11th Holiday Cup Set For February 15-19 In Los Alamitos, CA; Tickets Now On-Sale
1/26/2012 12:00:00 AM
Huntington Beach, Calif. – January 26, 2012-- The 11th Holiday Cup is set for the USA Water Polo National Training Center in Los Alamitos, California this February 15-19. The four nation tournament will feature the 2011 FINA World Champions Greece, 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Italy, 2011 Pan American Games Silver Medalist Canada, and the host United States, winner of 2011 Pan American Games Gold Medal. Following the tournament Team USA and Canada will be joined by Brazil in the FINA World League Prelims taking place in different locations around Orange County, California from February 20-22. Tickets are on sale for all matches including all-session passes at www.usawaterpolo.org or by clicking here.
The United States will open play taking on Italy on Wednesday February 15, followed by a re-match of the thrilling Pan Am Games final on Thursday with Canada, and they close out group play taking on the World Champions from Greece on Friday evening. Matches will take place at 6:45pm and 8:00pm Wednesday through Friday with the semi-final and final round matches to be played at 4:30pm and 6:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Team USA will play the 6:45pm match throughout preliminary play with a full schedule available at www.usawaterpolo.org or by clicking here. The final day of competition will be webcast live via www.universalsports.com.
"To be able to host eight days of international competition is a rare treat for us and the water polo community," said Adam Krikorian, USA Head Coach. "We are especially thrilled to be able to welcome the World Champions and the #1 ranked team in the World in Greece, the World Championship Semifinalist from Italy, and our neighbors from the north in Canada. These competitions are essential pieces to our training and preparation for the Olympic Games."
Following the conclusion of the Holiday Cup the FINA World League Prelims commence featuring Canada and Brazil. Team USA will meet Brazil and Canada on Monday, February 20 with the Brazil match taking place at the USA Water Polo National Training Center and the Canada match at the Commerce Aquatics Center in Commerce, California. On Tuesday the venue switches to Beckman High School in Tustin, California for Team USA and Brazil. The competition wraps on Wednesday when the United States take on Canada at the William Woollett Aquatics Complex in Irvine, California in conjunction with the CIF Southern Section girls' water polo semi-finals. All matches not featuring the United States will be played at the USA Water Polo National Training Center. Schedule and additional information is available at www.usawaterpolo.org.
Krikorian continued, "We are also very excited to have some of the World League Prelim games at various locations in Southern California that have shown their love and support for the team and the sport. To be able to have a rematch of the Pan Am Final at the same location as the CIF Semifinals should add to the enthusiasm and energy filled environment that already exists at that great event."
To purchase tickets for the Holiday Cup, click here.
About USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc. is the national governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic program as well as 20 different championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and Masters National Championships. With more than 40,000 members, USAWP is also the sanctioning authority for more than 500 Member Clubs and more than 400 tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport nationwide. It fosters grass-roots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches and officials.
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