Rosenthal named to Team USA
Michael Rosenthal’s collegiate water polo career might have ended in December when the Trojans defeated UCLA to capture the national championship, but his legacy in the pool is still far from complete. Rosenthal was named to the USA National team and will get his first taste of action when the squad will competes in the FINA World League Super Final on June 11-16 in Russia.
FINA · Driver Michael Rosenthal notched 87 goals in his USC career, while winning the vast majority of his opening sprints for possession and mentoring younger players. – Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan
Rosenthal, the MVP of this season’s NCAA tournament, will join fellow Trojan alumni Shea Buckner and Tommy Corcoran on team USA. The Trojan trio makes up one-fifth of the 15-man team, coached by former Serbian national coach Dejan Udovicic.
The journey to the pinnacle of USA water polo has been a long one for Rosenthal, who first joined the Cadet team back in 2004. After competing with the Cadet team in Hungary, redshirting his first season at USC in 2008 and going on to win four consecutive national titles with the Trojans as an active player, he will now play against the best of the best international players.
Rosenthal was the third-highest scoring Trojan in his senior season, blasting a career-high 31 goals on the way to an undefeated season. He capped off the stellar campaign with a hat trick in the national championship game to earn MVP honors in the tournament. He scored in 19 of the Trojans’ 29 contests this past season, seven of which were multi-goal efforts.
Though the selection to the USA national team is a major milestone in Rosenthal’s career, it certainly does not mark the end of it. After competing in Russia, Rosenthal will have a chance to compete for a spot on the USA Olympic team for the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.