Captain Tony Azevedo (Santa Ana, Calif.) continued his strong performance in Rio with six goals on seven attempts, moving his two-game scoring total to 10. He had the game’s first goal and its last Monday, as well as two assists and two blocks. Ten U.S. players scored at least once, and stand out performances were had by Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), with two goals and five blocks, and rookie John Mann (Newport Beach, Calif.), with three goals on three attempts.
”This is one of my first big trips,” Mann said. “It’s a huge honor to be here, and as an Olympic qualifier, this event is a really big deal. It’s a big challenge to step up to this level, so to come and learn from these guys, hopefully I can just be a sponge and take it all in. They are all really experienced and talented.”
The U.S. Team is undefeated in Rio with wins over Brazil (12-6) and Mexico (18-3) over the weekend. As defending Pan American champions and the highest placing team from the Americas at the 2007 FINA World Championships (9th), the U.S. is favored to win gold in Rio. Should they do so, they’ll earn an automatic berth to the 2008 Olympic Games.
“Our goal is the get that Olympic berth and that’s the most important thing for us to do this summer, so that’s our focus,” head coach Terry Schroeder said. “It’ll take really staying together as a team. We’ve been able to do a nice job with some team changes, and the guys have really hung together. In some ways it’s made them closer. We have to keep building on what we have.” The U.S. men play Cuba at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
About USA Water Polo: USA Water Polo, Inc. is a non-profit corporation organized for the purpose to serve as the national governing body for the sport of water polo in the United States under the auspices of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). For more information please visit www.usawaterpolo.com.
