Mexico Lacrosse

The TEAM MEXICO, Men's Under 19 team will represent Mexico in Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) competitions. Players must have Mexican citizenship and passports to be eligible for this team (FIL Bylaws).

Who the heck are these guys? This was the reaction of practically every team faced by Team Mexico in the inagural Lake Tahoe Under 19 tournament at Incline Village, Nevada in July of 2009. By the end of the tournament, they all knew our name.

Team Mexico shocked the tournament field posting 3 upset victories in round robin play and qualifying for the championships against the Norcal All-Star squad that had gone undefeated in dramatic fashion throughout the tournament.

Team Mexico put up a hard fought game leading throughout the game, frustrating and upsetting their competition, only to come up short at the end, 10-9. Even though Team Mexico lost the championship game, no one felt like a loser. The team and players gained the admiration and respect of the entire tournament, especially the opposing teams and coaches.

Jesse Gutierrez, a last minute addition to Team Mexico from Downey HS in Downey, California, USA, was named defensive player of the Lake Tahoe Under 19 tournament this past July 2009 in Incline Village, NV, USA.

Gutierrez, an amazingly fast and talented long-pole brought an awesome array of stick checks and cover skills to Team Mexico. Gutierrez dominated opposing players and his take aways often sparked fast breaks in the opposite direction. Gutierrez' stick skills enabled him to become an offensive, as well as a defensive threat for Team Mexico and helped limit the goal production of opposing teams.

Gutierrez hopes to continue his lacrosse career for the Whittier Poets (D3) of Southern California, USA in 2010 and he hopes to make the Team Mexico squad for the World Games as well.