earned its World Cup berth by finishing 4th at the Edinburgh Qualifier in July 2001

had a disappointing outing at the Champions Challenge last year, where filling in after Spain, Canada, and Poland withdrew, they finished a dismal last, having lost all six of their matches

have failed to qualify for any Olympic or World Cup tournament since the late seventies other than this and the 1994 Sidney World Cup, which came a surprise since they had been a hockey powerhouse until then, playing in two of the first four World Cups and 11 out of 13 Olympic tournaments

The Game

 very tight and effective defense built around Marc Coudron

every Belgian player seems ready to score. There isn’t one outstanding scorer really – at the Edinburgh World Cup Qualifier, 9 out of the 16 field players on the squad scored at least one goal.

like Spain, they battle with a roller coaster performance curve – able to upset any team on a good day, they will lose games where they are clear favorites on another

The Team

only 12 players retained from the team that finished 4th in the Edinburgh Qualifier

14 players competed in the Champions Challenge, where Belgium finished last

Players to Watch

Veteran goalkeeper Vincent Deneumostier is always good for stellar performances, and often plays a decisive role in the game, and in the question of victory or defeat.

Veteran Marc Coudron, the team’s most capped player, is the stronghold of the Belgian defense and has rendered many opponent’s strikers desperate.

Striker Vitali Kholopov is very skilled and very fast. He seems to always be in the right place at the right time.

Joeri Beunen often is the team’s top scorer.

Recent International Matches

Feb. 20, 2002, Singapore: Belgium vs. England 3-0

Feb. 18, 2002, Singapore: Belgium vs. Singapore 2-0

Feb. 17, 2002, Singapore: Belgium vs. Japan 1-1

Feb. 10, 2002, Madrid: Belgium vs. Spain 0-3

Feb. 9, 2002, Madrid: Belgium vs. Poland 3-2

Feb. 7, 2002, Madrid: Belgium vs. Poland 2-2

Jan. 26, 2002, Santiago de Chile: Belgium vs. Chile 2-1

Jan. 23, 2002, Santiago de Chile: Belgium vs. Chile 3-0

Jan. 20, 2002, Santiago de Chile: Belgium vs. Chile 4-3

Jan. 18, 2002, Barcelona: Belgium vs. Spain 0-4

Jan. 17, 2002, Barcelona: Belgium vs. Spain 1-5

Dec. 15, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (Champions Challenge): Belgium vs. Japan 3-5

Dec. 13, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (CC): Belgium vs. Japan 2-6

Dec. 11, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (CC): Belgium vs. South Africa 0-1

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

Dec. 8, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (CC): Belgium vs. Malaysia 0-2

Dec. 7, 2001, Kuala Lumpur (CC): Belgium vs. India 0-1

July 29, 2001, Edinburgh (World Cup Qualifier): Belgium vs. Poland 2-5