“Hey everyone, I wanted to get your thoughts on the current state of our goalkeepers for the National Team. With Adrian Weinberg already performing at such a high level and still being quite young, it feels like we’re set in the cage for a long time.
What’s really exciting is the depth we have developing behind him. We’ve got guys like Bernardo Herzer and Will Temkin coming up strong from the collegiate ranks. How do you all see the competition for the backup spots shaping up, and do you think we have one of the deepest goalkeeper pools internationally right now?”
I believe Charlie Mills is also in the running from USC.
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I would not say we have a deep pool. Weinberg is the only one with real senior level international experience that matters. Goalie on the international stage and in college are miles apart. We have a proven goalie and some possibilities that will take time to sort out.
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Dejan always invites a handful of goalies to every men’s senior training camp. At this point it’s anybody’s guess…
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I’d argue goalkeeping has been down domestically the last 3-4 years at the collegiate level. It’s just not deep. Herzer and Mills have certainly bolstered the depth but they are young. Does Tempkin keep playing?
Tempkin quit from what I heard…
“Retired” is probably a better word if he has indeed stopped playing.
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Is Gyapjas an American citizen? I heard that he got his citizenship but not entirely sure how true that is. If he is I could see him make a case for 28 since the Hungarian goalie pipeline is deep. But I could be wrong about him wanting to play for the US if he has his citizenship.
My apologies. Retired.
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I’ve heard from other NCAA players (maybe incorrectly) that Gyapjas is in the process of attaining citizenship through an exceptional athlete provision with the help of USAWP. I’ve also heard Dejan wants him playing for USC, UCLA, Stanford, or Cal next season in preparation for 2028 Olympics.
Stanford clearly would be the best fit as every other team will have their starter back. Not sure why he needs to go to one of those teams. Sets a bad precedent for college water polo when the national team coach is placing those demands. Not the first player I’ve heard this about
I remember someone saying something similar about JRH too. Seems like he took it seriously. Whether you play for the Big 4 or not, the college game is so different from the international game that the only valid reason I could see for this is consistently training with top players. 8 to 10 games a season in competitive MPSF competition is not the difference maker for whether or not a player would have success internationally.
Lame. Even if he joins the USMNT, I much prefer Adrian Weinberg as our starter.
Weinberg’s debut performance in Paris was out of this world - best goalie of the tournament while not even playing professionally yet.
Also, it would make sense for Gyapjas to play for a different country than Hungary if he has Olympic aspirations. His own brother is also a goalie for Hungary and is ahead of him in the Hungarian goalkeeper pipeline.
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His brother is also not guaranteed a spot either on the team. Not sure who is behind Soma Vogel right now but not sure if it’s his brother but it could be. Deep pipeline of goalies Hungary has.
I agree with Rb. If the rumors reported by ASNMP are accurate, that’s a bad look for the senior national team coaches and USAWP. I don’t think the senior national team coaches should be suggesting (some might say “pressuring”) college water polo players to transfer to “Big 4” schools to increase their chances of making the U.S. Olympic team. Several years ago, the rumor was that the senior national team coaches suggested that West Temkin transfer from Princeton to a “Big 4” school. He did. Nevertheless, it appears that Temkin is no longer in the goalie pipeline for the 2028 Olympics. Even more regrettable, in my opinion, would be for the senior national team coaches to suggest that high school water polo players skip their senior year in high school to play internationally.
If Brendon Gyapjas is or becomes an American citizen, I think he would be America’s second best goalie after Adrian Weinberg. At a listed 6’2", Gyapjas is several inches shorter than the other goalies competing for the second spot behind Weinberg. In the past, DU has shown an affinity for taller goalies. Remember that DU didn’t even give UCLA’s Garrett Danner (listed at 6’1", considered by some to be the greatest collegiate goalie of this century) a chance to try out for the 2016 Olympic team.
In an interview published in TotalWaterPolo.com on September 22, 2016, Michael Randazzo asked Adam Wright this question: “How do you view the decision to pick McQuin Baron instead of Garrett Danner for Team USA?” Here is Wright’s answer:
“Look, McQuin’s an excellent goalie. I think Danner has put himself in a position where he’s demonstrated that he was the best goalie in college. Ultimately, it’s up to the coach [Dejan Udovicic] for selection; I just think it would be interesting if [Danner] at least had a chance to see what he would be like [trying out for the national team]. That’s the most important thing. And that access was never there."
With respect to the rumors about Gyapjas competing for a spot on the 2028 American Olympic team, DU has stated that the men’s senior national team “will be practicing full time during 2027 to prepare for the Olympics.” If that’s what actually happens, none of the goalies competing for a spot on the 2028 Olympic team will play college water polo during the 2027 season.
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I am not sure that the timeline will work out in this case.
One cannot get US citizenship directly this way, to the best of my knowledge. What happens, is that a person can petition for EB-1A Extraordinary Ability immigrant visa. This is a way to get a green card (permanent residency status) without going to the employment/ close relatives route. It is reserved to a very few who “sustained national or international acclaim” and can show that they are “among the small percentage at the very top of their profession”. Ideally, you can think about an Olympic medalist, or a Nobel prize winner, etc. In practice, many people who are successful in getting EB-1A are not at that Olympic winner/Nobel laureate level but are still near the top in their field. If USA Water Polo/ Dejan writes glowing letters in support of the athlete, chances are Gyapjas will get it. The main problem is that green card is not the US citizenship and one can apply for the citizenship only five years later (three years if green card is obtained through marriage to a US citizen).
P.S. In theory, US Congress can grant an individual US citizneship by passing a private bill but I think it is very unlikely in this case.