The team event of the World Cup in Rome was a highly charged tournament: teams wanting to achieve great things together, and players wanting to win their matches to make dreams come true. There were scenes of teams huddling and whispering strategies. Fantastic team colors and jerseys made every view memorable. There were loud screams of satisfaction in scoring goals that jarred the onlookers, but who also smiled and laughed with enjoyment.
The American team was captained by Christian Filippella, who led the team in the past year or more building up to Rome. He fostered team spirit and togetherness. He also shared his knowledge of match tactics and player development, which was fantastically generous.
The American team were highly motivated to achieve great things together as the they did in the 2018 edition of the World Cup; the team reached to quarter finals but lost to the eventual world champions, Spain.
The 2022 team included successful players such as Peter Alegi, Benny Nuger, and Varant Kurkeyerian. Bryan Arnold filled out the roster as the sixth player. The exceptional Daniel Cranston played in the team event as well. His presence and contribution at the team event refreshed the entire team for the day’s group matches. He missed the individual Open category event the day before. The team were very disappointed for him; those matches were long awaited and anticipated by Daniel.
The team was drawn in a group with Greece, Austria, and Tunisia. These opponents were terrifically competitive and talented as well. The American team lost its first match; Greece prevailed 3-1. Daniel won his match, his first of the 2022 World Cup. The team also lost against Austria; the match finished 3-1. The lone American win was earned by the tandem of Benny Nuger and Christian Filippella, each playing in a half.
The last match was against Tunisia. The Americans showed drive and motivation to finish out with a good showing. The match ended 1-2 with an American win!! The two matches were won by Peter Alegi and Daniel Cranston.
The Americans did not progress into the knockout stages at this edition of the coveted championship. Even so, they showed their metal to go toe to toe with great teams, and kept their heads up to gather the best outcomes possible.
