BEIJING — When a teammate scored Friday to put the United States that much closer to the Olympic water polo gold-medal game, Brandon Brooks leapt off the bench and threw his arms in the air, urging fans at the Yingdong Natatorium to cheer along.

The outstanding play of starting goalkeeper Merrill Moses during the Beijing Games has left Brooks out of the pool, but very much caught up in the success surrounding him.

The U.S. has not won a medal in men's water polo since back-to-back silvers in 1984 and '88, but its 10-5 defeat of Serbia in the semifinals set up a guarantee of either repeating that Sunday against Hungary, or securing the U.S. its first gold medal in the sport.

"I want to be as much a part of this as I can," said Brooks, a Punahou Schoo alum, "so I'm trying to embrace my role as some sort of cheerleader. I'd like to think of a manlier word than that, but just bring a lot of energy."

The U.S. faces a tough final opponent in two-time defending Olympic champion Hungary, but coach Terry Schroeder is confident his players are now playing so well as a team that no opponent looms too large.

"This team has been on an amazing run and there's a lot of really good things happening," Schroeder said. "It's almost magical to watch them out there. They're playing really together.

"Hungary is going to be an incredibly tough opponent — they've got guys that have two Olympic gold medals. They're going to be very difficult to beat, but the way we're playing, it's one game, and for that one day, we may be better than them."

Moses, who stopped 16 of the 21 Serbian shots he faced, echoed his coach's assessment, as did Layne Beaubien, who scored twice against Serbia. He pointed to his team's commitment to defense and a spread-out offense as important keys.

"We're playing the best team water polo I've ever played," Beaubien said. "It's exciting and I think, OK, we go against two-time gold medalists, but we have a shot and for sure we feel confident. We're coming back with a medal, but we have a chance to change history and be the best team in U.S. history. It's possible."

Serving as the backup goalkeeper and freelancing as a cheerleader, Brooks, in turn, is being cheered on by family and friends and former coaches reaching out to him via e-mail, Facebook and phone calls.

Being guaranteed to leave Beijing with a medal, Brooks' situation, to him, proves what he's always been about, from being a starter on the 2004 Athens team to his role now.

"I've been a firm believer in the team spirit my whole life," Brooks said. "I've always been a part of really good teams, whether I have anything to do with it or it's just pure luck on my part, being around such good people.

"But I'm seeing how much it pays to put in the hard work and put in the long days and put in the long nights sacrificing. Our energy is amazing."