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Pan
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XIII Pan American Games  July
24-Aug. 8 Winnipeg,
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Official Site | 99 Pan Am Field Hockey Schedule
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1999 Pan American Games Men's Preview
Pan Am Women | Pan Am MenArgentina (ARG)
After winning six of the previous eight Pan American Games tournaments, Argentina has established itself as a Pan Am dynasty. Only back-to-back wins by Canada in 1983, and ‘87, have prevented an Argentine gold medal sweep. However, other teams in the region may be closing the gap on the defending champions. In 1998, Argentina failed to earn a berth to the World Cup for the first time in the history of the event, while Canada was the hemisphere’s lone representative in Utrecht. But don’t count out Argentina. Coach Marcelo Gaffaro’s talented team is expected to include Olympian Jorge Lombi. Lombi led Argentina’s first division in scoring in 1998 and ranked third in scoring at the 1996 Olympic Games with six goals in seven games.
Argentina has participated in seven Olympic Games tournaments with a best-ever 8th place finish in Seoul in 1988. The team placed 9th in Atlanta in 1996. Argentina’s best World Cup finish was a 6th place showing in London in 1986.
Canada (CAN) The only team other than Argentina to win Pan Am gold, Canada won the tournament in 1983, in Caracas, and again in 1987, in Indianapolis. Ironically, the only time Canada has not won a medal at the Pan American Games was in Winnipeg in 1967, when the team finished fourth. However, after a bronze medal in 1971, the Canadians have not finished lower than second in any of the six Pan Am tournaments since that time.After leading the team to a best-ever eighth place finish at the 1998 World Cup, coach Shiaz Virjee will look for a return to the Pan Am Championship game with an experienced team led by veterans Paul "Bubli" Chohan and Chris Gifford. Canada’s most-capped player with 284, Chohan is expected to appear in a record seventh Pan American Games in Winnipeg after previously earning two gold and four silver medals. Gifford (193 caps) has appeared in three Pan Am Games tournaments. Chile (CHI)With seven straight trips to the Pan American hockey tournament, Chile ranks behind only Argentina, Canada and the U.S. in consecutive Pan Am appearances. Chile also has the distinction of being the last country other than those three to win a Pan Am medal. Chile won the bronze medal in 1983, with a 1-0 win over the United States in the third-place game.
The Chileans solidified their claim as the second best team in South America as they shutout Brazil (9-0), Peru (12-0) and Uruguay (8-0) at the 1998 South American Championship in Santiago. Chile lost to the Argentina "B" team (4-2), in a closer-than-expected gold medal game.
Cuba (CUB)After cruising to the Central American and Caribbean Games Championship, Cuba enters the 1999 Pan Am tournament with sights set on the country’s first field hockey medal. A 1-1 draw with Mexico was the only blemish on the Cuban record at the CAC Games in Caracas, as the team outscored its opponents 36-2 in pool play before defeating Mexico (2-0) in the gold medal game. Likewise, the Cubans dominated the race for individual scoring leaders with Jose Rodriquez (11 goals) and Y. Rodriquez (7 goals) and U. Ladera (6 goals) heading the list. Olympian Edgardo Vasquez Marquez took part in his fifth CAC Games tournament in Caracas and will be looking to make his fifth Pan American Games appearance. Vasquez Marquez won two CAC gold medals in 1998: On the field as a member of the men’s team and on the sideline as coach of the Cuban women’s team.
Still an emerging hockey team, Cuba’s lone Olympic experience was a fifth place finish in Moscow in 1980.
Mexico (MEX)Noticeably absent from the last two Pan American tournaments, Mexico returns to the Games in 1999, following a second place finish at the Central American and Caribbean Games. Mexico ranks fourth in all-time medals won at the Pan Am hockey tournament with three, and the team could be ready to make another trip to the podium. The Mexican side played Cuba to a 1-1 draw at the CAC Games and went undefeated in pool play with a 4-0-2 record.
Mexico won a silver medal at the 1971 Pan Am Games in addition to bronze medals in ‘75 and ‘79. It last appeared in a World Cup qualifier in 1977 (Rome) and made two Olympic appearances in ‘68 and ‘72.
Trinidad & Tobago (TRI)
Trinidad & Tobago earned a silver medal in the very first Pan American hockey tournament in 1967, but the team has not returned to the awards podium in six subsequent trips to the Games. The T&T side will try to return to contention with a team that placed third at last year’s Central American and Caribbean Games
Kwandwane Browne captained the team at both the CAC and Commonwealth Games in 1998 and was named one of Trinidad & Tobago’s best five players. Joining Browne on the Hockey Board’s top five list were teammates Glenn Francis, Kirt Noriega, David Francois and Peter Edwards. Noriega ranked as one of the tournament’s top scorers at the 18th CAC Games with four goals to help lift T&T to the bronze medal, while goalkeeper Joseph Lewis has represented T&T in four previous Pan American Games tournaments.
United States (USA)U.S. head coach Shiv Jagday already owns a Pan American gold medal (Canada, 1983), but the second-year USA mentor would like nothing better than to earn a medal with his new team.
The U.S. team has won three straight Pan Am bronze medals, however only veterans Steve Jennings and Steve Danielson have any previous Pan Am experience on the young USA team. Jennings and Danielson were joined by defender Scott Williams on the 1996 Olympic Team in Atlanta, but the remainder of the squad averages only two years of national team experience. Two of the youngest members of the team will be in the goal for the U.S. in John Voegtli and Andrew Duncan.
While Voegtli, Duncan and many of the U.S. players will earn their first international caps during the Games, Shawn Hindy and Ryan Langford gained valuable international experience at the World Cup Qualifier in Cagliari, Italy in 1996. Hindy was among the team’s leading scorers during the squad’s European tour in April and May.
The U.S. won four bronze medals at the Pan Am Games (‘67, ‘87, ‘91 and ‘95) and has appeared in six Olympic Games (‘32, ‘36, ‘48, ‘56, ‘84 and ‘96).