Anybody know which American men’s players are playing overseas right now? I just know Bowen is in Spain and Daube is playing in Croatia, where is everyone else?
I think Ben Hallock is still in Recco. The club shortened its name after losing its financial supporter. Quite a few players left, but the team will continue playing in the A1 Italian Division.
From USA Water Polo web site:
"Team captain Ben Hallock returns to Italian powerhouse Recco Waterpolo for a fifth season while Max Irving and Marko Vavic also stay put in Italy with Brescia and Savona, respectfully. Luca Cupido moves within Italy, from Ortigia to Camogli, and goalkeeper Drew Holland comes over from a stint in Greece to play with TeliMar. Tyler Abramson joins forces with Bologna De Akker after a season in Germany.
Elsewhere in Europe, Dylan Woodhead is back to cap up with Vouliagmeni in Greece while Adrian Weinberg, Top Goalkeeper at the Olympics, transitions to professional water polo with Chios after three-straight NCAA Championships at UC Berkeley. Alex Bowen rounds out the list of American men competing abroad as he moves from France to Spain with Sabadell."
I think Cupido is originally from Camogli, so it is a homecoming for him. Camogli and Recco are literally a couple of miles apart (on the Riviera di Levante)
Super awesome to hear Cupido is playing pro, thought he was gonna hang up the suit after Paris. He’s continued to improve every year and was my favorite USA player to watch this year
Are Daube and Hooper not playing in Europe?
Guess not which I find odd for Daube. He had a great season in Croatia last year
USA Water Polo posted a story on the men’s national team players overseas. Does anyone have information on other American players overseas, men or women? If I were to “adopt” a team, which should I follow?
Does anyone have advice on getting in contact with clubs for opportunities to play water polo abroad?
I recently finished my NCAA Division I career and am interested in continuing to play overseas. I’m curious about the best ways to connect with clubs, coaches and how the recruiting process typically works for international players.
Hi Southpaw,
my biggest pieces of advice is touch base with your coaches and see who they know. I played D3, but my coach knew a lot of people abroad to help them get connected with clubs; for my friends who then did medical school, it was a great opportunity just to play for a year. Having game film from your most recent season/career to also show them as you’re presenting yourself is also a huge advantage.
And I’m not sure how much this still holds up but if you’re looking for something highly competitive, being an All-American gives coaches a frame of reference for skill level too. I hope this helps!
It would be awesome to hear of US women playing on international teams in Europe or Australia, if anybody has knowledge of that
Do you know of others who USA waterpolo is not highlighting? I’ve been told USA waterpolo doesn’t mention many of those playing abroad…for example, I think there are some former UCLA girls in Greece and Italy.
From September 2025:
American Athletes Head To Europe For 2025-26 Season - USA Water Polo
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There’s a lot of men playing abroad who are not involved with the USA national team. These are several I’m aware of.
Jake Cavano - PAYS D’AIX (France League)
Kacper Langiewicz (Waspo 98 Hannover)
Dash McFarland (De Akker)
Jackson Painter (De Akker)
I saw a few weeks ago that Alika Naone just signed with a good European team… not remembering the name right now.
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All 3 of the UCLA grads from 2025 went/are abroad
Nicole Struss - UNSW Wests Magpies in Sydney, Australia (Australian Water Polo League)
Molly Renner - Panionios G.S.S. in Athens, Greece (Greek A1 Ethniki League)
MJ Bailey - Olympic Nice Natation in Nice, France (French Elite Féminine League)
Hi Southpaw,
Another avenue you could explore is reaching out to the Universities in England, they covet American players who have finished their US Education and want to work on Master degrees.
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Yes there are many UCLA players including MJ in Nice. Nice, Bordeaux and (maybe) Mulhouse has players as well.
Nina Flynn had a great season at CNAB (Spain) and many players on the women national team are playing in different clubs in Barcelona (Isabel Williams at Sabadell, Jewel and Paige are at St Andreu and a few others).
Jovana Sekulic (Likely just butchered her name, sorry, on my phone!) is playing in Athens.
Pretty sure I saw a US player at Trieste this year.
In the U20 groups there are a few as well.
Frogpolo,
Speaking of Sabadell, I watched Tara Prentice playing for them this spring. Sadly, Isabell Williams was injured so Sabadell could not keep up with the top two teams in the Spanish league.
P. S. I think Jewel and Paige have played for Mataro, the champions. I doubt that St. Andreu had any US players on its roster.
You’re correct for Sant Andreu, they have Alice Williams and another player. Though it may change next year based on the transfers.
Isabel was injured and just came back a few weeks ago. I did forget about Tara Prentice who played quite strong for them.
Paige and Jewel have been great for Mataro and seem to be getting along with Tilly Kearns quite well!