Meet the teams
Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena – United States (6)
Team: 5th (2017)
Dalhausser: 7th (2005), 1st (2007), 3rd (2009), 9th (2011), 9th (2013), 5th (2017)
Lucena: 17th (2009), 9th (2011), 33rd (2013), 4th (2015), 5th (2017)
Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen – the Netherlands (20)
Team: 1st (2013), 17th (2015), 17th (2017)
Brouwer: 1st (2013), 17th (2015), 17th (2017)
Meeuwsen: 1st (2013), 17th (2015), 17th (2017)
Ben Saxton/Grant O’Gorman – Canada (28)
Team: Debut
Saxton: 17th (2011), 5th (2013), 17th (2015), 5th (2017)
O’Gorman: Debut
Nicolas Capogrosso/Julian Azaad – Argentina (39)
Team: 33rd (2017)
Capogrosso: 33rd (2017)
Azaad: 37th (2015), 33rd (2017)
The lowdown
Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena are arguably one of the top teams in the world when they are at their best form, but will they manage to remain that competitive just a few months before turning 40? Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen have proved they have what it takes to win at the World Championships and they will try to rebound after consecutive 17th-place finishes in the last two editions. Pushed by Ben Saxton’s experience and Grant O’Gorman’s youth, the Canadian team has the potential to put the best teams in the world in trouble. Nicolas Capogrosso and Julian Azaad are not quite there yet, but the Argentineans are progressing and will try to improve from their 33rd-place result on their debut in Vienna.
Game to watch
The match between the Americans and the Dutch is one of the strongest candidates to be the best pool play match in the entire tournament as it puts face-to-face two experienced, talented and accomplished tandems. Not many people would be surprised if these teams crossed paths again down the road in the gold medal match. Tuesday, July 2, at 3pm CET. Red Bull Beach Arena.
Did you know?
Pool F is the only group in the entire men’s tournament to feature past world champions in differenet teams as Dalhausser won the 2007 edition with Todd Rogers while Brouwer and Meeuwsen topped the podium at the 2013 edition.