USA vs. Hungary at CdM pool

The U.S. men’s water polo team, which includes former UC Irvine

standouts, Dan Klatt, Ryan Bailey, Omar Amr and Genai Kerr, will be

making its first appearance of the year in Orange County Monday with

a 3:00 p.m. game against World and Olympic champion Hungary at Corona

del Mar High.

There will also be a game between Australia and No. 3-ranked

Serbia and Montenegro at 1:30 p.m. The games will be taped for

broadcast on the USA Network July 10 at 7 a.m.

The U.S. has fought some good battles against Hungary in recent

times. Team USA lost, 6-5, to the world’s top-ranked team at last

year’s FINA World League Super Final in New York.

The Americans also fell, 9-8, to Hungary in a FINA World League

game earlier this season.

The Hungarians won the next decision easily, 13-7. But the U.S.

team is looking forward to taking on the world champions on its home

turf.

“This time, we’ll be playing them in front of our home crowd,”

said Kerr, the USA goalkeeper and former boys and girls water polo

coach of Sage Hill School. “It definitely makes a difference having

that support.”

Before taking on Australia at the Charter All-Digital Aquatic

Centre in Long Beach Wednesday, the U.S. hadn’t competed on its home

soil since defeating Germany, 15-11, Jan. 19.

Team USA has put together an impressive list of wins in 2004. Last

month, the U.S. took three of four games at No. 4 Greece. Rudic and

company also became the first team in 24 years to beatRussia in its

Olympic pool in Moscow, while taking second in an international

tournament.

The games in Newport Beach will officially kick off Team USA’s

mini-tour of Southern California. Over the next few weeks, Team USA

and its bracket mates -- Australia, Hungary and Serbia and Montenegro

-- will battle it out in five different pools around the area before

returning to Long Beach for the Super Final July 16-18.