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Tournament Preview: Busy Season Comes to a Close at Junior Pan American Games for Junior MNT

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by Matt Collins

USA Team Handball's Junior Men's National Team is set to compete in the 2025 Junior Pan American Games, starting on Aug. 17, coming off a historic finish at the 2025 IHF Men's U21 World Championship in June.


The United States starts Group B action against Chile on Sunday (Aug. 17) at 10:30 a.m. ET, followed by facing Mexico (Aug. 18 | 10:30 a.m. ET) and Brazil (Aug. 18 | 10:30 a.m. ET). The U.S. has won the previous two matches versus Mexico, including in the IHF Trophy - Continental Phase final last December, a 26-25 thriller, which secured them a berth in the World Championship.


The squad's performance at the World Championship earlier this summer, including a top-2 ranking amongst Pan American teams only behind Argentina, shows a huge step forward in the development of the program.


"Coming off a successful World Championship, where we beat Bahrain and Canada, and achieved a higher ranking than in 2023, we’re bringing a consistent core group that knows each other well and understands what it takes to compete in a high-performance environment," said head coach Danilo Rojevic.


All 16 sixteen athletes on the World Championship roster will represent the U.S. in Paraguay, ensuring chemistry when the American side debuts at the quadrennial tournament.


"The Jr. Pan American Games are a key opportunity for us, as a group, but also hold a strategic importance for our broader organization. Ultimately, we are not just there to perform, but to solidify our status among the top programs in the region. Placing in the Top-3 is a very ambitious goal, but all stars must align for this to happen," added Rojevic.

Team USA enters the tournament with a 5-0-7 (W-D-L) record this calendar year, including claiming the gold medal at the IHF Trophy - Intercontinental Phase in March.

Select matches will be streamed on the Panam Sports Channel.

The Junior Pan American Games are a multi-sport event, held every four years, with the first edition hosted by Colombia in 2021. All 41 Panam Sports member countries are expected to compete, including the United States delegation, the largest, with around 425 athletes. Handball will be one of 28 sports contested over the next two weeks.


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JUNIOR MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM (in alphabetical order) – 2025 JUNIOR PAN AMERICAN GAMES

Ultimately, we are not just there to perform, but to solidify our status among the top programs in the region.
Danilo RojevicHead Coach, Junior MNT