“We played well as a team, and I think that was the key to our success,” said Grzegorz Kosok, who made his debut in World League on Friday.

The Americans meanwhile realize they have a lot of things to think about and to change. The Olympic Champions have to recover after both the long journey and this first loss.

“There was not so much determination in us as there usually is,” Gabriel Gardner said.

The next match will certainly be a challenge for both teams. But it will also be a pleasure for fans. Perhaps yeaterday's victory will encourage the citizens of Warsaw to come to the game, because surprisingly there are still some tickets left.

“We fought for every ball and we will continue to do so in the next game. Tomorrow it will be a different game,” said Polish coach Andrea Anastasi.