East County lacrosse players strive for Olympic berth

East County’s Christian and Sean Laureano were thrilled when they heard the Puerto Rican team fans cheering for them as they competed in the USA Lacrosse Experience in Indianapolis, Indiana Oct. 11-13. 

Because their father, Jason Laureano, was born in Puerto Rico, the brothers are eligible to play for the U21 Puerto Rican lacrosse team. 

“I think any Puerto Rican would agree that we probably have the best fan base in terms of our lacrosse support,” Christian Laureano said. “They would be waving Puerto Rican flags, and you couldn’t miss the flag or the fact that they were Puerto Rican. There’s a lot of pride in it, and it makes it inspiring to play for a team that has so much support.”

That inspiration made them want to show those in Indianapolis what Puerto Rico could do on the lacrosse field against teams from much larger population base.

The competition gave the brothers, who both graduated from Cardinal Mooney High, and the rest of their Puerto Rican teammates a taste of what it would be like to compete on the international stage at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. A new six-on-six format will be used for lacrosse in the Olympics.

Lacrosse hasn't been a medal sport at the Olympics since 1908 and the last time it appeared as a demonstration sport was 1948. Both those Olympics were held in London.

Sean Laureano, who is a sophomore and plays lacrosse at Rollins College, said "sixes" makes lacrosse, which by some is considered the fastest sport on two feet, an even faster game that is exciting to watch and play.

He said players are constantly running, rather than sticking with a set position. For example, Sean Laureano said his usual position is attack, which involves focusing on offense, but sixes makes him concentrate on both offense and defense.

Christian Laureano, who is a senior playing lacrosse at Mercer University, described Puerto Rico’s team as gritty with a lot of hustle, which he said will help in sixes.

“There’s not a lot of (time to stop running) or time to kind of regroup, so when we’re out there thinking on our feet, that’s kind of playing into our strengths,” he said.

But playing against the world's best teams will require more than just hustle.

“There’s a lot of work to be done in terms of how we can be better,” Christian Laureano said.

Sean Laureano said having the sport in the Olympics means the world to him.

His brother agrees. He said representing Puerto Rico would be an honor.

“We’re going to turn a lot of heads in terms of what type of on-field product we can produce,” he said. “I know it’ll mean a lot for all the people back home to be able to turn on the TV and say, ‘Hey, there’s Puerto Rico lacrosse. They’ve worked really hard to get to this point.' I just want people to be able to watch and be proud of our heritage. I hope we can represent them all in the Olympics.”

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At the USA Lacrosse Experience, Christian Laureano said playing against the U.S. team was surreal. He was playing against professionals he had admired and watched growing up and through his college career. 

“I remember being 14, 15 (years old) watching these guys on TV and thinking they’re untouchable,” he said. “You idolize these great lacrosse players. You want to prove it to yourself and the island of Puerto Rico that we can compete against these countries with already established lacrosse programs.”

Christian Laureano said the team’s game against Great Britain Oct. 11 was a chance for redemption. The Puerto Rican men’s senior team lost in a tight match against Great Britain during the 2023 World Championship in San Diego, California. 

Puerto Rico was able to notch a 16-14 victory against Great Britain at the USA Lacrosse Experience. It was the first time the Puerto Rico men’s team had beaten Great Britain in international play.

“A lot of these guys on this roster played in those World Games, so I think everyone was kind of remembering how that loss felt,” said Christian Laureano, who played in that event while his brother did not. “It was a playoff contention game, so it kind of stung for a lot of us. A lot of us were channeling how that loss felt when we were going into the game to give us a little bit more motivation. We always view it as an opportunity to prove ourselves as Puerto Ricans, as an island, of what we can do against larger, more developed nations that have been in the lacrosse world for a little bit longer.”

The biggest highlight of the USA Lacrosse Experience for the brothers was playing on the same field together again. 

The brothers have been playing lacrosse since they were old enough to hold lacrosse sticks, tossing the ball around in the backyard all the time. 

They haven’t played together since the 2022 World Championships in Ireland. 

Sean Laureano will play with Puerto Rico in the 2025 U20 World Championships in South Korea. Playing for Puerto Rico has given the brothers opportunities for them to travel the world. He said traveling gives eye-opening and unique experiences.

Connecting with their heritage

Playing for Puerto Rico has given the Laureano brothers an opportunity to learn more about their Puerto Rican heritage. Neither brother recalled visits to the island when they were younger, but since they tried out for national teams beginning in 2019, they’ve worked to connect with their heritage. 

“When I play with all the guys here, it’s just a special thing to be able to play the sport that you love and then also be able to represent your heritage,” Christian Laureano said. “It’s not something everyone gets to do.”

Christian Laureano had the opportunity to travel with the men’s senior team to Puerto Rico in July 2023 to host a lacrosse clinic for a group of children. 

He visited San Juan, the country’s capitol, and saw Old San Juan, toured Castillo San Felipe del Morro and more. He tried new Puerto Rican foods such as mofongo, a dish made with crispy green plantains, garlic, olive oil and usually meat like pork. 

The most interesting lesson about his heritage came the moment his plane touched ground. Jason Laureano let his son know of a Puerto Rican tradition when a plane lands — everyone claps. 

“I did not realize it was uniquely Puerto Rican, but I remember my dad, when we landed, prepared me,” Christian Laureano said. “He was like, ‘You have to clap because everyone else is going to clap,’ and right on cue, when we landed, we ended up clapping. I always think about doing that when I’m flying in the States, and I think more people should clap and kind of honor the pilot. I thought that was pretty cool.”

But there’s still more for the brothers to learn, including how to speak Spanish.

“Maybe it’s time to sign up for Rosetta Stone by the time the 2028 Olympics come around,” Christian Laureano said. 

Besides teaching Puerto Rico children about the sport in a clinic, the brothers had an opportunity to talk about how their participation in the sport pays off. Christian Laureano said he saw future lacrosse players at the clinic.

“You can tell how much they looked up to us in terms of learning the game and understanding what it was about,” he said. “Maybe at first, they were a little bit starstruck and didn’t know what to do with all these older guys trying to teach them a new sport.”

Over the years, Christian Laureano said he’s been collecting lacrosse equipment to donate to people in Puerto Rico. He said the lack of access to equipment and inability to afford equipment often is a reason people don’t participate.

Christian Laureano said a majority of their current team consists of American-born players with Puerto Rican heritage, so he hopes to see more homegrown talent from the island playing for the team in the future.