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IRVINE,
California, August 12, 2009 - Happy to be home
after a long 2009 World League campaign that
ended in a sixth-place finish, Team USA will not
have to travel far to compete at the 2010 Men's
World Championship Qualification Tournament for
NORCECA Pool F on Aug. 15-17.
The Bren
Events Center in Irvine, Calif., is just a few
miles down the road from the team’s training
center in Anaheim, Calif.
Ranked second
in the world and first among NORCECA teams, the
United States will take on Dominican Republic
(No. 4 in NORCECA), Guatemala (No. 8 in NORCECA)
and Panama (No. 15 in NORCECA) in a tournament
where the winner will qualify for the FIVB World
Championships on Sept. 24-Oct. 10, 2010 in
Italy.
The
second-place team will advance to a four-team
playoff in Guadalajara, Mexico, where it will
get one more chance to qualify. There is also a
chance for the third-place team to advance to
this playoff as the best third place of all
three third round tournaments will also compete
in Mexico.
Team USA last
played the Dominican Republic at the 2008
NORCECA Men’s Olympic Continental Qualifier in
Puerto Rico. Earlier this year, the U.S. Men’s
A2 team defeated the Dominican Republican twice
at the Pan American Cup. The DR went on to
finish third, defeating Puerto Rico in the
bronze medal match.
Panama
finished sixth at the 2009 Pan American Cup,
defeating Guatemala in the final match.
The
tournament will open Aug. 15 as the Dominican
Republic plays Panama at 5 p.m. pacific time and
the United States plays Guatemala at 7:30 p.m.
PT. On Aug. 16, Guatemala will play Dominican
Republic at 5 p.m. and Team USA will face Panama
at 7:30 p.m. Finally, on Monday, Guatemala will
play Panama at 5 p.m. and the United States will
play Dominican Republic at 7:30 p.m.
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