“Brazil came out to play tonight,” Azevedo said. “They’re an extremely strong team. They had the crowd behind them and we had to try and take the emotion out of the game and get some points on the board early on.”
Strong defense was also a key component in the team’s victory over Brazil as the U.S. team held their opponents to just two goals on 26 attempts. “We had to work very hard tonight,” said head coach Terry Schroeder after the win. “Brazil is probably the most improved team over the last year and they made us work hard. We had to keep our intensity on defense. That was our theme for the week.”
“The only thing we focused on the last couple of months was qualifying for the Olympics,” Azevedo added. “Now we have to go out and train for next year. We are going to work as hard as we can to become better offensive players, better defensive players and be ready to show up in Beijing.”
The U.S. team finished competition at the Pan American Games without a loss, topping Brazil (12-6), Mexico (18-3), Puerto Rico (21-3), Cuba (15-4), and Brazil again in the final to win gold. This is the fourth straight gold medal for the U.S. men’s water polo team at the Pan Am Games. The squad also won gold at the 1995, 1999, and 2003 Pan Ams.
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.
