen coming off a right ACL injury. A rigorous rehab aided by his wife, Mary, made it possible.

Then, Nadelen was part of a team of U.S. defensemen tasked with slowing down John Grant Jr. in his prime. Grant Jr. had three goals and assist, but his impact was limited.

Nadelen, now the head coach of the U.S. Men’s U20 team that will compete for a gold medal of its own next summer in Korea, hasn’t regaled his training roster with his old war stories. Not yet, anyway.

“I haven’t told them anything,” Nadelen said, cracking a sly smile. “It’s not coming from me if they’ve heard.”

But as a three-day training camp wrapped Wednesday at USA Lacrosse headquarters, Nadelen spoke from experience to the 43 players vying for their chance to make the final 22-man roster. Nadelen, in his calm, deliberate demeanor, painted a picture of what it means to wear a U.S. uniform — and what it means when you take it off.

“The brand is always on,” he told the group. “You don’t take it off.”

He said reminding the players of the responsibility that comes along with earning even a chance to compete in the U.S. national team program is part of an ongoing education he intends to have with the team as it grows into its final form. Most — if not all — of the players understand the gravitas at a surface level.

Nadelen, as someone who’s been there at the sport’s highest level, understands it more than just about anyone in the room.

“I think it’s something we need to continue to express to them, you know, how special an opportunity it is,” Nadelen said. “There are a lot of opportunities [across various disciplines], but it’s still a very finite opportunity at the same time. It’s something that they need to understand, and the more we can make them more aware of it, the more we can educate them on that.

“You’re never too old or too young to really learn, and I think these guys need to continue to learn about the opportunity. Some guys might make this team and then be able to make two or three other teams down the road in their careers. Some guys, this might be their only opportunity. But they’ll always be able to say that they earned an opportunity to play for the USA.”

During what amounted to an unseasonably comfortable three-day camp, Nadelen and the staff were left impressed — and daunted by the eventual task at hand.

There will be another training camp in December, but eventually, cuts must be made to trim the roster down to a competition-sized 22.

There’s a bit of pressure, too, to continue the unprecedented levels of success the U.S. men’s junior team has enjoyed. Since the first world championship at this level in 1988, the United States has won all nine gold medals while posting a 54-2 overall record.

But again, Nadelen has been there and done that.

“Going from being a player and working so hard to try to earn a roster spot, to then being a part of a coaching staff that you’re trying to find the best team, that’s where I think the difference is. You’re looking at so many different things,” Nadelen said. “As a coach, you try to find who the guys are that are gonna serve in those roles to make the best team that we can.”

The competition hasn’t been cutthroat, even as wing players attacked ground balls and defensemen delivered physical checks on crafty up-and-coming attackmen. It’s all in the spirit of making each other better, with the understanding that hard work now will pay off later.

And the competition has been relatively even, making the job of Nadelen and his staff — Connor Buczek, Anthony Gilardi and Ryan McClay — even more challenging. The USA White team had the upper hand in Tuesday’s Blue-White scrimmage. On Wednesday, it was all USA Blue.

It’s during these camps and soon-to-be-scheduled team Zoom calls that the U.S. U20 team will forge its identity.

The 2022 team helmed by Nick Myers thrived on being “humble warriors” throughout their journey to gold in Limerick, Ireland. They sought to be servant leaders who were comfortable being vulnerable around each other.

Nadelen wants his team’s rallying point to come organically, and he wants it to be driven by the players comprising the team. One thing Nadelen wants to make sure is evident in everything his team does, though, is unity. A gold medal doesn’t happen on the shoulders of one or two individuals.

“I kind of talked about it here at the end,” Nadelen said. “The unity, the understanding that the sacrifice and service that this opportunity demands, and then the accountability to it in our daily lives.”

After all, once you put on USA gear, the brand is always on.