:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/20472663/172081560.0.jpg)
Canada is a mysterious place, a land that is -- assumedly -- run by a legislature of moose and nobody works because everybody fills their days with politely shaking hands while sipping Tim Horton's coffee. It's a bizarre country, one that runs on a renewable energy source that tastes like gasoline but isn't actually gasoline -- Molson Canadian. I really don't understand how America puts up with Canada's nonsense.
Anyway, the moose in charge of Canada's national lacrosse effort announced the 51 players that will politely challenge each other in round robin games of Trivial Pursuit for the right to politely play in the FIL World Championships this summer in Denver. From the press release (translated from moose grunts to proper English):
The Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) has announced the 51 players selected to vie for a spot on the Canadian National Men’s Field Lacrosse Team. Team Canada will compete at the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships on July 10-19, 2014, in Denver, Colo. The selection camp will be held from October 11 -14, 2013 on the campus of Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.
* * * * *
The candidates will have a busy weekend with a series of intra-squad events and scrimmages against NCAA teams Denver, Robert Morris, and Canisius scheduled over the four days. Dates, times, and ticket information for the three scrimmages will be made available soon.
Of those 51 players called to the throne to kiss the royal moose hoof, seven current Division I players made the initial tryout pool:
| POSITION | PLAYER | SCHOOL | CLASS | CANADIAN? |
| ATTACK | Mark Cockerton | Virginia | Sr. | Eh? |
| Wes Berg | Denver | Jr. | Eh? | |
| MIDFIELD | Jesse King | Ohio State | Jr. | Eh? |
| Jeremy Noble | Denver | Sr. | Eh? | |
| Chad Tutton | North Carolina | Jr. | Eh? | DEFENSE | Matt MacGrotty | Bryant | Sr. | Eh? |
| GOALIE | Brennan Donville | Cornell | So. | Eh? |
As with the chicken-fried Americans that were called to Goucher College for initial review, it will be an uphill climb for these seven folks to make Team Canada's roster for Denver. The Canadians have developed substantially in the field version of the game, capturing the gold on home soil in 2006 and finishing no lower than second since 1994. There's a reason that Team Toque is in a strong position to challenge Team USA this summer, and that's also the hurdle that these seven collegians will need to clear if they want a shot at beating their more handsome neighbors to the south.