2024 U.S. OLYMPIC MEN'S WATER POLO ROSTER ANNOUNCED

U.S. Olympic Men's Head Coach Dejan Udovicic announced the 13 athletes who will represent Team USA at the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024, earlier this week at a press conference at Republique in Los Angeles. In July, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee will confirm the full roster for Paris.

The team is loaded with experience, as 10 of the 13 players selected for Paris also competed at the Tokyo Olympic Games. One of the returnees is team captain and two-time Olympian Ben Hallock, who is recognized as one of the most elite centers in the world. He won three Champions League titles with the Italian club Pro Recco.

Alex Bowen, Luca Cupido and Alex Obert are also two-time Olympians expected to aid Team USA's effort to return to the podium. Attackers Bowen and Cupido will bring a major scoring punch after completing strong seasons in France and Italy, respectively. Obert returned to Team USA last fall and will add essential depth at the two-meter spot as well as a veteran presence.

Other attackers returning from Tokyo include Max Irving, Johnny Hooper and Hannes Daube. All three can score in a variety of ways because Irving is a world-class passer, Hooper is one of the sport's fastest players, and Daube a right-hander who can quickly pile up the goals.

Defensively, three important pieces are returning. Goalkeeper Drew Holland is formidable in the net with his high energy and large wingspan. At 6'7", Dylan Woodhead adds length on the defensive end, and Marko Vavic will be necessary to control some of the bigger threats on the opposing teams. All three recently finished seasons abroad. Holland represented Peristeri, Woodhead suited up for Vouliagmeni and Vavic played for Savona in Italy.

One of the three Olympic rookies on the 2024 roster is Adrian Weinberg, a defensive leader in goal for UC-Berkeley who helped the California Golden Bears capture three consecutive NCAA titles. The others are brothers Chase and Ryder Dodd who have ascended rapidly through the national development pipeline to attain their Olympic berths.

Chase Dodd is a utility who is currently taking time off from UCLA while his 18-year-old brother, Ryder, is a speedster who can score at a level far beyond his age. Ryder graduated from JSerra High School this past spring and will join Chase at UCLA next year.
 
Team USA earned it's 2024 Olympic berth in men's water polo by winning the gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
 
In Paris, 13 athletes will be rostered for each match. Unlike the Tokyo Games, it will no longer be necessary to choose a gameday active roster.
 
The last time the US men's water polo team earned an Olympic medal was in 2008, at the Olympic Games in Beijing where it claimed silver.  It was the third silver medal in the program's history, matching results from 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul. The US men have also claimed bronze on three occasions: 1924 Paris, 1932 Los Angeles, and 1972 Munich.

Turbo is the water polo suits and caps of USA Water polo and the men will be wearing Turbo during the Olympic games.

KAP7 is the official water polo ball of USA Water polo and they will be using KAP7 balls and equipment to prepare for the games.