Coaches are enthusiastic for the U23 Pan American Cup in Havana

HAVANA, Cuba, July 10, 2023.- Coaches of the teams that will compete in the V U23 Volleyball Pan American Cup said to be enthusiastic during the preliminary inquiries that took place at the Ciudad Deportiva Coliseum.

Teams from NORCECA – Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Cuba and Mexico – have the motivation of battling for two tickets for the II Junior Pan American Games 2025, but Chile and Peru also have their goals and dreams set.

Dante Mañón, Coach of Dominican Republic: “We are bringing the best of our team that was here for the U21 Pan American Cup and four U23 players, and there is no other goal but winning a ticket to the 2025 Junior Pan American Games”.

“The team is suffering the loss of our team captain Bryan Turbides because of an injury, and he won’t be able to play, he’s here with the team, but we will fight everyone for the berth. I admit that Cuba is always our main opponent”.

Jorge Luis Mena, Coach of Nicaragua: “We always come to compete, not just to participate. We will compete with the team that came to the U21 Pan Am Cup with three under 23. This event helps us for next month’s  U23 Central American Championship, and we want to have our team well prepared.

We will look for the highest position, but we want to see Peru and Chile perform, and analyze if we might win to them because we are here to battle”.

Iván Villarreal, Coach of Chile: “Despite being already qualified to the 2025 Junior Pan American Games, we have several goals. We are bringing 12 polayers, 10 are U19 because we are preparing for the age-group World Championship in Argentina that starts on August 2^nd. This tournament helps us a lot, it helps our game level.

Our other goal is to keep on our main goal with our junior teams in Chile, to give our athletes as much competition we can for them to be part of our senior team”.

Jesús Cruz, Coach of Cuba: “Oue main goal is to play in the finals and qualify to the 2025 Junior Pan American Games. The base of this group is the one who won the U19 Pan American Cup last month, it only has two under 23 players, the setter and team captain Adrián Chirino, and our libero Yumichael Anthpny Lawrence».

We have little competition, and we had the opportunity to have two events. As a coach it’s always good to evaluate your job, with these age-groups we only have two players competing overseas, Alejandro Miguel González and Ángel Suárez, and the rest train here for long periods of time, the competition means the summit to see if they develop as a player, as well as other important details”.

Juan Carlos Gala, Coach of Peru: “This is a young group, including players who are 17 years old and three are under 23, we are thinking of the future, and we want them to compete with other teams, for them to see other systems and level of play, and it’s not less true that Norceca has a greater level than South America.

“We’re here to participate and to compete, it’s not only training, to learn another level of play, for them to meet other players, this is a combination of the best we have, expand our universe and for them to compete with other teams, as our closest competition are the Bolivarian games next year”.