Lynn Finally a Hit in the U.S.

There haven’t been many happy moments for Robert Lynn as a member of the U.S. national water polo team. But he had a big smile after scoring two goals in a 22-1 victory over Mexico in the opening round of the UPS Cup Wednesday at Corona del Mar High.

“This is like the happiest tournament I’ve had in the last six years because I’m playing in front of my parents,” Lynn said. “My grandmother is 90 years old and she hasn’t seen me play in the last six or seven years.”

Lynn, who graduated from Long Beach Wilson in 1985 and was a four-time All-American at USC, has distinguished himself playing professionally in France, Italy and Croatia but has never experienced success playing for his country.

His troubles began in 1991, when he suffered a rotator cuff injury that carried over into the five-month training camp prior to the 1992 Olympics.

“I was trying to go through full-time training and I was young and I loved to shoot and all the coach told me was to put the ball in the goal and nothing’s going to happen,” Lynn said. “I really didn’t have too much supervision back then on the team.”

Lynn’s injury healed, but the decision already had been made to cut him a month before the Olympics. “Being a three-year starter on that team, [getting cut] really changed my plans,” he said.

Lynn played professionally in Europe the next four years, then tried to come back with the 1996 team, but ran into a brick wall.

“I think it was personal between me and [Coach Rich Corso],” Lynn said. “He was my junior national team coach, and I had problems with him when I was younger. We never saw eye to eye and I never believed he should have been the man for the job.

“Obviously that wasn’t going to get me on the Olympic team. I had no respect for him and finishing seventh in the Olympics in Atlanta is nothing to be proud of.”

Lynn headed back to Europe, where he was the most valuable player at the Croatian Cup in 1996. He scored 75 goals to rank fifth in his Greek League in 1997.

“In Croatia, water polo is like the NBA,” Lynn said. “It’s the highest level of water polo I played at and I excelled at it.”

Lynn got another opportunity with the national team when John Vargas, a teammate of Lynn’s on the 1991 national team, was named head coach after the 1996 Olympics.

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“He’s opened the door, he’s made me work the whole way back,” Lynn said.

Vargas was not only impressed with Lynn’s success in Europe but with his work ethic, which includes 3,000 yards in the pool before practice each morning.

“He went over and played in Europe and really matured,” Vargas said. “His game improved tremendously.”

In other tournament games:

Italy 21, Puerto Rico 3--Italy built a 15-0 halftime lead.

Russia 11, Brazil 8--Russia outscored Brazil, 4-2, in the fourth.

Yugoslavia 8, Australia 6--Vladimar Vujasinovic scored three goals for Yugoslavia.