Depth turned into dominance.
Cooper Robinson and the USA’s second unit rose to the occasion as the Americans completed a clean sweep of Pool D with a hard-fought 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 27-25 victory over Cuba in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, Wednesday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
With head coach Karch Kiraly fielding 13 of his 14 players, World No. 5 USA flexed its balance and resilience to finish group play at 3-0.
The team has also booked a Round of 16 ticket against the winner of the Slovenia–Germany matchup at press time.
“We believe that we’re gonna need the contributions of everybody to try and get past that Round of 16,” said Kiraly.
“It was nice to get most of the guys on the court, give them some experience, and allow them an opportunity to make contributions. They all did, so we ended up with a close win against Cuba. Now, we get a little rest and get excited to move on to the next phase.”
The Americans briefly faltered in the third set — their first frame dropped in the tournament. But Robinson spearheaded a rousing comeback from a 19-23 deficit, delivering clutch points en route to a team-high 14.
Jordan Ewert and Gabi Garcia chipped in 12 apiece, while substitute Kyle Ensing tallied seven. Middle Matthew Knigge and Jacob Pasteur added six each, underscoring the team’s depth across rotations.
Cuba, meanwhile, bowed out of the competition with a 1-2 record, missing the Round of 16 and failing to improve on its 14th-place finish in 2022. Their exit also paved the way for Portugal to move on to a knockout duel against Pool E leader Bulgaria.
Jose Masso and Javier Concepcion paced the Cubans with 12 markers each, while veteran Robertlandy Simon finished with 10 in the loss.
#WATCH: Cooper Robinson highlights the USA bench’s big impact in the 3rd and 4th sets against Cuba! 🇺🇸🏐
📹 @justinvalencia_ /Tiebreaker Times #MWCH2025 pic.twitter.com/k8sb3DuNjz
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 17, 2025
