The Argentina National Field Hockey team also known as the Los Leones (The Lions), represent Argentina in international field hockey competitions. The team is governed by the Argentine Hockey Confederation (CAH). The Los Leones currently sit on the second spot of the FIH rankings with 1883 points, going into the world cup 2018.
The Argentina national team are the powerhouses of the Pan-American Federation and completely dominate the region. They have been doing exceptionally well internationally too in recent times, as the team reached new heights under former coach Carlos Retegui. The closest nation from the PAHF is Canada at the 11th spot with 882 points.
History
Hockey has been played in the country since the beginning of the 20th century after it was introduced by the British citizens. The Argentine Hockey Association was formed in 1908 and it saw the formation of several hockey clubs like Belgrano Athletic and San Isidro Club. It is also important to note that the Hockey Federation allowed affiliation to women teams in 1909, one year after its inception. In fact, the nickname âLos Leonesâ is derived from the womenâs hockey team that played in the 2000 Summer Olympics at Sydney, Australia.
The current Argentine Hockey Confederation (CAH) was founded on 19th June 1983, after 12 hockey associations decided to meet in the city of San Miguel de Tucuman.
Achievements
The Argentina National team is the most winning team in the Americas with nine gold medals in the Pan American Games, six South American Championship titles and three Pan American Cups.
Success however evaded them at the international level, until the arrival of coach Carlos Retegui who himself was a part of the team from 1989 to 2006. Immediately upon taking charge of the team, he led the Los Leones to a bronze medal finish at the 2008 Champions Trophy. He went on to win another bronze medal at the 2014 World Cup along with numerous success at the Pan-American level. By 2015, the team was ranked fifth in the world rankings, a historic high for them. However, they were not finished creating history as they went all out to win the gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics by defeating Belgium 4-2. It was the first medal in the Olympics for the Argentina hockey team, let alone the first gold medal.
Squad
The team called up for the very last edition of Menâs Hockey Champions Trophy in July 2019 is given below, which will be replaced by the Hockey Pro League (HPL) next year.
| No. | Position | Player Name | Date of Birth |
| 1 | GK | Juan Manuel Vivaldi | 17 July 1979(age 40) |
| 2 | DF | Pedro Ibarra(Captain) | 11 September 1985(age 33) |
| 3 | FW | NicolÃĄs Keenan | 6 May 1997(age 22) |
| 4 | FW | Maico Casella | 6 May 1997(age 22) |
| 5 | FW | MatÃas Paredes | 1 February 1982(age 37) |
| 6 | FW | Lucas Vila | 23 August 1986(age 33) |
| 7 | DF | Leandro Tolini | 14 March 1990(age 29) |
| 8 | MF | Ignacio Ortiz | 26 July 1987(age 32) |
| 9 | DF | Juan MartÃn LÃŗpez | 27 May 1985(age 34) |
| 10 | DF | MatÃas Rey | 1 December 1984(age 34) |
| 11 | FW | Lucas MartÃnez | 17 November 1993(age 25) |
| 12 | DF | NicolÃĄs Cicileo | 1 October 1993(age 25) |
| 13 | MF | AgustÃn Mazzilli | 20 June 1989(age 30) |
| 14 | MF | Federico FernÃĄndez | 28 February 1992(age 27) |
| 15 | MF | AgustÃn Bugallo | 23 April 1995(age 24) |
| 16 | FW | MartÃn Ferreiro | 21 October 1997(age 21) |
| 17 | GK | TomÃĄs Santiago | 15 June 1992(age 27) |
| 18 | GK | Emiliano Bosso | 3 December 1995(age 23) |
| 19 | DF | Juan CatÃĄn | 5 October 1995(age 23) |
| 20 | DF | Isidoro Ibarra | 2 October 1992(age 26) |
| 21 | DF | Federico Monja | 12 September 1993(age 25) |
| 22 | DF | Gonzalo Peillat | 12 August 1992(age 27) |
| 23 | DF | Juan Ignacio Gilardi | 14 November 1981(age 37) |
| 24 | MF | Santiago Tarazona | 31 May 1996(age 23) |
| 25 | MF | Thomas Habif | 27 May 1996(age 23) |
| 26 | MF | NicolÃĄs Acosta | 7 July 1996(age 23) |
| 27 | MF | Lucas Rossi | 2 June 1985(age 34) |
| 28 | MF | Nahuel SalÃs | 6 August 1989(age 30) |
| 29 | FW | TomÃĄs Bettaglio | 23 September 1991(age 27) |
| 30 | FW | Federico Moreschi | 13 February 1999(age 20) |
| 31 | FW | JoaquÃn Menini | 18 August 1991(age 28) |
| 32 | FW | NicolÃĄs della Torre | 1 March 1990(age 29) |
| 33 | FW | TomÃĄs Domene | 4 September 1997(age 21) |
Support Staff
Coach: German Orozco
Assistant Coaches: Tomas MacCormik, Matias Vila
Manager: Juan Pablo Hourquebie
