Lax Links 8/5/11

For my first article as a member of the InLaxWeTrust staff, Marisa asked me to put together today's lax links. Pressure! I will attempt to rise to the occasion and not disappoint. We have a couple of stories about the two brand new lacrosse leagues starting up, one from the U19 World Championships, and Kevin Crowley writes about his first MLL season. Here we go.

U.S. Opens U19 World Championship With Win Over Japan - Lacrosse Magazine - Clare Lochary

"It feels great to get our first win," Team USA head coach Krystin Porcella said. "The girls played so well. It was a tough Japan team that kind of startled us in the beginning a little bit, but it was fun to see the girls make the adjustments and start to pull away from a very good team.

Jacksonville to be announced as 3rd North American Lacrosse League team - IL Indoor - Stephen Stamp

As IL Indoor reported last week, the North American Lacrosse League will announce later today that Jacksonville has been awarded the league’s third franchise, joining the Wilkes-Barre Shamrocks and Charlotte in the first-year league.

CLax prepared to go all eastern for now, but still looking for western franchises - ILIndoor - Stephen Stamp

Commissioner Paul St. John says the league has established a deadline of August 21st for teams to come on board for the inaugural year, to give them time to establish schedules and communicate them to teams and fans.

Player Blogs: Kevin Crowley Adjusts to Pro Lacrosse - Inside Lacrosse - Kevin Crowley

I’m fortunate again to play with a lot of young, talented players on my Nationals team. The best thing is there are no egos on the team. Everyone is trying to prove themselves at the pro level and working together towards that goal. The team's really accepted the family concept we preach, which makes playing on the team that much more fun.