After these past several weeks, the US national team has good reason to be happy. Their inquiries now have responses thanks to the acquisition of Puerto Rican Gabi Garcia. The United States of America has a history of placing high in international competition, but recently, they have struggled in significant tournaments. No one has been able to match Matt Anderson's performance down the right side despite many scenarios being suggested, including moving the veteran to the outside and bringing in Kyle Ensing as an opposite. Well, there seems to be a problem that can start to disappear now that Gabi and two promising components on the outside (Tj Defalco & Aaron Russell) are in place for the Americans. Garcia has been destroying his competition in the Italian Superlega A1. Despite losing to Sir Safety Perugia at the Italian Super Cup, Garcia recorded 21 points. More recently, Garcia led Lube over Verona with 26 points. He hit at a 59% clip and tallied five aces along with two blocks. He is #9 in direct serves with a total of ten.
What can this mean for Team USA?
As of right now, Gabi Garcia will be serving a two-year suspension after deciding to leave the Puerto Rican federation and now joining the US for international competitions. Once he is back in 2024 as an eligible player for the US, Garcia could solve their biggest problem, which has been finding a reliable opposite. Gabi brings a trustworthy arm and a powerful serve to the table. Controversy has been present as Puerto Ricans remain unhappy, but one man's loss is another man's gain, as they say. Garcia will play in an already competitive and solid American squad which makes it unclear to see what his immediate impact could be. With Matt Anderson entering the later years of his career, Gabi could be a worthy replacement. Can Gabi be the force that leads the USA to another gold medal? USA's last gold medal on the biggest stage was in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics. It would suit his new nickname, "THE GOLDEN BOY."
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