Focused on building group cohesion, the Cuban U-23 baseball preselection preparing for the 6th World Cup of the category in Nicaragua next November is holding its second training camp at the Latinoamericano Stadium in Havana.

Guillermo Carmona, the team's manager, commented exclusively with the Cuban News Agency on his satisfaction with the results of last week's work in the central province of Cienfuegos, where they played several preparation games.

The also Industriales mentor in the National Series praised the quality of the young players, although those fulfilling contracts in foreign leagues are still to join.

In the preparation strategy, they are now giving priority to the values that consolidate the team's dynamic, explained the skipper, since they are athletes from different provinces and we will meet again shortly before departing for Nicaragua.

Regarding competitive potential, Carmona described the roster as balanced, with several players exhibiting good offensive and defensive skills, and he also praised the pitching; I don't see one area stronger than another, he emphasized.

Commenting on Cuba's offensive shortcomings in the two editions in which it has participated in under-23 world championships, the strategist assured that these are tournaments with more pitching and defense.

We are conveying that idea to the young players to strengthen a winning mentality, and we are going to work on how to optimize batting opportunities to build more runs, he argued.

At the end of the camp in the capital, the athletes will rejoin their respective provincial teams for the National Series and will only meet again at the end of October, the 24 chosen to make up the national team.

Carmona would like some international friendly match to materialize prior to the World Cup, which would be useful to try to avoid repeated experiences in which Cuban teams begin below their potential in competitions and improve their performance as the calendar advances.

Assessing Cuba's group in the world event, the mentor agrees that it is the hardest of the two, especially due to the inclusion in that section of Japan, with three golds and one silver; Venezuela, owner of one title and one bronze, and Korea, which has claimed one silver and one third place.

In addition, the island's national team will face South Africa and Great Britain, the two lighter rivals in the group during the preliminary phase.

Only the top three places in each bracket will advance to the super round, from which the World Cup finalists will then emerge.

Cuba's best historical performance in these U-23 events is fourth place in the 2021 edition, a tournament delayed by COVID-19, and a year later it dropped to tenth place.