Scripps Howard News Service
BEIJING — The end of the U.S. medal drought in men’s water polo is now tantalizingly close.
When the U.S. held off Germany 8-7 on Monday afternoon at Yingdong Natatorium — after Italy had upset Serbia earlier in the day — it not only assured the U.S. a place in the medal round, but vaulted them to the top of the Group B standings in pool play at the Olympic tournament.
That, in turn, earned them a bye into Friday’s semifinals — against the winner of a Wednesday game between Spain and Serbia — which means they can do no worse than a place in the bronze-medal game.
Not that anyone on the U.S. team was thinking in those terms after holding off a German team that has been a thorn in the Americans’ side for a while.
“We now have a shot to play for a gold medal,” said Layne Beaubien. “That was the focus of today. The Germans have stood in our way the last two major championship, from us advancing into medal rounds, so there was a little payback, as well.”
Returning to medal contention was the goal “since I came back to this team,” said coach Terry Schroeder, a player on the 1988 team that was the last to win a medal. “And now we’re two games away from a gold medal. It’s a huge accomplishment for these guys.”
And a far cry from 2004 in Athens, when the U.S. finished seventh, 2000 in Sydney when they were sixth, and all the other finishes since Schroeder and his teammates won silver in Seoul.
“When I came on board, it was as close to a dysfunctional family as you could find,” he said. “We’d been through three coaches in three years. There were a lot of individuals, a lot of good pieces, but they just didn’t believe in themselves and they weren’t really a team.
“So to witness and just be a part of how far these guys have come — it gets me in my heart … seeing how much they believe now that they can beat anybody in the world.
“It’s huge. It’s magnificent to see the human spirit and how much a team can come together.”
It took a controversial call at the end to preserve the win, as Germany’s Thomas Schertwitis scored on a backhander after he was fouled with 22 seconds remaining, only to have the goal disallowed, with the referee ruling he was inside the five-meter line. At that distance, he can only pass the ball rather than shoot directly.
Schroeder termed it a “close call,” and admitted he wasn’t sure it would be made, but also noted that the U.S. would have advanced even with a tie, so it wouldn’t have been “panic time.”
German reaction was mixed.
“The referees didn’t want to give us a chance to win the game,” coach Hagen Stamm charged, while captain Soren Christoph Mackeben said, “I think it is a fair decision and we should just accept it.”
The U.S. offense had great success scoring off quick passes inside, something it had not shown previously, and spread its scoring around, with Jeff Powers and Adam Wright scoring twice, while Beaubien, Ryan Bailey, Tim Hutten and James Krumpholz also scored.
“They’re kind of big,” said Schroeder. “They hold a lot, and if we could drive and move and get open, we could open up some of those things. One of our biggest things was to be mobile.”
Said Powers, “When we scouted Germany, we knew they were a bit slower than some teams, so we knew we could get some of those quick passes in there. And we put them away.’
Still, the U.S. had to withstand a five-goal effort by Heiko Nossek, who had not scored in Germany’s four previous games.
“Both teams kind of wore down at the end,” said Schroeder. “… There was a lot of good stuff. Just enough.”
(Contact David Lassen of the Ventura County Star in California at dlassen(at)VenturaCountyStar)
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