Until we get a professional league in the US we will never compete with Europe on a regular basis. We got lucky that so many top players put their careers off to win the bronze. It’s that simple.
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That or every player on the MNT commits to playing professionally overseas on top level teams 3-4 years in between Olympic cycles. It’s the only way.
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Also, why are we so bad at executing at 6 on 5 as a country compared to the Europeans?
Is it positioning? Ball movement? Shooting + shot selection? Lack of utilizing our post players? Lack of a dominant lefty?
In Paris we were statistically the worst 6 on 5 team in the final 8 but still managed to medal.
I haven’t been able to watch any of this tournament’s games, but historically speaking I would say lack of a dominant lefty has been a huge factor.
The last 7 Olympic gold medal teams each had a dominant lefty. I think at least 5 of them had multiple dominant lefties. Not just the best lefties either, they were mostly top 5 or 10 players in the world (I would think Kiss, Filipovic, and Mandic were at least) at their time.
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USA 14 - Serbia 12. 22-7 on exclusions in favor of Serbia is not ideal. But a win is a win. Ryder Dodd has the ability to bail this team out in bad spots, and did so in this one.
I wonder if the members of Serbian Water Polo Exchange are now as doom and gloom about their team as this thread was.
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Gutsy win, could have folded the tents when down 4-1 in Q1.
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This.
As an aside, Wikipedia already has the result of that game posted. USA Water Polo does not. How hard is it for some team official to write a 2 paragraph press release and post it after each game?
Don’t get too excited-Serbia announced weeks ago they were only bringing 1 or 2 of their regular guys. Half our team were Olympians. But you should be thanking Ryder for his existence.
One win doesn’t solve the issues of a less than stellar team made up of players who aren’t even the best option on their own college team.
I’m not getting all excited. Just seeing this as confirmation of a theme earlier in this thread that the US is not the only team using it as an opportunity to evaluate and train young players. I’d love to see the US fielding a better team and doing better, but I haven’t heard much discussion of who should be here and is not–beyond past stars who may or may not be coming back to future events.
Can’t have it both ways. This can’t be an incredibly vital tournament where we needed to send our best possible team to qualify for the later stages of the competition, but also a tournament where Serbia doesnt send their best team. I think the rest of the world, like Team USA, sees this tournament for exactly what it is. It’s an opportunity to take a look at 8 players who are in consideration for an Olympic spot, but will be unlikely to make the final roster.
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We are hardly at the level of Serbia. They have reserved the right to do whatever they please, we have not. Every tournament is vital for us to be taken seriously. But also to stir up the fan base. I know I’m more likely to be excited about team USA if they do well in these kinds of tournaments. 28 is in our backyard-we should be focused on players who can handle the European game and save our development for 32 after this Olympic cycle. From what I’ve seen so far, there is only one non-olympian who raises my hopes.
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I am curious, what non-olympian raises your hopes?
So what players would you have put on the team?
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I actually really like Savelijic on our team. He can shoot and that is what we need. I think he would strive even more if we had our veterans playing with him.
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If these guys do not come back:
Hooper: Savelijic
Cupido: Earhardt
Woodhead: Larson
Obert: Mcfarland
Bowen: Leighty
My standard is great college careers, international pro league experience, size, strength and savvy. I’d like to see 2 powerful sets and a versatile lefty, something all the European teams seem to have.
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I like this list. With a few addendums. I think it’s pretty clear Ryan Ohl is going to make the team. They seem to like him and Ryder’s interplay on 1-2 side and it was very effective at World Juniors when they got the silver (should have been gold, but for a bad 4th quarter whistle and an uncharacteristic miss on an open cage from Ryder). I’d also take Peter Castillo over McFarland, personally. But that’s a preference choice. It feels like Dom Brown has had plenty of opportunities to take hold of that spot behind Hallock (assuming he is back), but I haven’t seen the vision there.
Lastly, if Ben Leichty isn’t on the team, Dejan has really not seen the hole that a lack of a left hander has put in our 6-5 for multiple Olympic cycles. I don’t even think someone has to opt out of 2028 for him to be in the team. He is one of my favorite players to watch at any level.
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Here’s the game recap - USA Men Defeat Serbia 14-12 To Begin Second Round At World Aquatics World Cup Division 1 Tournament - USA Water Polo
Additional tourney recaps here - Men's Senior National Team - Story Archives - USA Water Polo
The real problem is there is no answer for Bowen. We don’t have anyone who can light it up from the 4 that can keep the defense honest. Having a lefty at the 5 would help balance out the offense but you still need someone who can score from the 4.
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Agree. Dash is not the answer. Castillo plays a similar game to Obert and is a nice change of pace to the brute force of Hallock. Max Miller would have been good but I haven’t seen any indications he wants to play. Maybe JRH if he can have a strong season at Stanford can get in the mix.
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What year is Ben L in at UCLA? If he can somehow play a season overseas on a high level team before 2028 Olympics I think that would be ideal.