Three World Championships, no trouble: McCauley ticks all boxes for the United States of America

Imagine being only 17 years old and getting a chance to be on the roster at the IHF Men’s World Championship for a historic moment. Then, only five months later, you get selected for the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship. But the journey does not stop here: one month later, when you turned 18, you still get to feature for your national team at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.

Does it sound crazy? Maybe just a little bit, but this was the perfect scenario for Maksim McCauley, USA’s left back at Croatia 2023, who ticked all the boxes and made it through for all the three major international competitions the United States of America featured in over the last eight months.

“I mean, it is the perfect scenario, right? Travelling to so many countries, getting to play handball, represent your country… I would not want it any other way, that is for sure; it has been an excellent experience featuring in so many World Championship editions in so little time,” says McCauley.

Born in Estonia, with dual citizenship, McCauley caught the eye of the USA scouters early, thanks to his excellent physical qualities and powerful shots. He has been featuring for the Tallinn Handball Academy before moving to HC Kehra in Estonia, but he also had a three-month stint at Mors-Thy Handbold in Denmark.

2023 has obviously been the peak year of his career, with so many appearances for USA’s sides, but also at club level, where he signed a contract with IFK Kristianstad, the current Swedish champions, which will feature in the EHF European League Men, the second-tier European competition.

“I think it is the perfect step for me to improve; I mean, they are the Swedish champions, right? And they also have an excellent track record in developing young players and helping them become better, so I think this was truly the right fit for me,” adds the United States of America’s left back.

While he is only still 18 years old, McCauley is seen as a strong building block for a successful American side in the future. This was the reason behind his inclusion in the roster for Poland/Sweden 2023, where he did not play but trained all the time with the senior squad, learning more and more as the days passed by.

He was also there when the USA secured a historic win against Morocco – their first-ever at the IHF Men’s World Championship – doubling down with another win against Belgium to finish on the 20th place at Poland/Sweden 2023, an excellent result, which underlines the penchant for growing for USA Handball.

 

 

“It has been a whirlwind, to be honest, just being there with the team and trying to help as much as I could. Winning those games was absolutely amazing. It was like everything clicked for us at the right time, and we managed to secure a historic result for the USA handball,” says McCauley.

Indeed, USA have been getting better and better, with a strong development on the senior side, but also in the younger age categories. At the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, where the USA marked their second consecutive appearance after a 30-year hiatus, the American side finished on the 27th place, but had their work cut out, featuring in the preliminary round in the most balanced group, alongside France, Poland and Croatia, three European powerhouses. McCauley scored five goals in that competition but was still two or three years younger than most of the players.

Now, at Croatia 2023, the left back has already beaten that tally, scoring seven times in the losses against Argentina and Germany, yet there is still the feeling that the USA can improve and secure a better finish.

In fact, a large part of their players are already featuring in Europe, for teams in Poland, France, Sweden, Spain, Italy or Hungary, which is definitely helping them learn the ABC of handball. Others are still developing back in the States, with four of them being members of the San Francisco CalHeat, the team which secured the NACHC berth for the 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe.

One thing is certain, though, all the eyes are for a competitive outing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games in five years’ time. With the USA qualified as hosts, the preparation has already begun, with a huge emphasis on handball and its development.

At that moment, McCauley will be 23 years old and can be a solution on the left back position, especially if his move to Kristianstad proves to be a success.

“Of course, everybody talks and thinks about the Olympic Games in 2028, and this is also a dream for me. I really want to be there. I hope to do my best and represent the team in Los Angeles; it would be something out of this world,” concludes McCauley.