Courtesy: USA Water Polo
Irvine, CA – May 27 – The USA Men’s National Team will reconvene to host three nations for seven exhibition games over the course of one month this summer in California. The action starts in Southern California with a single match against China, followed by a three-game series versus Montenegro. An action-packed month concludes with a three-game series against Italy in Northern California. All matches will stream LIVE on Overnght with LIVE stats from 6-8 Sports. Tickets for all seven matches are available here. Competition rosters will be announced at a later date.
The stretch of home games will allow USA Water Polo fans the chance to honor three retiring Team USA Olympians in Alex Bowen, Drew Holland, and Alex Obert. Bowen and Holland announced their retirement yesterday while Obert stepped away from Team USA following the Paris Olympic Games.
“It is bittersweet when retirement news comes along,” said Dejan Udovicic, USA men’s national team head coach. “I have such appreciation for what these athletes helped our team accomplish and the commitment they showed to our program that ultimately resulted in an Olympic bronze medal. At the same time, they aren’t easily replaceable and their presence in the pool will be missed. I’m looking forward to honoring Bowen, Holland and Obert and I’m glad the USA Water Polo community will have a chance to say thank you in person this summer.”
Team USA opens the jam-packed slate with a match against China on June 12 at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, CA at 1pm.
The series against Montenegro opens on Friday, June 26 at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, CA with a 7pm start. From there the two teams head to Irvine for a meeting on Sunday, June 28 at 7pm at William Woollett Aquatic Center. The two sides will wrap up the series on Wednesday, July 1 at UCSD’s Canyonview Aquatic Center at 7pm. That match will feature the retirement celebration for Santee native and three-time Team USA Olympian Alex Bowen.
The series against Italy begins Wednesday, July 8 at UC Berkeley’s Spieker Aquatics Complex with a 7pm start. After that the two teams travel to Stockton for a match on Friday, July 10 at 7pm at University of the Pacific which will include the retirement celebration for UOP star and three-time Team USA Olympian Alex Obert, who announced his retirement in 2024. The summer slate concludes on Sunday, July 12 at Avery Aquatic Center on the campus of Stanford University at 12:30pm. The ultimate match will include the retirement celebration for Orinda native and two-time Team USA Olympian Drew Holland.
USA Men – China Series
June 12: JSerra Catholic High School – San Juan Capistrano, CA – 1pm pt
USA Men – Montenegro Series
June 26: Orange Coast College – Costa Mesa, CA – 7pm pt
June 28: Woollett Aquatics Center – Irvine, CA – 7pm pt
July 1: Canyonview Aquatic Center – La Jolla, CA – 7pm pt – Alex Bowen Retirement Celebration
USA Men – Italy Series
July 8: Spieker Aquatics Complex – Berkeley, CA – 7pm pt
July 10: Chris Kjeldsen Pool – Stockton, CA – 7pm pt – Alex Obert Retirement Celebration
July 12: Avery Aquatic Center – Stanford, CA – 12:30pm pt – Drew Holland Retirement Celebration
Totally get why the focus on California dates – but need to get some dates in Texas – fastest growing spot for youth water polo in the US.