World Handball Championship - Group B (America, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Mexico, Argentina)

coppernomad2 said:I honestly can't wrap my head around why Bunting is still riding the bench.

Nobody seems to be following this. 😳 The frame rate is tanking; the movement feels sluggish.

I’d rather see a right-hander out there. If things aren't clicking for Bunting, it's better to pivot than to keep forcing it.🤷 I’m leaning toward Bunting. He’s proven he can deliver, though I worry he might get boxed out of the midfield or pushed too far left.

Garo As stated by:
Golusa is what keeps me up at night. 🙂

Me too, honestly. Hopefully, they'll finally talk some sense into us. 🙂

I’m more concerned about the pivot. 😁

I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened with Spoljaric. When did he actually exit the picture, and why did he just vanish?😕 I'm looking for some clarity from the experts here.🙂

swiftbison2 said:It doesn't make much sense to anyone. 😳 He just slows down the whole game, and his movement feels a bit sluggish.

I suppose I’d rather see a right-hander in that position; if Bunting isn't feeling it, maybe it's better than forcing it. 🤷 Personally, I'd pick Vukovic since he always played so well, though I guess he might not get much playtime in the middle or on the left.

I'm a little worried too, I guess. Hopefully, they can prove me wrong 🙂

I'm actually more concerned about the pivot(s) 😁

What I don't quite understand is what happened with Spoljaric? Like, when did he and why did he just disappear?😕 I guess I'll leave it to the experts to explain.🙂

Spoljaric is playing in the German first division for a team that has conceded the fewest goals in the league. I think it might be Berlin or somewhere like that, but I'm not entirely sure.

I feel like Bunting should probably take that right side, even if he's having an off night. He seems like a solid player, and I suspect he wouldn't fall too far behind our usual right wing. I don't really blame Kopljar for being slow since he's so tall, but I guess he does seem a bit indecisive and shaky.

coppernomad2 said:Spoljaric is playing in the German Bundesliga for a team that’s given up the fewest goals in the league. I think it might be Berlin or something, but I'm not entirely sure.

I mean, Bunting really ought to move over to the right side, even if he isn't the most polished player out there. He's actually pretty decent, and I honestly don't think he'd fall behind our current right winger by much. I can't really blame Kopljar for being slow—I guess he's just really tall—but the indecisiveness and the lack of grit? Yeah, that's definitely there.

That's kind of why I kept mentioning that, maybe cynically, it would be best for us if Kopljar got sidelined with an injury. No matter how poorly he plays, he always seems to have some sort of advantage on that side... I don't know, I can only speculate, but there definitely feels like some shady business going on with him. Maybe it's just easier to sell him off so Gobac can pocket a nice little bonus or something.

Spoljaric is playing for the Foxes out of Berlin, and if I recall correctly, back when Dempa first started getting minutes there last season, they were actually beating teams like Kiel... or even HSV...

But yeah, I'm pretty sure they managed to snatch someone big from a major club...

Adam Collins4 said:Spoljaric is playing for the Foxes out of Berlin. I’m pretty sure back last half-season, when Dempa started getting some minutes there, they were even taking down teams like Kiel... or maybe HSV...

But I know for a fact they cut one of the big names recently...

If Kiel actually blew it, Samuel Baker3 will be the first one to call them out!😉

Spoljaric is playing for Fox, which has easily been the biggest surprise in Major League Soccer this season. Nincevic is there too, and both are killing it—Spoljaric, in particular, has become the backbone of an incredibly impressive defense.

They beat Kiel, and if I recall correctly, HSV only lost to Göttingen.

The reason they aren't calling Spoljaric is because of that famous "youth movement" excuse—the same old alibi used since the Cervar era to justify kicking players out. Take this for example: ever since the Horvat days, and especially after Cupic got injured, everyone knew that whoever was going to the Democratic Party would be someone willing to show up in Washington, D.C. Lelic turned them down, so they signed Matulic, and now Matulic is heading out. It’s the exact same story with Pesic and Sunjica; the latter rejected the Chef and got passed over. He was called in for pre-season training, but now it looks like they’re just trying to kill two birds with one stone—using him to fill the gap left by Somic so they could finally get rid of Somic. It clears the path for Pesic, whom they probably want to sell off anyway. As for Matulic, he’s just there to integrate into the Washington, D.C. lineup early, so why wait for pre-season when they can do it now?

It’s always the same old story: any player who shows even a hint of backbone to Gopcu ends up getting the boot one way or another. Some players stay quiet, while others, like Caleb, don't hesitate to speak their minds. But all of them respect the national team institution so much that they avoid any messy, primitive confrontations; they try to handle everything professionally. But hey, it's because of that exact attitude toward the national team that we see these kinds of results from American handball players.
Just look at other sports: you have guys like Juric claiming America lacks quality soccer players, Krizanac constantly undermining the coach, and then you have Giricek, Zizic, and Bagaric refusing to play for the national team. Then there's Vujcic, who’s sitting out to prepare for an NBA career that's never actually going to happen... Given how little respect people show the national jersey, these results are exactly what you'd expect. The basketball players manage a top 6 finish at the EP, while for the soccer players, just making it out of the group stage at the Democratic Party or EP is considered a massive trophy.

Adam Collins4 said:Sterbik is playing it safe, and I honestly think Nagy might be doing the same...

Rutenka? No way, he’s already made his move to play for Belarus... once again...😁

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handball_national_teams

According to this roster, Nagy is still technically tied to the Canadian national team...

László Nagy isn't committed to either Canada or Spain just yet; he’s got until January 31st to make his final call on which jersey he'll wear.
Word on the street is there’s a strong possibility he sticks with Canada—negotiations are currently heating up.

Meanwhile, Carlos Perez is making his return to the national squad, though he'll likely just be sitting on the bench. 🙏

dustypanther6 said:Honestly, Jerome is just in a league of his own, isn't he? He’s easily one of the most underrated players to ever step on the court, yet also one of the most rewarding to watch. By the way, I was actually pretty surprised when those kids started raining shots from the right wing; they really began to bombard us.

Who could possibly underestimate him? Americans🤣, maybe? Barcelona $\rightarrow$ Real Madrid $\rightarrow$ Kiel

The sheer list of clubs that wanted him tells you everything you need to know about Jerome Fernandez's career, though the fact that 97% of Americans only associate him with the French national team is a whole different story.

If anything, his only real misfortune was playing during the era of one of the greatest left wingers to ever play the game.

Samuel Baker3 said:Who’s actually underestimating him? Americans🤣, sure—but look at the pedigree: Barcelona to Real Madrid to Kiel

The sheer list of clubs that wanted him tells you everything you need to know about Jerome Fernandez's caliber; the fact that 97% of Americans only associate him with the French national team is a completely different issue altogether.

His biggest misfortune? He just happens to be playing in the same era as one of the greatest left wingers to ever lace up a pair of boots.

It’s not Jerome's fault he was born during the Lackovic era...☕

gentlebear47 said:If Kiel ends up dropping the ball, Samuel Baker3 is going to hear about it!😉

Man, Kiel really pulled some strings there to drag HSV back into the fight. I mean, talk about a lifeline. It’s wild how things can shift so fast when they decide to actually show up.

The big game against Mexico! 👍

electricraven6 said:Kiel basically dragged HSV back into the fight...

Stop lying to yourself!😁😉

Thanks for the input 👍
So he’s still absolutely tearing it up 🙏

Man, the official championship website looks absolutely hideous 🤦 and honestly, who comes up with the crazy idea to start hunting down registered players just a day before the opening 🙏 🙏 🙏

frozentiger6 said:soccer players getting through group stages at the World Cup or the Euros is basically a massive payday.

Whoa, slow down there—hit the brakes for a second. I don't think you can really lump soccer and handball into the same sentence like that. I mean, think about the base of pro players... or even just how many countries actually take the sport seriously? It's a different world.

Paul Jones7 said:Whoa there, maybe just slow down a bit and take a breath. I suppose you can't really group soccer and handball together like that, right? Talking about a foundation of professional players or how many countries play it seriously doesn't quite work when comparing the two.

Yeah, I guess that's pretty much the reality... for every one professional handball player out there, there are probably at least 20 soccer players...

Mexico takes the top spot in the group, and—as per usual—we’re walking all over you guys.

northernotter70 said:America is sitting pretty at the top of the group—it’s the same old story, we just keep beating you guys.

And just when you think you're celebrating... you wake up from the dream... 😁

Paul Jones7 said:Whoa, slow down there. You can't even compare soccer to handball. It’s apples and oranges. A foundation of pro players? The number of countries playing at a high level? Seriously?

Look, just getting to the World Cup or the EP is considered a win for them. Missing out isn't some massive disaster... Bilic will probably explain more later, or maybe Krizanac will step in.

coppernomad2 said:Yeah, can't argue with that... for every one handball player out there, you've got at least 20 football players clogging up the field...

Back before 2000 🙂