Merrill Moses

When it comes to sports in the pool, the United States has a ton of gold medals under its belt. Think Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Rebecca Soni, Missy Franklin and Nathan Adrian …. all swimming stars who showed the world in the London 2012 Olympic Games that once again, the U.S. is a force to be reckoned with in the pool.

Related: Missy Franklin Takes Gold in Pool; Olympic Swimmer John Naber on Mentoring Olympic Swimmers

Now, America’s men’s and women’s water polo teams have a chance to be on top, as well.

The U.S. Men’s Water Polo team plays Croatia today at 3 p.m. EST in a quarterfinal match of the London 2012 Olympics, which will determine who goes on to the semi-finals. The U.S. team hasn’t won gold in water polo since the 1904 Olympics, and they’re hoping to change that in this year’s Summer Games.

WATCH: USA Water Polo Fights for Gold at London Olympics

Watch U.S. Olympic water polo goalie Merrill Moses talk about how he found his passion for water polo, plus his Olympic dream come true:

Related: U.S. Water Polo Goalie Betsey Armstrong’s Favorite Things the Sport

On the women’s side, the American team will take on Spain in Thursday’s gold medal water polo match of the London Games. That game will begin at 3 p.m. EST. The U.S. women’s team won a tough semifinal Tuesday against rival Australia that went to overtime.

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Montenegro lost to the United States in the pool Sunday, with the American’s beating their opponents by just one goal, with a final score of 8-7. The U.S. team, which hasn’t won gold in water polo since the 1904 Olympics, is now at the top of Group B along with Romania and gold medal-favorite Serbia. They play Romania on Tuesday. Watch U.S. Olympic water polo goalie Merrill Moses talk about how he found his passion for water polo, plus his Olympic dream come true:

Related: US Water Polo Goalie Betsey Armstrong’s Favorite Things the Sport

Silver is good but gold is better, says Merrill Moses. After winning a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the team is hoping to strike gold at the 2012 London Olympics in what Moses calls “one of the most physically-demanding sports in the Olympics.”

“It’s an incredibly feeling to be an Olympian,” Moses told genConnect. “It’s a chance to represent your country on the biggest stage in sports and it’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid.”

The U.S. Olympic water polo team wrestled the silver medal from Serbia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before losing the final to the Hungarians, the water polo powerhouse that has won gold at the last three Olympic Games. Four years later, the U.S. has returned with a dozen veteran players and a completely new training strategy in hopes of breaking the 108-year European stranglehold on Olympic water polo gold.

Watch Moses talk about what it will take to make it to the top of the podium:

Related: Olympic Games 2012 — Team USA Connects With Facebook Fans

“The key ingredient is we’ve decided to stay home and train together, as a team, for seven months,” Moses said of the team’s new training regimen. “Last Olympics, we were only together for three months. We’ve put everything out on the table and we’re giving ourselves the best chance to be at the top of our game.”

The team, which trains for six hours a day, spends most of their time in the pool, which is a full-body workout itself. Watch Moses talk about his the key to staying fit, plus why water sports are great exercise:

For the latest updates, make sure to visit the USA Water Polo Web site to see the team in their quest for Olympic gold.

Click here for more of genConnect’s coverage of the 2012 Road to the Olympics

• For more daily expert updates, follow genConnect on Twitter and Facebook.
• To stay on top of the latest contributions from experts: Sign Up for genConnect.