Robertlandy Simón captain of the Cuban men's volleyball team heading to the continental Final Six in Mexico

July 8, 2022

Cuban men's volleyball has a challenge ahead, the continental Final Six in Mexico, which will take place until July 17, and where the Antillean squad wants to continue demonstrating progress, which would translate into obtaining the only ticket in dispute for the Santiago de Chile 2023 Pan American Games.

The good performance registered last month in Pinar del Río, when the multipurpose 19 de Noviembre hall hosted the challenger tournament for the North, Central America and Caribbean (Norceca) area, must be confirmed on Mexican soil.

For this, captain Robertlandy Simón rejoined the national team, who was rightfully allowed to rest after an exhausting season for the Pinar del Río event, but will now continue with the four-letter squad for the rest of the year's commitments.

Regarding that team that won the Norceca, the only notable absence is that of middle blocker Liván Osoria, who suffered a minor injury there and the coaches did not want to risk him at this time. Inder authorities confirmed that he will be available for upcoming competitions and considered that the position is covered with the presence of Simón, Roamy Alonso and Javier Concepción.

Under the direction of coach Nicolás Vives, the starting lineup should be made up of two of them, Maikel Sánchez, Miguel Ángel López, Adrián Goide and libero Yonder García.

In the tournament that begins today Friday in Nayarit, the squad from the Greater Antilles will make its debut on Monday against the Dominican Republic and will successively face the United States (12), Canada (13), Puerto Rico (14) and Mexico (15).

According to the event schedule, the four best teams will compete in the crossed semifinal round on the 16th, and the next day the winners of these matches will dispute the Cup (and most importantly, the spot to Chile) and the losers will play for the bronze medal.

Of course, the challenge is not easy at all, because except for the Dominicans, the rest of the teams must present a high level (even though Americans and Canadians should not be with their main stars due to the Nations League), but the growth of Cuban players in recent years has been very notable, and we trust that they will at least reach the final.

The tournament is barely the second that men's volleyball assumes in the current season, but the schedule will be quite demanding this summer for Vives' disciples, focused on returning to the world elite.

This same month South Korea will host from the 28th to the 31st the World Challenger, where a spot is offered for next year's Nations League, and in August we will have the Pan American Cup scheduled in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, from the 7th to the 15th, and the World Championship in Poland and Slovenia, between August 26 and September 11.

All will be high-demand tournaments, but ideal for keeping feet on the ground and knowing what to expect from this generation in the current Olympic cycle.