Witness David vs Goliath

Following their emphatic opening win against Colombia at the 2026 Pan American Men’s Lacrosse Championship, Jamaica Lacrosse Association (JLA) president Calbert Hutchinson has called for public support ahead of the team’s second match against the United States today.

Jamaica will face the reigning world champions at Stadium East in Group A action scheduled to get under way at 6 p.m.

The contest will be the final match of a triple-header, with Argentina facing the US Virgin Islands at 1 p.m. and Haudenosaunee taking on Mexico at 3:30 p.m.

Jamaica opened their campaign with a dominant 22-2 victory over Colombia on Monday, a performance Hutchinson described as a statement.

With Jamaica hosting the Pan American Lacrosse Championship, Hutchinson said it is important for the country to put its best foot forward.

“Being here in Jamaica, hosting the event here, and Jamaica playing really as a collective unit within the men’s field event, it’s very important for us to make this statement on home soil,” Hutchinson said.

“So Jamaica winning in that elaborate fashion, I think it sends a message to all of Jamaica that we’re not just here to show up, we’re here to compete.”

Jamaica has emerged as one of the fastest-rising lacrosse teams in the world since being established in 2013. By 2023, the team had climbed to an eighth-place finish at the World Lacrosse Men’s Championship.

Despite the team’s rapid rise, Hutchinson said he is fully aware of the challenge awaiting Jamaica against the reigning world champions.

He said the team would need to be at its best against the United States and urged Jamaicans to come out in support.

“I would advise all interested Jamaicans to come out because it’s like David going up against Goliath. We know that USA is the number-one ranked team in the world right now where lacrosse is concerned,” he said.

“But our effort on the field tomorrow will show Jamaica and the world just how competitive we are and how we have progressed over time in just over 12 or 13 years of being in existence, going up against a country that has been around lacrosse and has been around for decades,” the JLA president said.

Jamaica is seeking a place at the 2027 World Lacrosse Championship, with the Pan American Championship serving as the region’s qualifying tournament.

The top five teams at the Pan American Championship will qualify for the World Lacrosse Championship, which is scheduled to be held in Japan.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com