The American team was comprised of Alec Stone Sweet (captain), Richard “Ti” Meas, and Nghia Nguyen. Hans Jepson, captain of the team that qualified, was unable to participate for family reasons. He sent his regrets and full support of our efforts. Our FPUSA friends of Belgian origin, Felix and Max Legrand, aided by Gérard Canabou, filled out the American delegation. They provided much appreciated logistical support and guidance from the bench.
During the first round, teams were drawn into eight pools of six or seven nations each. The Americans placed second in their seven-team pool, beating Armenia, Denmark, Djibouti, and Ireland. We lost our first game to a mediocre Switzerland, and our third game to the superb team from Mauritania (which would be eliminated only in the quarter-finals by France 2). The highlight of the first round was our 13-11 victory against Denmark, which suffered its only loss in the round, after leading Team USA by the imposing score of 10-2.
The second round proceeded in eight pools of four teams, with Team USA drawing the Group of Death: France 2 (the defending world champions); Belgium 2 (three players from the 2000 world championship team), and Mauritius, which had easily won its first round pool. Given the draw for the first game (Belgium 2), Team USA would have had to beat Belgium 2 and France 2 to move to the round of sixteen. The Americans played their best game of the tournament against Belgium 2, with scarcely a wasted ball, but lost the battle anyway. We were then eliminated by Mauritius in a tough game. For Photos of First Round Games.
Martha took dozens of great photos of the USA-Belgium 2 contest. The game was accompanied by the deafening noise created by more than one thousand Belgian fans chanting and stomping after almost every ball played. France 2, playing on the adjacent court, looked on, paying even more attention after USA held the lead through the early rounds.For Photos of USA v. Belgium 2.
Team USA finished tied for 25th.
