SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Orange freshman Manolo Mazo has been named to the Puerto Rican U-21 National Team pool. Mazo’s selection comes after a week-long tryout and evaluation period at the Olympic training facilities in Salinas, Puerto Rico in January.
Selected players from the pool will compete in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games this July in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The tournament will feature U-21 national teams from Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Cuba, among others.
Mazo did not play in any games for the Orange in 2009.
Prior to coming to Syracuse, he was a midfielder for four seasons at Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola in Puerto Rico. Mazo was a four-time Puerto Rico High School Athletic Alliance (PRHSAA) First Team honoree. He totaled 24 goals and 55 assists in his high school career. In addition, he participated in several U-15, U-17 and U-20 World Cup qualifiers for Puerto Rico.