BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS / DAY 10 : U.S. Stays Unbeaten; CIS Next

The U.S. water polo team has been here before, poised to win a gold medal. Twice in the Olympics, it has been found wanting. The players have taken their silver medals and gone home to brood for four years.

Once again, the team is on the verge of winning the gold. Monday, the United States beat France, 11-7, to remain undefeated and stay atop Group A in the 12-team tournament.

But the players do not yet dare hope to win the gold medal. Their toughest matches are yet to come, the next against the Commonwealth of Independent States on Wednesday.

“The Unified Team will be the toughest yet,” said Craig Klass, who scored a goal against France in the morning match at Bernat Picornell pool.

“Expect a battle. They have the players to bang with us. Some of the smaller teams like to play a finesse game against us. But the Soviets have some big guys.”

The United States is considered one of the tallest and most physical in the tournament. But in the past, it has had its problems with teams its own size, most notably the Yugoslavs.

Yugoslavia twice denied the United States gold medals. In 1984 at Los Angeles, the United States and Yugoslavia tied in the tournament, but Yugoslavia was awarded the gold medal based on goal differential.

Water polo officials found that method of determining a winner unsatisfactory and changed the rules to allow a six-minute overtime period in the medal rounds.

In 1988, the United States again played Yugoslavia in the gold-medal match, which went into overtime. The Yugoslavs had a team whose players averaged 6 feet 6.

Because of recent political events in Yugoslavia, the water polo team is not competing here.

The Americans are not talking about winning the gold medal, but can point to recent events to make their case. The U.S. team won its first international tournament in this same pool last year, at the FINA World Cup.

The World Cup victory was encouraging enough for the American team, but being voted the outstanding defensive team solidified its reputation.

“Defense is the key to winning for us,” said Chris Humbert, a U.S. two-meter player, who scored three goals against France. “If you only give up five goals a game, you can win.”

Humbert, of Lodi, Calif., is playing in his first Olympics and appears to have overcome his early jitters. After the U.S. team’s first victory, over Australia, Humbert, 23, said he was so tired he believed he would not be able to swim again.

His recovery was dramatic. He scored a nice behind-the-back shot during the fourth quarter against Czechoslovakia on Sunday for his first goal of the tournament. The United States won, 9-3.

After Monday’s three goals, Humbert, who attends the University of California, pronounced himself ready to play.

“My confidence is 100%,” he said.