GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, June 27, 2026. – The United States defeated Costa Rica in straight sets 3-0 (25-14, 27-25, 25-18) to advance to the final of the 2026 Men’s U21 Pan American Cup, where it will seek its second consecutive title on Sunday at Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasium.
It will be the United States’ third consecutive appearance in the tournament final. The defending champions will face the winner of the other semifinal between Canada and Mexico for the gold medal, while Costa Rica will play the loser for the bronze medal.
The United States held the advantage in attacks (43-27), blocks (10-6), and aces (9-1), although it committed more unforced errors than Costa Rica (23-15).
U.S. captain Kyler Wade led all scorers with 19 points, followed by Mateo Fuerbringer with 13. For Costa Rica, Stanley Grant was the only player to finish in double figures with 12 points.
The United States quickly took control of the opening set, racing to a 5-0 lead behind the powerful serving of captain Kyler Wade and never trailed. Costa Rica responded with solid blocking from Edser Barrantes, Jeremy Vanega, and Stanley Grant, but the Americans remained in command. A kill by Trevell Jordan earned set point, and Wade sealed the 25-14 set with a block on Grant.
The second set was much more competitive. After an even start, Costa Rica took control and built a five-point lead (12-7) behind the offense of Stanley Grant and Ignacio Morales, along with a block by Morales on Jackson Cryst. The Central Americans maintained the advantage until 23-20, but the United States staged an impressive comeback. A block by Mateo Fuerbringer on Grant tied the score at 24, and although Costa Rica earned another set point at 25-24, Wade answered to level the score once again. The U.S. captain then closed the set with a block on Morales followed by a powerful attack for the decisive 27-25.
Powered by its strong offense, the United States built an early 11-5 lead in the third set behind the serving of Jackson Cryst and the attacking of Trevell Jordan, Wade, and Blake Fahlbusch. The Americans remained in control for the rest of the set and closed out the match with a comfortable 25-18 victory to secure their place in the final.
U.S. captain Kyler Wade praised the team’s collective response after the challenging second set: “We knew we were going to face some adversity in the semifinal because, at this stage of the tournament, every team is strong. It was great to see how our guys responded, especially the contributions we got from the bench. Even when I was off the court, the team kept performing at a high level. It was truly a complete team effort. This is what we came here for. Tomorrow we’ll give everything we have and, hopefully, we’ll come out on top”.
Costa Rica head coach Jorge Arturo Solano highlighted his team’s performance and the experience gained from the match: “The United States has tremendous attacking power. In the second set, we managed to control it with our serving; our float serve disrupted their reception and took away some of their confidence. Competing at this level has been a tremendous learning experience. Even though we’re a little tired, tomorrow we’ll give everything we have to fight for the medal”.
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