Matthew Deichsel (pictured) and his teammates endure injuries and no subs to win a fourth place spot in water polo.

The men's water polo team has achieved some celebrity here in Melbourne. Many in the water polo world can not believe USA would show up to an international competition of this caliber with no substitutes. The team is beat up and tired right now, but has not lost their focus. They are where they had hoped to be when all was said and done, playing for a medal. The team although missed out on the bronze medal, losing to Hungary with a score of and getting fourth place.

The team with its potential has learned a great deal over the course of this competition. Their hope is to get the word out about deaf water polo in the United States. Hopefully this will be the last Games that they will have to play with only seven players. If you know of any deaf water polo players or anybody interested in trying out the sport, please contact the team through www.usaad.org for more information.

2005 US Team Handball in Melbourne, Australia.

The competition between Croatia and USA was hot during the finals. USA played against them during their very first game upon entering the Deaflympics. USA lost that game but took off on a winning streak after that. USA beat tough teams, such as Germany and Denmark, to claim their place for either gold or silver in the game against Croatia tonight.

The team handball fans tripled by the time the finals rolled around and the court was packed. The USA team has excellent defense and team coordination but Croatia was a tough team to beat.

There were some misses and hand-overs but USA played their heart out. The first half ended with 14-19 in Croatia's favor. USA did not give up and tried to slam ball after ball in the goal net but the Croatian goalie was hard to get past. The final score was 26-43 and the USA team was awarded the silver medal.

The final game to determine ninth and tenth place standings took place on January 14. The Czech team took the field in front of their plush stuffed lion, Bobik, while the USA team took the field in front of a cheering crowd. In the 24th minute during a scramble in the box, Josh Reiher was given a penalty kick which he got the ball in the net. The score became 1-0 in USA's favor.

The second half was a tense draw with each team working the ball forward but failing to score. Excellent defense was provided by DJ Rowse and Elijah Gold. Francis Neil, Larry Manning, Mike Lawson and Reiher delivered their usual excellent play. The entire USA men's team gave a great run during their time here, securing a ninth place victory.

Jamel Bradley is the leading scorer on the USA team and known for his three-pointers.

The men's basketball creamed their opponent once again in their last game before the finals, marking the scoreboard with a 131-78 victory against Australia. Jamel Bradley scored 68 points, making an impressive 14 three-pointers into the net. Robert Haney scored 21 points.

The USA team has been incredibly spectacular at the 2005 Games, beating every team in sight and racking up points that are always way ahead of their opponents.

They will play for the gold medal on January 15 against Slovenia. The Slovenian team does not rank too high in points like USA does and some of their games have been close competition with others. USA is the favored team to win for the gold medal!