MEXICALI (DIRECTV League of the Americas 2017) - Tonight, Group A of the DIRECTV League of the Americas 2017 tips-off in Mexicali, Mexico with the participation of the clubs La Union de Formosa de Argentina, Aguada de Uruguay, Correcaminos de Colon of Panama and the host Soles of Mexicali. Three past finalists and a semifinalist of the last edition that will seek a spot in the next phase of the competition.

It is a very balanced group with four teams all with possibilities of advancing to the Semifinal Phase.

The host Soles de Mexicali is third in the current season of their national league with a 17-13 record and a roster that includes veterans of the competition Pedro Meza (champion in 2012) and Justin Keenan (runner-up and points per game leader in 2015), as well as national team players Román Martínez (Mexico), Jorge Bryan Díaz (Puerto Rico) and Chamberlain Oguchi (Nigeria). It is a team that reaches this group having lost its last four games and that will rely on the ability to control tempo, specifically against its two South American rivals, to be successful in the opening series of this 2017 edition. 

Unión de Formosa, Argentina arrives in Mexicali in the middle of a difficult season in their national league in which they have a 12-14 record, that has them in seventh place in the North Conference. The Argentine National League runner-up in the 2015/2016 edition is a team with difficulties on the offensive side of the court, with Alexis Elsener as its best scorer with an average of 16.6 points per game. Their strengths in this series reside in the veteran leadership of Torin Francis and the Venezuelan Jose "Grillo" Vargas, along with the nationals Alejandro Konsztad, Elsener and the base Diego Garcia, all with vast experience in the international club scene.

Aguada from Uruguay returns to the DIRECTV Liga de las Americas after a great 2014 run in which they rose to the continental podium with a third place. The current version of the Uruguayan club just began its participation in their national league and has mark of 3 wins and 2 losses. The squad is led by the experienced point guard Gustavo "Panchi" Barrera who ranks second in assists per game in the Uruguayan league and is joined by Jeremis Smith, who was part of the 2014 team, and Kyle LaMonte, MVP of the 2009 edition, who recently signed with the team to give them a boost in the offensive and athletic department, an important asset that will be needed in their attempt to match opponents with offensive lineups such as Soles and Correcaminos de Colon.

The Colon team from Panama is the one poised to pull off a big upset in the group. True that it is a team that has recently come together, winning the Central American League tournament, with little experience playing as a unit, but it still has a squad of familiar faces on the international scene. Its point guard Trevor Gaskins had one of the great performances of the 2016 edition against powerhouse Brazilian club Flamengo, where he was an assist short of a triple double, with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the crushing defeat that was won by the South Americans in the last possession of the game. Gaskins is joined by members of the national team of Panama, Ernesto Oglivie, Isaac St. Rose and Danilo Pinnock, along with Puerto Rican Alex Galindo in a team that can be dangerous if it miraculously finds cohesion during their three games this weekend.

Group A schedule can be found here.

The Liga de las Americas will be played in three phases: Group Stage, Semifinal Phase and Final Four. In the Group Phase the teams have been divided into four (4) groups of four (4) teams each that will play in round-robin format for three (3) days. The best two teams from each group will qualify for the Semifinal Phase.

In the Semifinal Phase, teams will be divided into two (2) groups of four (4) teams each and will play in round-robin format for three (3) days. The best two (2) teams from each Semifinal group will advance to the Final Four, where the Champion of the Americas will be crowned.

The defending champion of the competition is Guaros de Lara (Venezuela).

The Liga de las Americas will be broadcasted in DIRECTV (Americas), Telemundo (Puerto Rico) and livebasketball.tv (subscription required). 

For the best coverage of the DIRECTV Liga de las Americas 2017, visit ligamericas.com and our @ligamericas social networks.

FIBA

FIBA