IN a year in which the Cuban men’s volleyball team possibly had few opportunities of reaching the finals of the World League, the youthful squad has given its fans an excellent surprise by being included in them.

After losing the possibility of qualifying for the London Olympics, a very young Cuban team began its undertakings in the League, the strongest annual contest organized by the Volleyball International Federation.

The Cubans lost against the host team in the Berlin Pre-Olympics, but that was a battle of battles in which the Germans secured their pass to London in a game which went to five sets, winning the last 20-18 against a Cuban line-up in which the key positions – the two middle blockers, for example – were occupied by rookies.

Thus the Cuban team initiated its course in Group A of the World League, seemingly with slight chances, taking into account that their opponents would be the 2011 champion Russia, and Serbia, two of the finest teams in the world, plus Japan.

The first round in Hamamatsu, Japan, was the first sign of what would be a performance by high-quality players. The Cubans completed that round with just one defeat, by Serbia, and two wins, over the Russians and Japanese.

The next stage, in the Dominican Republic, was a convincing display of the Cuban players’ intention to obtain more coherent results, and they left having won all three of their games, and placed first in their group.

Rather than continue describing proceedings in the two following weeks in Kaliningrad (Russia) and Novi Sad (Serbia), it should be said that the Cuban team has only one of the men who took the silver medal in the World Championship in Italy in 2010, its captain, Wilfredo León, given that the other outside hitter, veteran Yenry Bell, and passer Yoandri Díaz (the team’s second in the championship) barely saw any action in Italy. The current middle blockers, Isbel Mesa, Danger Quintana and David Fiel, have little international experience, particularly the last two, elevated from the junior teams to the complex zone three, where players have to combine the art of attacking with aplomb, reading what the opponents will do and blocking at the net.

In these conditions, and few substitutions on the benches in the middle of challenges where a relief capable of giving the star players a break without reducing the game’s quality is essential, the Cuban team made its way through the four-week qualifiers, to place itself firmly in the finals in Sofia, Bulgaria, July 4-8, thanks to a favorable balance of 10 wins, two defeats (one to Serbia and one to Russia), and 28 points which their rivals were unable to meet.

There are six contenders for the finals. Poland, leader of group B, with its 10 wins, two defeats and 29 points, exceeded those of a regular medalist in the League, Brazil, who came second (8-4-26). However, Brazil also qualified for Sofia, as its points place it as the runner-up of the four groups.

The U.S. team, Beijing Olympics 2008 champion, made the grade in Group C, with 9-3-26, while in Group D, Germany once again demonstrated its class with 10-2-30.