MORELOS, Mexico, August 8, 2026.- The head coaches of the ten national teams participating in the 2026 Men’s Pan American Cup shared their expectations ahead of the start of the tournament, which will be held at Poliforum 2 of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM).
During the pre-tournament interviews, the coaches spoke about their teams’ preparation, the goals they have set for the competition, and the level of competition they expect to face in Morelos, while also highlighting the importance of the Pan American Cup within their respective national team programs.
Canada’s Head Coach, David Preston: “This is a really important competition for us because it is our extended team and they’ve been putting in some decent amount of training. These competitions are really important for us to expose some young players to international level and for us to make sure that we can evaluate where they are at and how they are going to fit in our program. The guys are really excited”.
Costa Rica’s Head Coach, Jorge Solano: “The team is excited. We have a fairly young group with limited experience in senior-level competitions. This tournament will be a great opportunity for the players to gain experience by facing very strong teams and learn what it takes to compete at this level. We want to take advantage of this competition so they can continue to grow and gain experience.”
Cuba’s Head Coach Derienn Ferrer: “The team is made up of young players, some of whom competed in the VNL and at the Central American and Caribbean Games. They are developing players, and this competition will allow them to continue growing and show what they can do so they can be considered for future events, especially with the senior national team, which has the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Canada ahead. Our goal is to develop these players, give them the opportunity to show that they can be part of the senior team and, at the same time, compete for a place on the podium.”
Curaçao’s Head Coach, Henrich Daal: “This was a last-minute trip for us, but we came here eager to show what Curaçao can do, that we play good volleyball and that we can compete at this level. This tournament will be great preparation for the NORCECA Continental Championship in September.”
Dominican Republic Head Coach, Alexander Gutiérrez: “We have three players missing from the team that competed at the Central American and Caribbean Games: Burgos, Arredondo and Mieses are not here. We continue to work on a medium- and long-term restructuring process, bringing in U23 players because we are looking toward the future of the senior national team. With this group, we will try to compete as we have been doing and achieve the best possible result. Last year we did very poorly and finished in ninth place, and I believe we can finish a little higher this year. That is what we will try to accomplish.”
Guatemala’s Head Coach Reider Lucas: “We’re happy to have the opportunity to compete in events like this because they help us continue to grow as a team and contribute to the individual development of each player. We know we’ll face a very high level of competition, and we want to continue earning important points for Guatemala.”
Mexico’s Head Coach, Carlos Eduardo Schwanke: “It is a great pleasure to be here in Mexico, we are excited. We love volleyball, and we have to show the work we have done. Last year we finished in second place, and this year we want to finish first; we will do everything possible to achieve that, because that is our goal. In addition, this tournament awards ranking points, and we need them for the competitions we are aiming for.”
Puerto Rico’s Head Coach Jamille Torres: “We’re excited about the opportunity to be here and to continue the good momentum we’ve built, having already won two medals this season. This was the tournament where we didn’t perform well last year, so we’re looking to redeem ourselves a little bit. We believe we’re in good shape heading into the tournament.”
Assistant Coach of Trinidad and Tobago, Christian Francois: “Our main expectation is to compete and bring our ranking as high as possible. We have a pretty young team, with a mixture of three senior players. Most of them are under 23. So, we’re going in to gain experience and give our best”.
United States’ Head Coach Andrew Reid: “We’ve been very fortunate. Many of our players have been with us since May because they were also part of the extended VNL roster, so they’ve had a lot of quality training time together, and we’ve also brought in some other guys. This is a very talented group, and they are working toward the 2028 Olympic Games. They know that this tournament and the next one, the NORCECA Final Six, are very important competitions for our zone, so we’re looking forward to playing at a high level against some very good teams.”
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