Canadian players celebrate a point during the 2010 worlds (Photo: FIVB)
Team Canada is about to make their return to the FIVB World League after a five-year absence. The Canadians are in Pool B alongside Brazil, Poland, and Finland. This past weekend, both the Brazilian and Polish leagues have concluded, meaning our opponents will start their preparation for this year's World League Tournament. Brazil and Poland were the silver and bronze medallists (respectively) last year.
The Brazilian league (called Superliga) ended on Saturday. Brazil has been dominating indoor volleyball since 2001 remaining as number one on The FIVB World Rankings despite the Russian victory at 2011 World Cup, the latest major tournament. With the end of Superliga, coach Bernardo Rezende will call the players for World League and the Olympics (Brazil is the only country that hasn’t sent their roster to FIVB so far). In the final match, Cruzeiro won the title for the first time defeating Volei Futuro 3-1. Both teams are led by their setters. Cruzeiro’s is William Arjona, nicknamed “el mago” during the years he played in Argentina and chosen Superliga MVP. On Volei Futuro side, Ricardo Garcia, considered by many the best setter ever. Arjona won this time. You can check the match highlights. Some of these players may be seen on Rezende’s list.
The Polish league, called PlusLiga, is also over.