Ian and Patrick Hueter play for the USA at the Handball World Championships.

(Sitting) They are now almost part of the living roster of the US national team, which is why it’s almost a given that Swedish coach Robert Hedin will support brothers Ian and Patrick Hutter in the second division. Handball team DSV Bayer Dormagen has been nominated for the 2023 World Cup in Poland and Sweden.

Nevertheless, reaching America internationally is still an honor for the brothers. “We are really looking forward to the World Cup. “After we didn’t make it there last year, the expectations are high now,” says Ian Hueter, the U.S. boys’ playmaker and captain. The North Americans were drawn into Group G in July’s group draw, where they will play in four Polish and five Swedish cities from Jan. 11-29. They face Croatia, Egypt and Morocco. “It’s a tough group, but we want to measure ourselves against the big players and use the World Cup to see where we are,” said Ian Hueter after the national team’s training in Ystad, Sweden. Rounder Patrick Hutter also heads to the World Cup with a clear objective: “We want to win in the group stage, and of course it will be against Morocco.” The American boys will meet the North Africans live in the first game on January 13 (6am kick-off).

And then, of course, TSV’s teammates and fans sit in front of the screens at home, crossing their fingers for the defender brothers and their team.