Newport Harbor water polo products help Team USA win historic silver medal

The Fourth of July held an even more special meaning this year for members of the U.S. men 's water polo Youth National Team.

The team, featuring Newport Harbor High graduates Kai Kaneko and Tyler Anderson and Sailors coach Ross Sinclair as its head coach, made history with a silver medal representing its country.

Team USA lost a heartbreaker 21- 20 to Croatia in penalty shots in the championship match of the World Aquatics Youth World Championships on July 4. Nevertheless, the silver medal is the best- ever finish for Team USA at the Youth Worlds. It also equals the best- ever finish for a USA Water Polo men 's national team at any World Championship, matching the silver from the Junior World Championships in Croatia last summer.

Advertisement Kaneko, an attacker bound for Stanford University and the team captain, was a major part of a Newport Harbor team that won back- to- back CIF Southern Section Open Division titles his junior and senior years. He had three goals for Team USA in the final.

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So did Anderson, a center who recently signed with USC.

The score was tied 14- 14 after regulation, but Croatia won the shootout 7- 6.

Team USA went 2- 1 in group play before notching a 12- 11 quarterfinal win over Hungary. Kaneko led with five goals, and Anderson also scored.

The Americans then beat Montenegro 17- 13 in the semifinals on July 3, with both Kaneko and Anderson tying for the team lead with three goals each.

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