8th place in the 2000 Olympic Games (after getting in as first replacement when South Africa withdrew)

won the World Cup Qualifying tournament in Edinburgh in July 2001, beating Spain 5-4 in the final, finishing the tournament as the only unbeaten team, and creating history by winning a major tournament outside the Americas for the very first time

finished 3rd in the Champions Challenge in December, but hasn’t played any international games since, as their preparation plans were turned upside down by the political and economic crisis which resulted in several teams (India, Spain, Belgium) canceling their tours to Argentina

during practice and friendlies will be using shirts originally destined for soccer club Racing, as the manufacturer was unable to finish theirs. Fortunately Racing plays in light blue and white and didn’t want the shirts. Also were the only team to not wear uniform at the official welcome dinner – they don’t have any.

are in for a tough start with their first two matches against Germany and the Netherlands, two teams amongst the favorites for the title

coach Jorge Ruiz identifies Argentina’s goal as a “top six finish”

The Game

 Argentina’s big strength are short corners: Jorge Lombi’s flicks are deadly. He on average scores from close to 50% of two short corners.

with everyone’s eyes on Lombi, the rest of the forward line are often underestimated, but Mario Almada and Santiago Capurro actually are as dangerous as the “destroyer”, always ready to take their chance at scoring.

nerves are an issue: where they normally display maximum drive and determination, they at times suddenly lose focus, the game deteriorating and the team disintegrating, when things get tough and a match is tight. While they were able to keep up the momentum all through the World Cup Qualifier, they couldn’t cope with the pressure of being the favorite in the Champions Challenge in December, starting out with a defeat against South Africa and having to settle for third place in the end.

The Team

 only one player changed from the squad that won the WCQ in Edinburgh: Juan Eduardo Garreta replaces Guillermo Muir

four players participated in last year’s Junior World Cup, where Argentina finished 2nd behind India

four players spent time playing in European leagues these past months: Maximiliano Caldas and Jorge Lombi with HCKZ in the Netherlands, Fernando Zylberberg with Hurley in the Netherlands, and Carlos Retegui with Deportivo Terrassa in Spain

fifteen players have competed in the Sidney Olympic Games

Players to Watch

 Jorge Lombi has scored 210 times in 184 international matches, has claimed the title of top scorer at the Sidney Olympics, the World Cup Qualifier in Edinburgh (including a hattrick in the 5-4 win against Spain in the final), and the Champions Challenge in Kuala Lumpur, and is one of two Argentineans nominated for the Player of the Year award. His great specialty are short corners, but his performance at the Champions Challenge was rather poor, probably due to the fact that he had been playing for HCKZ in Holland for three months, where he did not get to execute short corners, or at least not from his usual position.

Attacker Mario Almada was top scorer of field goals at the World Cup Qualifier and is the second Argentinean on the FIH’s short list for the Player of the Year award. One of the team’s main playmakers, he is able to create opportunities to score for himself or others out of the blue – they never saw him coming.

Veteran midfielder Carlos Retegui, is back on the team after not playing in the Champions Challenge in December.

Recent International Matches

 Feb. 22, 2002, Kuala Lumpur: Argentina vs. Cuba 4-2

Feb.21, 2002, Kuala Lumpur: Argentina vs. Korea 3-2

Feb.20, 2002, Kuala Lumpur: Argentina vs. India 0-1

Dec. 15, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (Champions Challenge): Argentina vs. Malaysia 4-2

Dec. 13, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (CC): Argentina vs. India 1-2

Dec. 12, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (CC): Argentina vs. Malaysia 2-1

Dec. 10, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (CC): Argentina vs. Belgium 3-1

Dec. 9, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (CC): Argentina vs. Japan 2-1

Dec. 7, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (CC): Argentina vs. South Africa 3-2

July 29, 2001, Edinburgh (World Cup Qualifier): Argentina vs. Spain 5-4

July 27, 2001, Edinburgh (WCQ): Argentina vs. Belgium 4-1

July 25, 2001, Edinburgh (WCQ): Argentina vs. Japan 5-2

July 23, 2001, Edinburgh (WCQ): Argentina vs. Poland 4-1

July 22, 2001, Edinburgh (WCQ): Argentina vs. India 5-3

Quotes

 The Star of Malaysia: “The Argentines do not have much of a team. But they have Jorge Lombi. And that’s like having Diego Maradona at his best at a football World Cup.”

Coach Jorge Ruiz: “I have a lot of faith in this team; lately it has matured much: it has improved in the defense, calmed down, and made the offense more effective.” (La Nación Line)

Coach Jorge Ruiz: “... I see the problems in our country as a motivation for our players. I’m sure a good performance here will go a long way towards bringing some cheer to our people. The players understand this and are in the right mood to play hard.”

Jorge Lombi: “All my team mates will be banking on me to get the goals after the feat at Edinburgh. This has really put a lot of pressure on me. However, I hope to create history like I did in Edinburgh, but it will be really tough as this is the World Cup.” (The Star of Malaysia)