MORELOS, Mexico, August 16, 2026.- The United States were crowned champions of the 19th Men’s Pan American Cup after defeating Puerto Rico 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-19) on Sunday at Poliforum 2 of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM).
The United States finished the competition with a 6-1 record and captured their sixth gold medal in Men’s Pan American Cup history, ending a 14-year wait since their last title in 2012. The Americans also have three silver medals and one bronze.
It was USA’s second victory over Puerto Rico in the tournament after defeating them in straight sets during the preliminary round.
Puerto Rico, competing in its first Pan American Cup final since 2017, finished with a 4-3 record and earned its third silver medal in the history of the competition.
Puerto Rico got off to a strong start and took the first set 25-22, but the United States responded convincingly in the second, 25-16, to level the match.
The third set proved pivotal. After several ties in the second half of the set, the United States managed to pull away and reached the closing stages with a 24-21 advantage. Puerto Rico saved two set points to close within 24-23 before Patrick Rogers scored on a block for the 25-23 win that put the Americans ahead 2-1.
The United States remained in control in the fourth set and sealed the championship 25-19 on a kill by Kyle Hobus.
Blocking proved decisive for the United States, with an 11-5 advantage over Puerto Rico. The champions also led 53-50 in attacks and committed fewer errors, 25 to 31. Puerto Rico held a 3-2 edge in service points.
Jacob Pasteur led the United States with 17 points, followed by Kyle Hobus with 16 and Patrick Rogers with 13. Pelegrin Vargas led Puerto Rico with 15 points, Klistan Lawrence added 14 and Ismael Alomar finished with 11.
United States head coach Andy Reid highlighted the effort of both teams at the end of a demanding competition.
“I think it was two teams that gave everything they had at the end of a demanding tournament and put on a great effort for the crowd, which they appreciated. The crowd was a little more for Puerto Rico, but that’s okay. We won them over with our play. I really appreciate how hard my guys played; almost every single guy contributed to get through this match and win the gold,” Reid said.
Puerto Rico head coach Jamille Torres expressed his pride in his team’s journey to the final.
“I’m extremely proud of the guys. Considering how we started the tournament, nobody would have thought we would win this medal. We played the first set well; the second was a little more difficult for us, and we missed one of our four service errors. In the third, we could have finished it better, but you can’t come from behind against teams at that level; you have to play point by point, and that was difficult with our side-out, which gave us trouble today,” Torres said.
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