For a lacrosse player, there’s no higher calling than pulling on the red, white and blue. In the summer of 2024, nearly 80 of the nation’s best young men took their shot at that dream, fighting for a place on the 2025 U.S. Men’s U20 National Team.
A behind-the-scenes look at that journey begins now.
Episode one of Behind the Shield, a new seven-part docuseries, dropped today on the USA Lacrosse YouTube channel. The premiere takes viewers inside the final, pressure-packed stage of the tryout process — a three-day selection camp at USA Lacrosse headquarters and Towson University — where every rep mattered and only 22 players would earn the right to represent the United States at the World Championships in South Korea.
The episode features interviews with head coach Shawn Nadelen, along with training team members Owen Duffy, Peter Laake, Shawn Lyght and Anderson Moore, paired with behind-the-scenes access that captures the speed, skill and intensity of the country’s elite talent competing for limited spots.
One of the most powerful moments comes from Laake, now a sophomore and starting defenseman at the University of Maryland. He shares the remarkable story of surviving commotio cordis as a high school player — a life-threatening on-field medical emergency that sent him into cardiac arrest. Thanks to the quick response of medical personnel, Laake made a full recovery, making every opportunity to step on the field carry even greater meaning.
New episodes of Behind the Shield drop every Monday and Thursday at noon (ET) over the next few weeks on the USA Lacrosse YouTube channel — pulling back the curtain on what it truly takes to represent the USA.
