COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – September 25, 2019 – Following performances this summer at the FIH Series Finals in Bhubaneswar, India and 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach Rutger Wiese has formally announced the addition of Christian DeAngelis (Doylestown, Pa.), Alberto Montilla (Allen, Texas) and Daan Wisselink (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) to the senior USMNT on a full-time basis. All three athletes played key roles for USA in both major competitions in 2019.

"[Christian] DeAngelis and [Alberto] Montilla came through the junior program in early 2017," said Wiese. "They have both worked really hard and fully deserve to be part of this men's program that is clearly on the rise. We are looking forward to having more juniors following their example in the upcoming years. Daan Wisselink is a great and experienced goalkeeper and we are very lucky to have two top-quality goalkeepers on our squad. On behalf of the staff I’d like to congratulate all three men on their accomplishments so far and we are looking forward to continuing to work with them."

DeAngelis, a striker, currently holds the most international caps between all three additions with 32. His first came at the 5 Nations Tournament against Spain on January 31, 2018. The Doylestown, Pa. native first picked up a stick at age 13 when his family traveled to the 2012 National Hockey Festival, where his older sister was competing. Inspired by the “Grow the Game” ancillary event, DeAngelis found his passion and has risen through the ranks of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Development Pipeline over the past few years. He was named to the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team in 2013 and then moved up to the U-18 USMNT from 2014-15. In 2016, he was a member of the U-21 USMNT that toured The Netherlands and participated in the junior series against Canada in Chula Vista, Calif. He was named to the U-19 squad in 2017 and U-20 team in 2018. After being pulled up to the senior USMNT, DeAngelis appeared in the test series against South Korea earlier this year before the FIH Series Finals, where he registered goals in two of USA’s pivotal matches against South Africa and Mexico. Most recently, he was selected to the team that competed in the Pan American Games.

“It has been an honor and privilege to be part of the USMNT,” said DeAngelis. “None of this would have been possible without strong support from my family, coaches and teammates. The USMNT has an amazing group of coaches and players who continually and selflessly work toward a common goal to help improve each other both on and off the field. I look forward to continually improving and to be a productive and valued teammate.”

As the second youngest athlete on the USMNT behind DeAngelis, Montilla was first introduced to field hockey in the first grade. Spending part of his youth in Spain, he played at Club Hockey Pozuelo in Madrid before moving on to represent the nation’s capital city in several national championships. He quickly found a new home with the Bulldogs Field Hockey Club when his family moved to Los Angeles in 2012. In 2016, Montilla was named to the U-21 USMNT for the junior tour to The Netherland and test series against Canada in Chula Vista. In 2017, he toured with the U-19 USMNT in Belgium and The Netherlands in addition to playing in the junior test series against Canada in Moorpark, Calif. More recently, he competed with the U-20 USMNT that traveled to Santiago, Chile to play against the host nation and helped USA finish third at the Junior Nations Invitational Tournament in New Haven, Conn. Montilla earned his first international cap on May 24, 2019 in a test series against Ireland before joining the senior USMNT for a friendly series against South Korea. His performance in both series led to his selection to the FIH Series Finals and Pan American Games. In Peru, Montilla registered four goals, the third most by a USA player in the men’s competition.

“Being named to the senior squad means everything,” commented Montilla. “It is great to know that years of hard work paid off, but this is just the first step. Being on the team carries a huge responsibility to keep growing and improving, especially now that our goal is to compete against the best out there. I believe this squad has a great future and it is an honor to be part of it.” 

Wisselink was named to the USMNT roster for many competitions in 2019, including the FIH Series Finals and Pan American Games as a provisional athlete. His first international trip with the USMNT was to Santiago, Chile in late December 2018, in an unofficial sanctioned series against Chile’s National Team and Mendoza Provincial Team. He earned his first international cap on January 29, 2019 in the game against Ireland at the 3 Nations Tournament. Afterward, he joined the USMNT for the test series against Korea and FIH Series Finals. To him, it is a tremendous honor to officially be named to the senior team.

After being asked by his mother, Wisselink tried out field hockey and never looked back. The 28-year-old goalkeeper served as captain for the U-16 Netherlands squad that won gold at the 2006 European Championships and U-18 team that earned bronze at the 2009 European Championships. He also played on the U-21 team in 2012 that won silver. The rest is history as Wisselink currently plays for the THC Hurley club team in Hoofdklasse, the highest men’s division in The Netherlands, in addition to suiting up for the red, white and blue.