GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, August 6, 2026. – Mexico defeated Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-20) to advance directly to the semifinals of the Boys’ U17 Pan American Cup at the Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala City.
Mexico closed the pool stage with a solid performance against Puerto Rico, holding advantages of 34-31 in attacks, 11-2 in blocks and 2-1 in aces. Puerto Rico committed 28 unforced errors, which also contributed to Mexico’s victory.
Sebastián Merino led all scorers with 14 points for Mexico, while teammate Diego Ibarra added 10. Elvis González led Puerto Rico with 11 points.
With the result, Mexico finished first in Pool B with a 2-1 record and 12 points. The United States placed second, also with a 2-1 record and 9 points, followed by Canada at 2-1 with 8 points. Puerto Rico finished fourth with a 0-3 record.
In the quarterfinals, the United States will face the third-place team from Pool A, while Canada will play the second-place team. Mexico will have a rest day before competing in the semifinals.
Mexico head coach Denis Rivera praised his players’ performance and effort.
“I’m very happy with the performance and effort of the guys. As we knew from the beginning, this was a very strong pool. Now we have a rest day tomorrow and will focus on the semifinals, which I’m sure will be very demanding.”
Puerto Rico head coach Hernán Torres said the tournament is part of his players’ development process.
“It was a difficult pool, and the result is part of the process that comes with every competition. With young players who are just getting started, we have to understand that this is not an easy process and that these competitions are at a high level. Our team was not able to reach its best level.”
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