Men’s Water Polo: Team USA wins bronze
Luca Cupido may be known for his athleticism and blistering hard shot, but the most spectacular play he made Saturday afternoon at the FINA Intercontinental Men’s Water Polo Tournament was a pass.
Cupido, the Newport Harbor High graduate, fed teammate Alex Bowen with a quick pass on the counterattack for an easy goal late in the first half against China.
“It was the easiest way to score,” Cupido said after the game. “I could have shot it too, but he had the higher percentage to score than I did.”
The U.S. men’s senior national team, which includes Cupido and Corona del Mar High product John Mann, hopes its percentage to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil can be as high.
Team USA did well to bounce back Saturday at CdM after a tough loss Friday night. The Americans blitzed China, 19-7, for the bronze medal at the FINA Intercontinental Tournament.
Cupido, who had two goals, two assists, a steal and drew a penalty shot in the third-place game, earned tournament MVP honors.
Australia, which had defeated Team USA in a shootout in Friday night’s semifinal game, topped Brazil, 9-6, for the gold medal.
The American side is very young. Only three American players at the FINA tournament — 2012 Olympian Mann, three-time Olympian Jesse Smith and four-time Olympian Tony Azevedo — played on the 2012 U.S. team that finished eighth at the Olympics in London.
Cupido, 19, was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Newcomer of the Year last fall as a freshman at Cal, which is also Mann’s alma mater. Team USA also currently has a high school player, Harvard-Westlake junior Ben Hallock, on the roster.
“We knew we had to come back hard today,” Cupido said. “We wanted to prove that we’re improving day by day. I think we’re becoming more as a team, we’re getting very bonded ... We’re young, but we can play at a high level.”
Mann said it was the first time that CdM had hosted an international-level tournament since he graduated in 2003. He clearly enjoyed being home.
“It’s exciting,” said Mann, a center who scored twice against China in the tournament bronze-medal game. “It’s a city pool, so it’s tough, because there’s a lot of things going on here. For us to have a tournament all week here has been amazing. Obviously, it’s my home pool, and this is the pool where I learned to love the sport. No other pool can take that place, so this is a very special place for me.”
Team USA went 4-2 overall in the six-day tournament. It accomplished a goal, as it qualified for the FINA World League Super Final, to be held in Italy in June. The winner of that tournament gets an automatic bid to the Olympics.
Team USA has never won the Super Final, though. The American players and coaches are more looking toward the Pan-American Games, which are in Toronto in July. That tournament’s champion also gets an automatic bid to Rio.
Stanford’s Bret Bonanni, the former Mater Dei High star, scored a game-high four goals against China. Azevedo scored three, while Mann, Cupido, Hallock, Josh Samuels and Janson Wigo scored two each. Drew Holland had 10 saves in goal and a pair of steals for Team USA, which was never challenged after taking a 7-1 lead after the first quarter.
“Unfortunately we didn’t win the game last night, but I am pretty much glad how the boys returned back [today],” U.S. Coach Dejan Udovicic said. “It’s emotional when you lose in a shootout, and there were only 16 hours between the games. It’s a long process, because this is the youngest team right now in the world ... but we’re getting better and better. We’ve got huge potential.”
Zhang Chufeng and Li Li each scored twice for China, which had upset Canada in a quarterfinal game on Thursday.
Mann, who at 29 is the third-oldest player on Team USA, said he is enjoying being a leader for this squad.
“Obviously there’s a learning curve on certain things, most of them in the water, but these guys are picking it up quickly,” Mann said. “Our job as older guys on this team is to help them as much as possible, be nurturing leaders. Out of the water, you have the little things, the things they don’t understand. Before, you’re on a team with 13 Olympians, and everyone knows to bring their passport here and everything like that. But they’ve been a great group of young guys. I love this group of guys, and I’m really proud of the effort they’ve put in and the commitment they have.
“The potential is there for all of them to be great players. They all want to push forward, and that’s the most important thing. We’re going to grow, and we’re going to surprise the world in the Olympic Games, I know.”
Felipe Perrone of Brazil was the tournament’s top scorer with 18 goals, while James Stanton-French of Australia was named the tournament’s top goalie.
