With Simón, Cuba reveal VNL squad

The presence of 38-year-old star middle blocker Robertlandy Simón was the main headline in the announcement of the Cuban men’s national team roster for the Volleyball Nations League 2025.

The Caribbean are in 12^th place in the FIVB World Rankings and have the VNL and the FIVB Volleyball World Championship in their calendar in 2025.

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Simón’s inclusion in the selection of head coach Jesús Cruz comes as somewhat of a surprise because the veteran middle blocker had indicated the end of his international career last June in a social media post, right after the Cubans ended their participation in the VNL, in which they failed to secure a spot at the Paris Olympics.

“After the last VNL, we thought he was ready to end his cycle with the national team, but he reached out asking to be called up and that we evaluate him every year now,” the coach said. “The idea is that he joins the team in the third week of the VNL, in Poland, so he gets to the World Championship fresh.”

The most experienced player in the Cuban squad, Simón competed internationally for his country from 2005 to 2011, helping them take silver at both the 2010 World Championship and the 2009 Grand Champions Cup. After almost a decade away, he returned in 2019, starting his second stint with the national team and taking them to victory at the NORCECA Championship in that same season.

Besides Simón, other key players for the Caribbean over the last few years are also set to continue, such as outside hitters Miguel Ángel López, Marlon Yant and Osniel Melgarejo, setter Lyván Taboada, middle blockers Javier Concepción and Roamy Alonso and libero Yonder García.

Friendly matches in Argentina

With a big season ahead of them, the Cubans want to accomplish good results in 2025. Before their VNL debut, they will spend some days in Argentina, where they will play friendly matches with the home team before heading to Brazil, where they will start their campaign from June 11-15.

“It’s the start of a new cycle and we want to establish ourselves in the elite of the sport,” Cruz added. “We have top players in our team, and now we want to make them work well collectively. We know we can qualify for the VNL Finals, and the goal at the World Championship is to make it to the quarterfinals. The matches in Argentina will be great opportunities for us to test our strategies before the start of the VNL.”

Cuba men’s national team roster (subject to eligibility check to be conducted by the FIVB):

Setters: Adrián Chirino, Christian Thondike, Julio Alberto Gómez, Lyván Taboada
Opposites: Alejandro González, Carlos Charles, Daniel Martínez, Michael Sánchez, Yordan Bisset
Outside hitters: Bryan Camino, José Miguel Gutiérrez, Marlon Yant, Miguel Ángel López, Osniel Mergarejo, Víctor Andreu, Yusniel González
Middle blockers: David Fiel, Endriel Pedroso, Javier Concepción, José Israel Massó, Roamy Alonso, Robertlandy Simón, Thiago Suárez
Liberos: Alain Gorguet, Dayron Gallego, Yonder García

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