BUENOS AIRES (DIRECTV Liga de las Américas) - San Lorenzo was part of Liga de las Américas’ Group B, played in Talca, and brought a great dose of the good image that the Argentine champion team had already cultivated before the tournament had started.

They ended as the undefeated leaders, but, above all, they showed a solid individual and collective repertoire.

Coach Gonzalo García pointed out that what pleased him the most was his team’s performance and explained that he liked “the concentration we maintained during the three games and that, at times, we perfectly set the defensive systems. Besides, we kept the essence of our offense both in the transitions and in the assigned positions.

San Lorenzo achieved two valuable —but also struggled— triumphs against the other contenders to the Semi-Finals, such as Brazil’s Mogi das Cruzes and Paulistano.

“We knew that these would be very hard games against the Brazilian teams. The fact that they're second and third in their National League isn't a coincidence. We had to win one game and we won two. We triumphed in two very demanding games that had a good game level,” the coach reflected.

The Argentine champions qualified for the continental tournament’s Semi-Finals, the same round they reached in 2017, although at the time they were eliminated on the spot and suffered several injuries in their squad. Therefore, Boedo's team took note.

Gonzalo García explained that “we broke the first barrier to our objective: reaching the Final Four. We must get ready for Semis, which will be more difficult. We hope to get there with the whole team, something that wasn't possible for San Lorenzo last year. That's why we decided to broaden our team this year and have 10 players in rotation.”

The full game and travel calendar of the Argentine National League will force the coach to cautiously use his players to avoid possible injuries caused by fatigue.

“We’ll try to choose the minutes in the court for each player, so that no one is overburdened, and to try to avoid risks before the next stage,” García explained.

San Lorenzo, the current two-times champion of Argentina, is predicted by many as the main favorite for the Liga de las Américas 2018 title.

However, their coach doesn't share that point of view. “We are in our League, because of the recent titles. But at an international level we still have to show what we are. In this season of Liga de las Américas there are several respectable teams with a long tradition. I think it's too premature to say that San Lorenzo are the great favorites.”