#WaterPoloPassport: Updates From Team USA Athletes Abroad

Irvine, CA - January 26 - Last fall USA Water Polo announced a whole host of athletes had returned to Europe to compete with some of the best club teams on earth. With seasons in mid-swing and a eye on the post-season we checked in a many Team USA athletes to get the latest on their squads and what's ahead. Just a reminder, here's a look at who is playing where this season. 

Two-time Olympian Alex Bowen is capping up this season for Partizan in Serbia (joined by Marko Vavic) where his squad is currently in second place in the Serbian League. Alex shares they have a tough road ahead but an opportunity to advance in regional competition. Tyler Abramson is one of the newest arrivals to Europe to Team USA just landing in Italy at the start of the new year to compete for C.N. Posilipo. The squad is gearing up for a big match against Brescia this Saturday and re-starts the bulk of their schedule on February 5. Here's the team welcoming Tyler upon his arrival. Abramson isn't the only Team USA athlete in Italy as Max Irving joined Telimar in the off-season. 

Jordan Raney, a Stanford grad, is wearing a different shade of red for the crew at Olympiacos. The team just welcomed new head coach Aleksander Ciric and in December won their qualification round to advance in Euro League. If all goes according to plan next time, the team is headed to the Final Four. Check out this photo of Jordan and the team after claiming the Super Cup in 2021. Stephania Haralabidis and Ashleigh Johnson have followed up gold in Tokyo with a trip to Greece to play for Ethnikos. The two have made an immediate impact helping the team qualify for the next round of European Championships for the first time in 11 years. They'll see some familiar faces when they meet CN Sabadell up next which features Team USA teammates Maggie Steffens and Brigitta Games. Away from the pool, Haralabidis and Johnson are enjoying the scenery from sunny days to snow that just arrived. 
 

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Two-meter man Kacper Langiewicz continues his run for the Kaposvári Water Polo Club in Hungary. The team is currently trying to work their way up the standings, in at ninth at the moment, with a big match against rival Pecsi VSK coming up this weekend. The club offers a lot of great coverage, with matches available for streaming here, with photos and info on their Facebook page here. Matt Farmer is back in Greece this season, playing for Peristeri, where the team is currently in third place in group action in the Greek Championship. It was a history making December for the team as they defeated second-placed Vouliagmeni for the first time ever with an 8-7 win. The team continues to work on Champions League qualifications.

Staying in Greece, Drew Holland is manning the cage once again for Chios, a club located on an island in the Aegan Sea. Drew shares that after a difficult start the team is starting to click with a big game coming up this weekend against Volos. The result is pivotal as it will decide the rankings going into the second half of the season. Fellow goalie Jack Turner joined CN Mataro in Spain this year, a team that went through a complete overhaul with a new coach and almost an entirely new roster, including Turner. The team picked up an upset win over Terrassa earlier this season and is now preparing for La Copa del Rey next weekend, a mid-season tourney featuring the top eight teams in the league. They have a tough draw in CN Barcelona and will look to pull off another upset.
 

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Tokyo Olympian Ben Stevenson in his first year competing in France this season as he caps up for ONN in Nice. Stevenson tells us it's a young squad that is getting some tremendous experience building for the future. The team lost their opening game of the year to Marseille and will have their work cut out in a very deep French league. With Paris playing host to the next Olympic Games in 2024, excitement for water polo continues to grow. Meanwhile Ben Hallock remains a force in year two for powerhouse club Pro Recco. Check out two big goals from Ben in recent action by clicking here.

Be sure to follow @USAWP on Instagram for more content from these athletes as we're sharing what they're sharing.