Pan Am Gold

Last night, we won the gold by beating Canada 7 - 3 in the final match. This means that we are officially in the Olympic Games next summer in London. Our defense made the difference in this game. Merrill Moses led the way, playing another great game for us. He made 10 saves, including a one on nobody break away and 4 saves on the 6 on 5. Our perimeter defense was excellent also as we made 9 field blocks. This is the most we have had in any one game in a long time. The Canadians were very frustrated, especially on 6 on 5 where they went 0/8. Our five man defense did a great job of shutting them down.

Offensively, we did what we needed to do. The Canadians played very physical and yet were only called for 3 exclusions. We scored 2/3 of our extra man situations. Tony Azevedo was back in the water, playing his first game of this tournament. His presence and leadership are critical for us. He scored 3 goals and made two assists. Peter Hudnut, Jeff Powers, Tim Hutton and Jesse Smith also scored for us. Our centers were frustrated and it seemed that the officials just were not going to pay us off at all. We made 11 good entry passes and only drew 2 exclusions at center. (This is extremely rare; normally one would expect to see about 50% of your good entry passes result in an exclusion).

I was happy with the game. It is the defense that must excel in these big games and that is what we relied on last night. Lori flew in just for the game and made it with a couple of hours to spare. It was awesome having her there supporting me and the team. After the game, we had a great team dinner which was hosted by the Varellas family. It was great being together as a team with all the family members that traveled down. Everyone had a great meal and enjoyed the time together. It is so important for a team to celebrate the successes along the way.

We return home today and then have a few months to take a bit of a break. The guys will be training on their own. They are all on a specific weight training program with a group called P3, which is showing very good results. They will also be swimming 3 times per week to keep their fitness level up. The break is important both physically and mentally. I want them all to come back ready and hungry to make a push towards that gold medal in London. We are now within 9 months of Opening Ceremonies in London. Wow! Time will fly as we prepare and get ready for the Games.

Thank you to everyone for your support. Your emails, thoughts and prayers are all appreciated. We need it all to be successful next summer. One of our big goals over the next few months is to find housing for the team when we go into full time training in January. If anyone out there has a solution; an empty house, guest homes, granny flats, or reduced cost apartments, please let me know. We have a few months to figure it out.

See you at the pool.

Coach
tschroeder@usawaterpolo.org

An interesting perspective

After training tonight, we went over and supported our women’s team in their quest for the gold and an Olympic berth. They also played Canada. After being down 7 - 3 in the third quarter our USA team rallied to tie the score at 8 and send the game into overtime. Neither team scored in OT which meant the game headed to a penalty shootout. The format for a shootout is that each team picks five players and then each player gets their turn (one team and then the next). After each player has taken their penalty shot a winner is determined. If the score is still tied then the teams alternate (with the same five players taking shots) until a winner is determined. After each team had taken 20 shots the score was still tied. Finally, Canada missed after a USA make and the game was over. Our women won the gold! Very exciting game and pretty amazing that there were so many penalty throws converted in a row. Congrats to our women’s team.

Tomorrow is our turn to play for a gold and hopefully, it will be the same result without the excitement of a penalty shoot out. I was watching both coaches suffer throughout the shootout...

Somehow on the way home, Rick and I ended up in the bus with the Brazilian women’s water polo team. They had just won their first bronze medal at the Pan Ams ever. These girls were so excited. They were playing loud music, dancing and singing and just screaming in delight. It occurred to me how I have felt after winning the silver medal at the Olympics as a player and as a coach. I also have won one silver, along with 4 golds at the Pan Ams in the past. It is amazing how when you don’t win the gold you go away in pain with a silver medal while when you win the bronze you are happy and excited with a medal. I remember that feeling from Beijing also when we won the silver and Serbia won the bronze and they we super excited and we were bummed.

Anyway, tomorrow is a day for us to shine and win the gold. We have been gradually getting better throughout the tournament and tomorrow Tony should be back in the pool with us. This will definitely make us stronger. We are prepared and ready to play at our best in this final game. Ready to take home the gold and qualify for London.

After the women’s game tonight, Rick and I stayed to watch the medal ceremony for the women. I just wanted to hear our national anthem being played so that I could go to bed with those positive thoughts, humming our countries anthem as I drift off.

See you at the pool tomorrow.

Coach

Pan Am Update - Semi - finals

Today we moved one step closer to qualifying for the Olympic Games in London. We played a much more complete game today and dominated Cuba in the process. We took a 6 - 0 lead into the half and had them very frustrated. The third quarter we pulled back on the throttle a bit and went into the fourth quarter ahead 8 - 2. We finished strong and outscored the Cubans 4 - 0 in the fourth quarter to win the game 12- 2. Jeff Powers led the way with three goals, Brian Alexander and Jesse Smith both had two each and Layne Beaubien, JW Krumpolz, Peter Varellas, Ryan Bailey and Tim Hutton each had one. Merrill Moses played exceptionally well in the goal, allowing a good shooting Cuban team just two goals.

In the other semi-final, Canada outlasted Brazil in a very physical game in which I thought that the officials lost control. There were many crazy calls and the Brazilians had every chance to win the game but gave it away.

Tomorrow our women play Canada for the gold and a berth in the Olympic Games and then on Saturday we will get our chance.

The village has quieted down in the past few days. It is probably about 40% capacity of what it was over last weekend. As athletes finish they usually are on a plane the following day for home. This keeps the village under control and obviously cuts down the cost of housing and feeding the athletes for extra days.

It was another beautiful day here in Guadalajara. Of course, every day that you win is great. The weather has been perfect for the games. It has been consistently in the high 70’s and is expected to stay that way throughout the weekend.

I am excited about tomorrow. We are having a light workout in the morning and then heading to a hotel for a nice brunch. I am salivating already just thinking about it. A meal outside the village...

By the way, I had a real treat tonight. After our game, I came back and one of our volleyball parents at Oaks arranged for me to be able to watch our league final game vs. La Reina tonight. The marvels of technology. I watched the entire game live on skype. It was awesome being away from home and being able to watch my daughter play. Her team won too so it was a good day all around.

See you at the pool.

Coach

Pan Am Games - Game 3 Argentina

Another win for Team USA. We played much better but did not shoot the ball very well. We made the Argentine goalie look good. We won 13 - 6 in a very physical game. The officials let this one get too rough. There was one fight and a few other punches thrown. Our guys did a good job of holding back and controlling their emotions. One of the Argentine players was excluded from the game which gave us a man advantage for 4 minutes. We were up 10 - 5 at the time and scored the next 3 goals to seal the game. We actually had 29 shots on goal (which is a lot) and could have easily won by 12 goals but were not sharp on our shooting.

Tomorrow is an off day for the competition. We will have light training in the morning and then do another training in the afternoon. They guys are beginning to feel better with the altitude but I am not sure that we are 100% yet. A few of the guys have been sick (head colds and mild cases of Montezuma’s revenge) which certainly does not help. Tony still has not played yet. He is much better and should be good to go for the semis and finals. If we felt like we needed him in the last couple of games he could have played but we decided to hold him out and make sure he was 100% for the last two games.

Village food has become scary. Peanut butter and jelly are scarce. All the guys are now stopping by the coaches room for their “fix”. There is more snack type food showing up in the USA team rooms. There is a small place that Rick and I found tonight in the International zone that served sushi tonight. Although the thought of raw fish here did not sit well with me, we found some vegetable fried rice that was to die for. It was a feast. Hopefully, that place will be around. It may be another staple....

The weather has been superb. The days are beautiful. Bright blue skies, in the upper 70’s with a slight breeze. It has been nice. Even though we are playing indoors, the staff has been able to come back and get some exercise in during the late afternoons. The gyms has quieted down some and there is plenty of space without sweaty boxers sparring all around or wrestlers trying to make weight in their sweatsuits, dripping with sweat. After some work in the gym we have been able to take a nice peaceful swim in the late afternoon in the village pool. It has been heavenly... Very relaxing and a good way to spend some time with the staff as we make our game plan for the next day.

Many of the parents and wives are here now. In town to watch the semis and finals. It is nice to have some Americans cheering when we do something well. It is still a very anti American group in the stands. They are cheering wildly for the other team - no matter who it has been. I am missing my family. Getting reports from home about soccer and volleyball for my two girls. Can’t wait to get back and see them play. Lori is coming down on Saturday, just in time to see the finals. It will be nice to have her here for that.

Time to focus on getting these guys ready to play at their highest level. All games went as scheduled today, so we will play Cuba in the semi-finals on Thursday at 3:30 pm here. Canada will play Brazil in the other semi-final. Two win away from that Olympic berth.

Send your positive thoughts to us over the next few days. We can use all the support we can get. We know we have many back home supporting us and we thank you for all the positive emails and notes that are coming in. Keep them coming. The team appreciates them all.

See you at the pool.

Coach

Pan Am Update 11/24/11

Today we played a scrappy Brazilian team that did not roll over easy. They were able to slow down our offense and keep the game close but that is all. We were never behind and we played just well enough to win. Honestly, I was disappointed in our effort today. We took Brazil lightly and that is always dangerous. I have no one to blame but myself. They guys were not ready to play mentally. We were up 2 - 0 and 4 - 1 but kept allowing Brazil to hang close. At the end of three quarters we were up 5 - 4. At that point, Ryan Bailey stepped up and scored two nice goals in a row to help us put them away. Tim Hutton also had two goals in the game and Peter Varellas, Layne Beaubien, JW Krumpolz and Jeff Powers each scored one. Merrill Moses went the distance in the goal today.

We had a long meeting tonight and spoke about our focus and our intensity. We did not play with any urgency and that is something that we need to get back. It is amazing how there really is such a small difference between winning and losing. If you don’t come with your best stuff then you give the other team a chance, no matter how much better you are then them. The other negative about today’s game is that we gave Canada some hope. And in sports as in life, hope tends to go a long way.

Tomorrow is a new day and a time to change the tide. We will face Argentina, who gave Brazil a good battle. You can bet that we will come ready to play. A win tomorrow puts us in the semi’s against Cuba who lost today to Canada 15 - 10. The semi’s will be played on Thursday with the final on Saturday. We are three wins away from that Olympic berth that we came here to win.

See you at the pool.

Coach

Pan Ams update

We played our first game yesterday against Venezuela. The guys came out supercharged and we were up 6 - 0 in the first quarter and 12 - 0 in the second quarter before we went into cruise control. The defense looked very sharp with very few balls even reaching the goal. We made some good field blocks and kept Venezuela very frustrated. The final score was 16 - 3.

It was a good first game for us. Considering that Tony Azevedo did not play because of a muscle strain that has been bothering him for the past few days, the team did very well. The offense was led by Tim Hutton who scored four goals and Ryan Bailey who scored three. Chay Lapin played the second half of the game in the goal and did well.

I was very impressed with the competition venue. It is indoors with seating capacity greater than the facility in Beijing. There was a very nice crowd yesterday - most of them cheering loudly for Venezuela. Looks to be a pretty anti-American crowd. Should make it interesting as the games get tougher.

Today, we play Brazil which should be a better test for us. This is a game that will require us to play all four quarters. Brazil should be one of the top four teams here. I have included a link which is showing all games live on a web cast. I understand that the quality is very good. Here is the link...
http://deportesus.terra.com/road-to-2012/2011-pan-american-guadalajara/live/3/#3
Today and tomorrow our game will be played at 2:30 pm here which is 12:30 pm at home. Tune in and keep track of team USA. We are on a mission to qualify for the Olympics.

There are a total of eight teams in the tournament. As I mentioned Brazil and ourselves are the top two on our side. The other bracket also has two pretty strong teams in Canada and Cuba. These two teams also play today and this should make for a good game.

I am glad to be competing. It will be exciting as we go through the next week here.

The village is at full capacity now. Swimming just ended and track and field is just beginning so I think that this is about as full as it is going to get. More and more athletes are finishing up so the evenings are getting a little louder. There was a lot of late night activity last night which is a bit distracting. We need to keep our guys focused on the job that we have to do.

Village food is getting old. It is not easy serving so many athletes and the food is a little plain. Not much taste. We are all relying more and more on peanut butter and jelly. Good thing that there is a Wal-Mart right down the street.

It is a beautiful day here in Guadalajara. The evenings are getting colder. Last night was in the 40’s but the days have been in the high 70’s. Very pretty here. Looks like a good day to beat Brazil and move one step closer to qualifying.

See you at the pool.

Coach

Pan Am Games update 11/20/11

Team USA is training hard and getting acclimated to the altitude. The first few days were a bit tough but the guys seem to be doing pretty well now. The village is busy. I have heard that this is the second largest sporting event in the world next to the Olympics. The lines in the dining hall are pretty bad at peak times. Some times it is like Disneyland with 45 minute waits. The food has been adequate. The fresh fruits and vegetables are the best. They have some great papaya and watermelon... Some good juices too. The fresh guava juice has been my favorite.

The guys are all healthy and excited to begin. The days before competition are always the toughest. Too much time... on one hand you don’t want to sit around and do nothing but on the other hand you don’t want to run around and expand too much energy doing anything silly. The guys have been meeting up with some of their friends that have been classmates or that they have come to know at the Olympics or other international competition. We have had training both at the village gym, which is really nice but also very crowded and at the practice pool. The only bad thing about the practice pool is that it is a solid 45 minutes away bus. Which means that you are riding in a bus for as long as you are in the pool. We don’t get to have any time in the competition pool until Saturday when we get one hour.

We scrimmaged against Brazil yesterday and did pretty well. The altitude was still a bit of a factor and we did not look sharp but that will come together over the next few days. Tomorrow we have practice time with Mexico and hope to scrimmage one more time before the tournament begins.

Our tournament begins on Sunday with Venezuela. They replaced Trinidad and Tobago who dropped out at the last minute. We don’t know much about Venezuela but then again we did not know much about Trinidad and Tobago. Our second match is against Brazil who is seeded third in the tournament. After scrimmaging them the other day it is obvious that they have some really good outside shooters. Our final game of the preliminary round will be against Argentina. After that it is semi-finals and finals. The finals are nine days away.

Time to get to bed and get some rest. One day closer to competition.

See you at the pool.

Coach

Pan Ams 2011

After having eight weeks at home together, Team USA is back on the road in Guadalajara, Mexico. It has been a busy but exciting time for the team. We have not had this much time together since 2008. The reason for this is that most of our guys go to Europe and play professionally and we don’t see them until May or so. At that point we have a few short weeks to prepare for our summer. This year is different. All of the players have agreed to stay home and train together through Pan Ams and into next year for the Olympic Games. We have been able to do this because so many people have stepped up and helped support us. We had a fundraiser and we will have one more in March of next year. The money raised at these fundraisers will go directly towards the athletes to help pay for food and housing.

I can tell you that I am super excited about having the whole team together for this entire year. This is the only way that we are going to win a gold medal next year. The team has been working super hard to get ready for this first step towards London. The Pan Am Games is our Olympic qualifier. We need to win a gold medal here to qualify for the Olympics next year. We are ready to do it.

We traveled to Houston on Sunday. This was the city chosen to process and outfit all the athletes as they traveled to Guadalajara. We flew out of LAX early on Sunday. Processing and outfitting took about an hour and a half. Our team planned a nice dinner in town and we all enjoyed some great Texas steak ( a few of the guys ate fish). After a short night sleep we were off and running again. With a large group of athletes processing yesterday (there were two full buses that left for the airport) we had to load up at 6:30 and head to the airport. Lots of lines and waiting around but we finally arrived in Guadalajara around 1:30 pm. The drive to the village was another 40 minutes and by the time we made it to our rooms it was almost 3 pm.

Although, we missed our training time at the practice pool, we got a great workout in at the gym and swam for about 45 minutes at the pool in the village. Tomorrow we will travel to the training pool twice (once in the morning and once in the afternoon). Back to work....

We all know that we have a job to do here and we are ready to do it. The schedule has us starting on October 23rd and the finals are October 29th. We will have a total of five games and we expect to win them all. We will not take anyone lightly. We are on a mission to dominate these games and come home with a gold medal and qualify for the Olympics.

Here is the Pan American Games team.

Merrill Moses
Peter Varellas
Peter Hudnut
Jeff Powers
Adam Wright
Brian Alexander
Layne Beaubien
Tony Azevedo
Ryan Bailey
Tim Hutton
Jesse Smith
JW Krumpoltz
Chay Lapin

I will keep you all posted as to how our training and preparation is going as we get closer to competition. That’s it for now.

See you at the pool.

Coach