# San Juan’s European Export Engine Drives Argentina’s 2026 World Skate Games Squads

**By Petra Nowak**  \nPublished September 30, 2026  \nUpdated September 30, 2026

> San Juan supplies 25 of Argentina's 36 total selections across the Senior Men, Senior Women, and U19 Men's rosters for the 2026 World Skate Games in Paraguay.

When the Comité Nacional Técnico de Hockey sobre Patines finalized Argentina’s selections for the 2026 World Skate Games in Asunción, the roster sheets read like a geographic baseline of elite roller hockey. Across the Senior Men, Senior Women (“Las Águilas”), and Under-19 Men’s divisions, 25 of the 36 selected athletes hail directly from the province of San Juan. It is a striking concentration of talent, underscored by the reality that while many of these players learned their trade in Cuyo, their tactical maturity has been refined in the elite club leagues of Portugal, Spain, and Italy.

## The Senior Men: European Club Synergy and Goalkeeping Lockout

The Senior Men’s squad, helmed by a coaching staff of José Luis Páez, Diego Mir, and Reinaldo García, carries a 12-man roster that features 10 San Juan natives. Rather than relying on hasty national team assemblies, Páez enters the tournament with built-in tactical familiarity. Outfielders Gonzalo Romero, Facundo Bridge, and Danilo Rampulla arrive directly from Sporting CP in Portugal, bringing a pre-packaged understanding of transition play, half-court spatial rotations, and defensive coverage.

Complementing that Lisboan trio is Portuguese league counterpart Ezequiel Mena (FC Porto), alongside Ok Liga veterans Franco Platero (HC Liceo) and Matías Pascual (Igualada). Local experience is anchored by Lucas Ordóñez (Argentino de San Juan), while Mendoza products Facundo Navarro and Lucas Martínez supply crucial depth to complete the outfield core.

The defensive stability is even more localized in goal. All three selected goalkeepers originate from San Juan, yet each commands starting credentials in European competition: Constantino Acevedo (Benfica, Portugal), Juan Cruz Velázquez (HRC Monza, Italy), and Bautista Acevedo (Hockey Club Quévert, France). This triumvirate offers Argentina structural luxury between the posts, allowing Páez to maintain defensive intensity without compromising distribution out of the back.

## Las Águilas: Balancing Provincial Anchors with Spanish Flight

For the Senior Women’s squad, head coach Darío Giuliani has named a 12-player roster (nine outfielders, three goalkeepers) built on a precise balance between San Juan leadership and Mendocino tactical weight. Five San Juan stars—Luciana Agudo, Gimena Gómez, Florencia Felamini, Lucía Maldonado, and Lourdes Lampasona—form the foundation of Las Águilas’ ball movement and perimeter orchestrations.

They are seamlessly paired with Mendoza field players Adriana Soto, Valentina Fernández, Julieta Fernández, and Pilar Abaid. The goalkeeping department combines regional continuity with Spanish league exposure, featuring Natalia Jara (Concepción), Paula Zeballos (Impsa de Mendoza), and Victoria Guzzo (CH Mataró, Spain).

Giuliani’s backroom staff includes assistant coach José Manuel García, goalkeeper coach Gonzalo Aguirre, fitness specialists Martín Riveros and Ariel Vilchez, kinesiologist Víctor Bocelli, kit manager Martín Moral, nutritionist Paola Rodríguez, operational coordinator Daniel Brescia, and press officer Emiliano Schlamelcher.

## National Delegation Composition across Categories

caption National Team Roster Allocation by Category and Origin StructuretrCategorySan Juan PlayersMendoza PlayersTotal Squad SizeKey Overseas Leagues RepresentedtbodytrSenior Men10212Portugal (Sporting, Porto, Benfica), Spain (Liceo, Igualada), Italy (Monza), France (Quévert)trSenior Women5712Spain (CH Mataró), Domestic Argentinian LeaguestrU19 Men9312Domestic Youth AcademiesThe U19 Men’s roster reinforces this regional pipeline, boasting nine San Juan selections: Bautista Romero, Nicolás Alonzo, Benjamín Bailon, Tiziano Calisse, Renzo Ferrer, Joaquín Morales, Alejo Espinoza, Charbel Fraifer, and Martino Mercado.

## Venue Dynamics and Schedule Breakdown in Luque

All tournament fixtures will be staged at the Estadio Oscar Harrison within the Parque Olímpico de Luque, located on the outskirts of Asunción. The 3,300-capacity indoor venue presents a modern, enclosed floor environment that favors precise ball control and high-speed execution over physical attrition.

Supported by the Government of San Juan through its Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Agencia Deporte San Juan, the delegation benefits from logistical alignment: San Juan and Paraguay share identical official time zones, eliminating circadian disruption for athletes and facilitating prime-time coverage for domestic broadcast viewers.

### Phase 1 Match Calendars

**Senior Women (“Las Águilas”): Group Stage**

- **Sunday, October 4 (20:00):** vs. Switzerland
- **Monday, October 5 (15:30):** vs. France
- **Tuesday, October 6 (20:00):** vs. Spain
- **Thursday, October 8 (20:00):** vs. Chile**Senior Men: Group Stage**

- **Monday, October 12 (17:45):** vs. France
- **Tuesday, October 13 (20:00):** vs. Angola
- **Wednesday, October 14 (20:00):** vs. ChileThe youth and women’s tournaments run concurrently from October 4 through October 10 (with the U19 group containing Switzerland, Spain, and Italy), before the Senior Men take the floor from October 12 through October 18.

### Evidence-Led Forecast: Group Stage Dynamics in Luque

**Likely Tactical Pattern:** Páez’s Senior Men will depend heavily on low-risk build-up and structured positional rotation. Expect the Sporting CP core of Romero, Bridge, and Rampulla to establish half-court control early against France and Angola, pressing high to provoke turnover-driven counter-attacks. For Las Águilas, Giuliani will prioritize early lateral mobility against Switzerland and France to create shooting lanes for Felamini and Agudo before settling into a more conservative defensive mid-block against Spain.

**Decisive Matchup:** The Senior Women’s showdown against Spain on October 6 is the defining test of the group stage. Spain’s suffocating positional discipline will demand clinical decision-making in transition from Agudo and Soto, while netminders Guzzo or Jara must manage elite perimeter shooting.

**Strongest Counter-Case:** Disrupted ball movement and perimeter cold spells could expose Argentina’s Senior Men against physical, direct counter-attacking setups like Angola or France. If foreign-based players struggle to re-establish national team tempo on Luque’s surface, early match stretches could turn into tense, low-scoring grinding matches.

**What Would Change the Read:** Goalkeeper rotation efficiency and set-piece conversions (direct shots and short corners). Quick efficiency on dead-ball scenarios in the openers against Switzerland (women) and France (men) will signal whether Argentina can cruise through phase one without physical overload before knockout rounds begin.

## Sources

- [tiempodesanjuan.com](https://www.tiempodesanjuan.com/deportes/con-mayoria-de-sanjuaniosa-argentina-confirmo-el-equipazo-que-ira-por-la-gloria-en-el-mundial_1790696576) — original
- [diariodecuyo.com.ar](https://www.diariodecuyo.com.ar/pasion-deportiva/las-aguilas-estan-listas-se-conocio-la-convocatoria-final-argentina-los-world-skate-games-2026-n6582798) — original
- [0264noticias.com.ar](https://www.0264noticias.com.ar/noticias/2026/09/29/111553-con-varios-hockistas-sanjuaninos-argentina-confirmo-su-plantel-para-los-world-skate-games-2026) — original
- [delsurdiario.com](https://www.delsurdiario.com/deportes/san-juan-mete-la-mayoria-en-la-seleccion-para-el-mundial-de-hockey-sobre-patines) — original