Its a litmus test at the AmeriCup Championship

Guanajuato, Mexico. In what will be a rematch of the final semi-final of the 2021 AmeriCup, Puerto Rico and Canada will kick off Monday, 10:10 p.m. (Puerto Rican time) in the stellar duel on day three of the tournament’s new edition. The tournament that takes place at the Dome de la Feria, in the city of Lyon.

Puerto Rico, who faced the Dominican Republic on Sunday – after defeating Colombia on Saturday – defeated the Canadian team (65-61) in the latest edition of the event, which was held at the time at the Roberto Clemente Stadium in San Juan. .

Jazmon Gwathmey led the Puerto Rican attack that night.

“Little by little we’ll be a better team,” manager Jerry Batista told this medium.

“Canada is a different team than the others. Play more organized, and we might fit them better. But you have to see them in person. Not all of them. You should see them when they play on Sunday (against Mexico). But we more or less know how the coach directs,” he added.

Mexico, hosts of the event, beat Quescoyan’s medal-winning team at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador on Saturday 69-62, while Canada did not play in return.

Fourth place in the World Cup

The Canadian team, three-time America’s Cup winners (1995, 2015 and 2017), recovered from that setback against Puerto Rico, finishing the following year in fourth place at the FIBA ​​Women’s World Cup, which was held in Australia.

“We know your inclinations. They are aggressive defensive. We have to look at each other and analyze how to attack,” Batista said.

The Canadian team is coached by Victor Lapina.

Under the leadership of the Spanish coach, Canada was crowned with Puerto Rico in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, defeating them 79-60.

They then lost to eventual champions the United States, and later in the third-place match against hosts Australia.

One of his World Cup figures, veteran Kayla Alexander, came with the team for the America’s Cup. He also guards the Shai Koli and Nira fields.

“This is a great opportunity for our team to test themselves against the best in the Americas. It’s another step towards the Olympic Games in Paris 2024,” Lapina said.

Likewise, Canada comes into the tournament with Cassandre Prosper and Syla Swords, two of the great promises of its national program.

Prosper and Swords, in particular, led the Canadians to victory in a friendly against Japan in May.

Canada is also the only national team to have participated in all 17 editions of the America’s Cup, including 2023. They took silver in 2019 and 2013.

Currently, they are ranked fifth in the FIBA ​​world ranking, while Puerto Ricans are ranked tenth.

“We have a good mix of professional players, some youngsters who haven’t made it to college yet and others who have experience playing at the NCAA level. We’re building a great chemistry,” Alexander told the Toronto Star.