Courtesy: USA Water Polo
Irvine, CA – June 5 – The Olympic Games Paris 2024 begin in less than two months and the USA Water Polo National Teams are in the final stages of preparation for the big event. With all eyes looking towards the “City of Light,” both Team USA squads will host some of the top teams on earth in exhibition matches to fine-tune their plans before Paris. Nine matches will take place between now and early July in venues throughout California, with tickets available by clicking here. Broadcast details are still to be finalized with many matches streaming LIVE on Overnght.com and LIVE stats of all games at 6-8Sports.com. Television coverage of any matches will be shared in the coming weeks.
The USA Men’s National Team will kick things off with a previously announced two-game series against Montenegro. This is the last competition for the USA Men before their Olympic roster is announced on June 18 in Los Angeles. Team USA will meet Montenegro on June 12 at Mt. San Antonio College at 7pm pt followed by a June 14 showdown at UC San Diego at 6pm pt. The June 14 match will also serve as a retirement celebration for five-time Olympian Jesse Smith.
Later in the month, the Team USA Men returned to the pool to meet Spain who claimed the 2022 World Championship and 2024 European Championship titles. The two start their series on June 26 at Mt. San Antonio College at 7pm pt. This match will be extra special as the 1984 U.S. Olympic Men’s Water Polo Team will be honored, with this summer marking the 40th anniversary of their Silver Medal run in Malibu. From there the two teams head north for a June 28 get together at the Spieker Aquatics Complex at 6pm pt, on campus at the University of California, Berkeley. The series closes on Sunday, June 30 at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton, CA with a 1pm pt opening sprint. Tickets for all five matches are available by clicking here.
Gearing up for a run at a fourth straight Olympic title, the USA Women’s National Team named their Olympic roster on May 30 in Los Angeles, and now gets the chance to cap up in front of home crowds as they welcome Italy and Hungary across four matches. Team USA starts with a two-game series against Italy in Southern California as they open play on June 25 at UC San Diego’s Canyonview Aquatic Center at 6pm pt. From there they head to Mt. San Antonio College for a 7pm pt match on June 29. Team USA then heads to Northern California for two matches with Hungary, opening on July 5 at 6:30pm pt at Stanford University’s Avery Aquatic Center. The competition wraps up on July 9 at the University of California, Berkeley with a 6pm pt start.
After that both teams continue with training as they make their way to France for the start of the Olympic Games with the women’s competition beginning on July 27 followed by the men’s tourney on July 28. Follow along on all the USA Water Polo action in Paris by following our social channels @USAWP and visiting USAWaterPolo.org for more information.
USA Men – Montenegro Series
June 12 – Mt. SAC Aquatics Complex – Walnut, CA 7pm pt – Overnght
June 14 – Canyonview Aquatic Center – La Jolla, CA 6pm pt – Overnght – Jesse Smith Retirement Celebration
USA Men – Spain Series
June 26 – Mt. SAC Aquatics Complex – Walnut CA- 7pm pt – TBA
1984 Men’s Olympic Team Celebration
June 28 – Spieker Aquatics Complex – Berkeley, CA 6pm pt – Overnght
June 30 – Sacred Heart Prep – Atherton, CA 1pm pt – Overnght
USA Women – Italy Series
June 25 – USA vs Italy – Canyonview Aquatic Center – La Jolla, CA 6pm pt – TBA
June 29 – USA vs Italy – Mt. Sac Aquatics Complex – Walnut, CA 7pm pt – Overnght
USA Women – Hungary Series
July 5 – USA vs Hungary – Avery Aquatic Center – Stanford, CA 6:30pm pt – Overnght
July 9 – USA vs Hungary – Spieker Aquatics Complex – Berkeley, CA 6pm pt – TBA