Youth MNT Wins Gold Medal at IHF Trophy, Qualifies for Next Year's World Championships and Intercontinental Phase

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by Matt Collins

After going undefeated over four matches at the Youth IHF Trophy, USA Team Handball's Youth Men's National Team has secured qualification for the 2025 IHF Youth Men's Handball World Championship, as well as the IHF Intercontinental Phase

The IHF Trophy tournament, which brought teams from across the North American and Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC), took place in Puerto Rico from November 19th - 25th. The United States took on Canada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Mexico, with Puerto Rico rounding out the competition field.

Only John Gallittu and Aaron Wolf-Bloom returned to the squad as veterans from the 2023 IHF Youth Men's Handball World Championship, where the United States finished in 28th place. With many new athletes to the national team being named to the squad, the United States entered the tournament with a challenging group stage ahead of them. Guadeloupe and Martinique joined the Americans in Group A, and as overseas regions of France, are unable to qualify for the World Championship, However, they still looked to relegate the USA to the third spot in the group and send them to the placement matches.


The United States opened up play against Martinique, and behind an eleven-goal performance by Edwin Bengtsson, was able to secure the victory, 35:29. Bengtsson, who plays his club handball for IK Savehof in Sweden, made his United States debut and made his presence known down the right wing. Although a red card with seven minutes to go saw Bengtsson exit the match, he still was the top scorer of the match.


On Day 2 of the tournament, reigning champions Guadeloupe was the opponent for the USA. In the 2022 IHF Youth Trophy, the meeting between the two teams saw an eighteen-goal defeat for the Americans, 41:23. Looking to not have history repeat itself, the United States put together a complete team performance. Jorge Gomez de Santiago led the team with 6 goals, with six players scoring 3 goals - Alvaro Alcover, Abeldrahman Awad, John Gallittu, Sydney Robertson, Aaron Wolf-Bloom, and Maximillian Zoller - to secure a 30:27 victory, and put the USA atop the group heading into the Semifinals.


"The group stage was very difficult, but we played well together as a team," Right Back John Gallittu said. "This was very important, and the coaches made life easy for us by analyzing all the games so that we were well prepared for every opponent."


In the first semifinal of the tournament, the USA took on Canada, who they beat in the 2022 edition by a score of 29:22. After going into halftime with a four-goal advantage, 16:12, the squad came out of the break strong. Goals from Gallittu, Awad, and Bengtsson, coupled with an unbelievable breakaway save from netminder Elvis Mescall, saw the team go on a 5-0 run in the first five minutes of the second half. Although a late Canadian push made this closer, the match finished with a score of 31:24, in favor of the Americans.


As the tournament progressed, the USA side seemed to play more cohesively, something Aaron Wolf-Bloom didn't see as a surprise.


"Everyone belonged to be on the team and it didn't take very long for us to begin to click," said Wolf-Bloom. "We also saw each game as a learning opportunity to build chemistry and we certainly improved as each day went on."


Everyone belonged to be on the team and it didn't take very long for us to begin to click.
Aaron Wolf-Bloom

Heading into the final, a World Championship berth was already secured for the USA, but a Youth IHF Trophy title and a slot in the IHF Intercontinental Phase were still at stake, with Wolf-Bloom saying "We were determined to win gold."

The United States encountered Mexico in the final, who defeated Martinique handily in the other semifinal 34:20. A key for the Americans to capture the trophy would be to subdue Osvaldo Maya Pedraza, who finished as the tournament's leading scorer with 36 goals. A goal in the final seconds of the first half by Mexico left the score 13:13, with all to play for in the second half. As the USA clung to a one-goal advantage, in the 17th minute of the second half, severe rain in the area led to a leak in the roof, leading to a 20-minute delay in the match. After action restarted, a John Gallittu goal with less than four minutes to play, extending the squad's advantage to three, saw the American fans in the crowd rise to their feet, as they felt a fast-approaching victory. As the buzzer sounded, the USA defeated Mexico with a final score of 25:23.

At the closing ceremony, the United States was represented nicely on the all-tournament team, with Edwin Bengtsson, John Gallittu, and Jorge Gomez de Santiago being awarded Best Right Wing, Best Right Back, and Best Center Back, respectively.

Youth IHF Trophy All-Tournament Team

Bengtsson and Gomez de Santiago saw this tournament as their first introduction to the United States National Team, and Head Coach Martin Bilello champions this as a potential foundation for all athletes to launch their careers onto the next stages, including the Junior and Senior National Teams.


"This age category is where all the future Team USA stars will take their first steps, so every cycle we'll see new faces come up and shine," Bilello said.


The group now turns their attention to 2025, where they have qualified for the IHF Youth Men's Handball World Championship, set to be held in Egypt from August 6th to 17th, and the IHF Intercontinental Phase, which will be staged next Spring.


"We're going back to the World Championship, and this time as the first seed from the Continent, so it means improvement from the last time. Plus we will be participating in the Intercontinental Phase for the first time," said Bilello. "The continuous improvement shows the work we've done all these years is paying off.


Bilello added, "But of course, we're not done. Every cycle we aim to do better than the last. So far, we have delivered."

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