Udovičić remains in charge of Team USA: Proud of achievements, best yet to come
The USA Water Polo Association continues its collaboration with Serbian expert Dejan Udovičić, who has been the coach of the American team since 2013.
The USA Federation and Udovičić have signed a new contract, so the Serbian coach will lead the men's senior national team in the current Olympic cycle, as the contract is valid until the end of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
This will be Udovičić's fourth Olympic cycle with Team USA. In Rio de Janeiro in 2016, his team finished in 10th place. Five years later in Tokyo, they achieved a sixth-place finish. The highlight of Udovičić's work as the American head coach so far was the Olympic bronze in Paris last summer, the first Olympic medal for the US men's team since the silver in Beijing 2008.
With Udovičić at the helm, Team USA has won three Pan American Games titles (2015, 2019, 2023) and three silvers in the World League (2016, 2021, 2022). Significant progress has been made by the younger categories. The USA Junior team won a bronze at the 2023 U20 World Championship, marking the first medal for a US men's water polo team at world championships in any category.
Among other factors, the progress of the senior team has been influenced by the large number of national team members playing for European clubs in recent years. Udovičić played a significant role in this process, highlighted the American association.
The USA Water Polo Association emphasizes that, following the bronze in Paris, the goal is Olympic gold in Los Angeles 2028.
“I am proud of everything our team has achieved in the last four years and happy to continue leading the team,” said Udovičić in a statement for the American Water Polo Federation website and continued:
I am grateful to everyone at the USA Water Polo Association for their support. We aim to build on our result from Paris, with the next goal being Los Angeles. We have a great core team, players approaching their peak, putting us in a position to achieve what has been my goal since joining the USA Water Polo Association: reaching the highest podium and winning the gold medal. We know it won't be easy, but I believe in our team and coaching staff, and I am confident that the best is yet to come.
Prior to his move to the USA, Udovičić coached Partizan, Radnički, and the Serbian Junior national team. He led our senior national team from 2006 to 2012, during which Serbia won 15 medals, including two Olympic bronzes and one world gold.
