TEAM COMPOSITION

ARG / Argentina

Team manager	Osvaldo CELIA
Coach	Julio VELASCO
Assistant coach	Julián ALVAREZ
Doctor	Aldo BUSTOS
Physiotherapist	Javier CRUPNIK

	No.	Name	Lastname	Shirt Name	Birthdate	Height	Weight	Spike	Block	Club
	1	Agustin	Ramonda	Ramonda	02.06.1991	200	80	345	320	La Union de Formosa
C	2	Javier	Filardi	Filardi	07.02.1980	190	89	340	318	UPCN San Juan Volley
	3	Gustavo Federico	Porporatto	Porporatto	07.05.1981	199	94	365	260	La Union de Formosa
L	4	Sebastian	Garrocq	Garrocq	27.11.1979	170	63	320	302	UPCN San Juan Volley
	5	Nicolás	Uriarte	Uriarte	21.03.1990	192	82	346	326	Belchatow
	6	Pablo	Bengolea	Bengolea	08.05.1986	197	93	345	320	Olsztyn
	7	Facundo	Conte	Conte	25.08.1989	198	90	350	326	Belchatow
	8	Demián	González	Gonzalez	21.02.1983	192	81	328	318	UPCN San Juan Volley
	9	Rodrigo	Quiroga	Quiroga	23.03.1987	190	86	345	321	Volei Brasil Centro de E.
	10	José Luis	Gonzalez	Gonzalez	27.12.1984	206	97	350	333	Bielsko Bialskie Club
	11	Sebastian	Solé	Sole	12.06.1991	202	88	350	328	Trentino Volley
	12	Federico	Pereyra	Pereyra	19.06.1988	200	99	335	325	Nolio Maaseik Club
	13	Facundo	Imhoff	Imhoff	25.01.1989	202	86	336	324	Lomas Volley
	14	Pablo	Crer	Crer	12.06.1989	205	78	350	330	Callipo Sport Club
	15	Luciano	De Cecco	De Cecco	02.06.1988	194	89	333	315	Copra Elior Piacenza
	16	Martin	Ramos	Ramos	26.08.1991	197	95	340	315	UPCN San Juan Volley
	17	Franco	Massimino	Massimino	23.05.1988	177	66	310	297	Lomas Volley
	18	Lucas	Ocampo	Ocampo	20.03.1986	196	100	335	318	Lomas Volley
	19	Maximiliano	Gauna	Gauna	29.04.1989	197	93	338	320	Sarmiento Santana Textiles
	20	Alejandro	Toro	Toro	20.07.1989	190	88	326	308	Lomas Volley
L	21	Sebastián	Closter	Closter	13.05.1989	180	66	296	278	Drean Bolivar
	22	Luciano	Zornetta	Zornetta	06.03.1993	182	70	346	318	Club Boca Juniors

C=Captain L=Libero

Team profile

Argentina, under the guidance of new head coach Julio Velasco, will be looking to continue building on the team’s progress over recent seasons. They finished a highly respectable sixth in last year’s World League, improving on their 10th-place finish 12 months earlier. However, their three previous showings on the World League stage were even better, the team coming fifth twice and fourth on the other occasion. Velasco is targeting further highs to add to his resume after a glittering coaching career largely spent overseas. He has said he wishes to “give back Argentine volleyball all what Argentine volleyball gave me”.

Argentina commenced their international journey in the sport at the South American Championship in Rio de Janeiro in 1951, claiming fourth place. Their first World Championship participation came in 1960 in the same Brazilian city, where they finished 11th. Since then the Argentine men have competed in nine World Championships, a bronze medal-winning campaign on home territory in 1982 being their best effort to date. Argentina also took the bronze medal at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, their highest finish in six appearances at the Olympic Games. Their medal haul from the men’s tournament at the Pan American Games is five, one gold and four bronzes.

Coach profile

Julio Velasco is a serial winner. As coach of the Italian men’s team, he won the World Championship in 1990 and 1994, and took a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games. He also led the team to victory in the World League four times and claimed European Championship titles in 1989, 1993 and 1995 along with a World Cup gold in 1995. He won the men’s Asian Championship with Iran in 2011 and 2013, and steered the Iranians to qualification for the 2013 World League. As coach of Panini Modena, Velasco won four league titles in Italy and the Italian Cup three times. The Argentine’s other passion is football and during his time in Italy he worked in administrative roles with Lazio and Inter Milan.