Team USA will welcome in the powerhouse Serbian National Team for a four-game series this summer. The matchups will be centered in California, which is the epicenter of American water polo, but will sneak in a trip to Chicago and the University of Illinois-Chicago for a Midwestern matchup.
The United States National Team has struggled of late, placing just 8th in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, and 9th at the 2013 World Championships; though they bounced back a little to place 5th in the 2015 Water Polo World League Super Final.
The Serbians, meanwhile, are the world’s hottest men’s water polo team. They’ve won the last two European Championships and the last two (plus 8 out of the last 10) FINA World League titles.
See the full release, with details, below.
Huntington Beach, CA – April 28 – The USA Men’s National Team, bronze medalists at the 2015 FINA Intercontinental Tournament, will continue their Olympic Games qualification preparation when they host Serbia in a four game series this June. Ranked second in the world, Serbia will open the series with Team USA on June 2at UC-San Diego, the action will then move to the Inland Empire and the Riverside Aquatics Complex on June 4. From there the two teams head to Orange County for a meeting at El Toro High School on June 7. The series closes with a trip to the Midwest and the University of Illinois-Chicago on June 9.
Tickets for all four matches are on-sale now and can be purchased by clicking here. Tickets cost $12.75 for USA Water Polo members and $15 for non-USA Water Polo members. Tickets will cost $20 at the gate. For those interested in purchasing group tickets of 10 or more, please contact Annalece Montgomery at amontgomery@usawaterpolo.
“This is a great occasion for water polo fans in the United States to have Team USA take on one of the best teams in the world. I’m excited for our team to have high level competition as we prepare for the FINA World League Super Final, Pan American Games, and FINA World Championship this summer. The opportunity to play in three different areas of Southern California and in the city of Chicago is a special one and I’m looking forward to seeing great support for Team USA,” said Dejan Udovicic, USA Men’s National Team Head Coach.
In addition to the matches, two clinics will be offered surrounding the series. OnMay 31 at 2pm PT at Segerstrom HS in Santa Ana, CA a clinic for male athletes ages 12-18 will be available, to register click here. On June 9 at 4pm CT at the University of Illinois-Chicago a coed clinic for athletes ages 12-18 will be available, to register click here. The USA Men’s Senior National Team will warm-up for the Serbia series with an exhibition match against the 2015 National League All-Star Team on May 23 at 7pm at Segerstrom High School. Admission for that match will be free.
Rosters for the USA-Serbia series along with the exhibition match will be made available in the coming weeks. Visit USAWaterPolo.org or follow @USAWP on Twitter for more information as the matches approach.
USA-Serbia Series – Purchase Tickets
June 2– UC-San Diego 7pm PT
June 4 – Riverside Aquatics Complex 7:30pm PT
June 7 – El Toro High School 5pm PT
June 9 – University of Illinois-Chicago 7:45pm CT