Saturday, July 8, 2023

WATER POLO USA Men & Croatia To Meet Tomorrow Night At Mt. Sac; Live On Bally Sports


 

Irvine, CA – July 7 – The USA Men's National Team and Croatia are set to meet in an exhibition tomorrow night on July 8 at 6:30 p.m. PT at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California. The match will serve as a final tune-up for Team USA before it departs for the World Aquatics World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. As part of the festivities, three-time Olympian Merrill Moses will be honored on his retirement from water polo. The USA Men are fresh off a bronze medal effort at last weekend's World Aquatics World Cup.

The match will air LIVE on Bally Sports and streaming on the Bally Sports app in addition to airing LIVE on MSG Networks. Tickets for the match are available and can be accessed by clicking here.

"It was a great honor representing Team USA in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. I want to thank USA Water Polo for all of their support during my career wearing the red, white and blue. I'm looking forward to my retirement game on July 8 vs Croatia and appreciate USA Water Polo recognizing my career," Moses said.

Here's a closer look at the career of the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, NCAA champion, and 2021 inductee to the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame:

By Olympic water polo standards, Merrill Moses got a late start. As a teenager, Moses swapped the football field for the pool and brought the bravado and confidence of a star quarterback to his job as a goalkeeper for Team USA during a career that lasted more than 15 years. When the All-CIF selection from Peninsula High School in California headed to Pepperdine University, he also launched a lifelong bond with the Waves' head coach and water polo legend Terry Schroeder.  Moses brashly vowed to win the starting goalie spot as a freshman…and did. Two years later, he guarded the cage as Pepperdine claimed the 1997 NCAA Championship title.

He soon started competing for Team USA but stepped away from the game after being the final cut for the 2004 Olympic roster. Two years later, Schroeder was on the Team USA staff and lured Moses out of an office job and back to the water to make history in 2008. At the Beijing Olympics, often repeating his promise to "shock the world," Moses recorded a goalkeeping performance for the ages when the ninth-ranked American team surprised everyone with a silver-medal finish. He went on to become the starting goalie for Team USA at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and added three Pan American Games titles and two FINA World League silver medals to his resume. Moses also played internationally for professional clubs in Spain, Italy, and Croatia while earning multiple domestic titles for the New York Athletic Club.

In 2012, Moses launched his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater. As associate head coach serving under Schroeder, Moses most recently helped the Waves claim Golden Coast Conference championships in 2016 and 2019 and reach the NCAA Championship semifinals in 2019.

Team rosters for the USA vs. Croatia match will be available closer to the start of competition. Live stats will be available via 6-8 Sports at 68scores.com. Check your local listings for details. For select areas outside of Bally Sports coverage, including the San Francisco Bay Area, fans can watch 48 hours after the conclusion of the game at YouTube.com/USAWP.

Bally Sports Networks & Affiliates Airing USA-Croatia LIVE

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Bally Sports Midwest Extra

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Bally Sports App

MSG

 

About USA Water Polo

USA Water Polo, Inc., is the national governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic program as well as 20 championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and Masters National Championships. With more than 50,000 members, USAWP also is the sanctioning authority for more than 500 Member Clubs and more than 400 tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport throughout the U.S. It fosters grass-roots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches, and officials.

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