How to Follow the USA Men’s Olympic Water Polo Team on Instagram
Olympic water sports are certainly not limited to swimming and diving – there’s also water polo, which is sort of like soccer, with your hands, but while swimming. It’s also the sport that all the popular guys played on The OC (cue that Seth Cohen quote about the water polo team).
The USA Men’s Water Polo team are scheduled to play five games in total before possibly heading to the Quarterfinals on August 16. Obviously we appreciate these accomplished dudes for their athletic skills, but let's be real: They're not bad to look at either. And, their social media accounts are a perfect way to get an up-close look at the Summer Games. As such, we decided to take a look through the Instagram pages of some of the team to find out what they enjoy doing when they’re not in the water. (Bonus: there’s an Instagram page for the entire USA Water Polo team (men and women), so you can follow along as they journey to Rio.) Here’s your unapologetically thirsty guide to the men who will be going for gold this week:
1/13Merrill Moses
Merrill Moses is the goalkeeper for the USA Men’s Water Polo team, and Rio is not this Californian’s first Olympic rodeo. Merrill played in both the 2008 and 2012 games, and helped the team bring home a silver medal at the ‘08 Olympics in China. Merrill’s personal tradition is to drink a Jamba Juice before playing a game. His Instagram showcases a love of hiking, traveling, and his family.
2/13Thomas Dunstan
Thomas Dunstan is only 18 years old, but he’s already accomplished a lot in his athletic career. In 2014, he helped the USA Youth Water Polo Team win a gold medal at the UANA Junior Pan American Championship. His high school didn’t have a water polo team, so Thomas gained experience playing with outside water polo clubs. Thomas’ Instagram is filled with pictures of his cute dog, his girlfriend (check out their prom pics!), and some pretty funny pics of his squad.
3/13Alex Roelse
Alex Roelse is headed to the Olympics for the first time at age 21. He was born and raised in Gorinchem, Netherlands, and he began his water polo career while living in Europe. When he finished high school, he chose to attend school at UCLA so he could play for their water polo team. Before each game, Alex likes to put on headphones and jam out to house music, which is his favorite genre. A quick scroll through Alex’s Instagram will show you that he loves being outside and he has a really close group of friends (check out their black-and-white squad photo).
4/13Josh Samuels
Josh Samuels is going to his first Olympic games after dominating the water polo teams at his high school and at UCLA. In fact, he was Villa Park High School’s all-time scorer; he scored 408 goals in four years. Despite being an athlete, Josh loves burgers and ice cream — and his favorite restaurant chain is In-n-Out. After looking through his Instagram, we think that Josh definitely loves to travel: there are pics of him at Disney World, and also riding a camel.
5/13Luca Cupido
To throw it back to The OC again, Luca Cupido’s hometown is Newport Beach, CA. At only 20 years old, Luca has already accomplished so much. He competed for Newport Harbor High School, played in national and international competitions with various water polo clubs, and is now headed to his very first Olympic games. Luca is passionate about playing water polo, and hopes to teach the game to young kids eventually. His Instagram shows that he has a sense of humor, as he takes a lot of silly (but super cute) selfies. Also, dog pictures, of which there are many.
6/13Tony Azevedo
Rio will mark Tony’s fifth time in the Olympics; he played in the 2012, 2008, 2004, and 2000 games. In 2004, he led the U.S. team with 15 goals, and helped the team win a silver medal in 2008. Prior to playing professionally, Tony played in high school and college at Stanford University. Tony’s Instagram shows that he loves his family – there are many pictures of him instructing his children in the water. Aww!
7/13Jesse Smith
Jesse Smith is headed to his third Olympics this year, and he’s been playing water polo since high school. He attended college at Pepperdine University, where he played for the Waves, the school’s water polo team. In addition to water polo, Jesse has an affinity for surfing, and he enjoys watching YouTube surfing videos instead of reality television. His Instagram shows that he is definitely into a healthy lifestyle, and he also really loves sushi.
8/13John Mann
John is going to the Olympics for the second time this year, after making his debut in 2012’s London games. In addition to the Olympics, he has played in dozens of world competitions and championships. He attended college at UC Berkeley, where he was featured as a top freshman athlete in Sports Illustrated. John’s Instagram is filled with travel and food pictures, but it also contains proof that he loves Snapchat just as much as we do.
9/13McQuin Baron
20-year-old McQuin Baron is making his Olympic debut in Rio as a goalkeeper for the U.S. team. He has been training for years, and has played in many international competitions, as well as for his high school and college teams. Some fun facts about McQuin: his favorite actor is Leonardo DiCaprio, he loves country music, and he once dressed up as a Power Ranger for Halloween. His Instagram shows that he is literally obsessed with his adorable nephew, and loves posting pictures of the two of them together — he says they are thunder buddies.
Photo: Courtesy of Twitter10/13Ben Hallock
This 18-year-old Californian has been playing water polo throughout high school, where he was named Player of the Year at Harvard-Westlake High School in 2014. He is headed to Stanford University for college, where he will also play for their water polo team. Outside of sports, he likes listening to loud music, watching "Duck Dynasty," and he considers Muhammad Ali to be his inspiration.
Getty Images11/13Bret Bonanni
At 22 years old, Bret Bonanni has accomplished a lot in his water polo career. During his freshman year at Stanford University, Bret was the highest-scoring player, earning the team 73 goals. He's played in many championships around the world, and he led Team USA in the 2015 Pan American Games with 18 goals. In addition to water polo, Bret also loves to surf.
Getty Images12/13Alex Obert
Like many of his teammates, Alex Obert is from California, where he has played water polo throughout high school and college. Interestingly enough, he started playing water polo as a teenager to stay in shape for basketball season. He's also played in many international competitions, including the 2015 Pan American Games. Alex wants to pursue a college degree in bioengineering, and he aspires to be an engineer.
