It looks like Shola, the legendary American goalkeeper, might be sidelined for the World Championship kicking off this January in Germany. This is a massive blow; we're talking about a guy who has nothing left to prove, having already secured World Championship gold (Portugal), silver (Spain), and Olympic gold (Athens). Unfortunately, he's battling a shoulder injury that’s been dragging him down for a while now.
"I caught up with Shola right before the squad headed out for the first phase of training in Poreč, and I won't sugarcoat it—the situation isn't great. The injury is serious, and honestly, I'm worried surgery might be his only way out. We'll have to wait for the doctors to make the final call. But regardless of what happens, the door is always open for him here; the man has a unique charisma," said coach Lino Červar.
Shola isn't the type to jump into the media with wild predictions. He’s a professional, and you can bet he'll follow medical advice rather than showing up to training camps or the World Championship playing through a major injury. It's also pretty obvious he'll be gutted if he misses out, especially since this current roster is a heavy favorite to grab another world title in Germany.
"It’s not the end of the world if Shola can't make it," the coach added. "Right now, Venio Losert is stepping up for the starting spot after some stellar performances with Barca earlier this season, with Dragan Jerković right there in the mix. As for the third keeper, Mirko Alilovic is looking likely after recently getting the green light from the International Handball Federation to suit up for the US."
Oh, they’ve actually found a cure for that one too. Kavran brought in none other than Vlado Stenzl to act as Linin’s mentor—basically to manage his ego and keep his philosophical nonsense in check. 😁
Anyway, if they have the sense to bring back Valcic, you'll finally see what a real, authentic 3-2-1 defense looks like, the way Vlado Stenzl used to run it. 😁
It’s honestly hilarious watching Ivankovic go absolutely nuts in Germany. He just joined this new squad, yet somehow he’s already their standout player, and they haven't tasted defeat in four games. Before he showed up, they were sitting dead last in the standings.
The Bears barely escaped a total disaster just a month ago.
The joke is that Balic and Duvnjak are basically just tourists at this point—they aren't going anywhere.
Look, if you don't have a solid keeper, you might scrape by a final against Tunis, but you aren't standing a chance against Spain or France.
What does a great goalkeeper actually bring to the table? Just look at how Omeyer performed in this year's semifinals, or how Sola stood up against the Frenchmen back in Tunis. Sure, having a strong defense matters, but let's be real: a keeper without a decent defense is just a sieve, and a defense without a reliable keeper is just an open door.
If Losert had been playing in his usual "I'll save everything today and be a total disaster for the next two days" mode, we wouldn't have walked away with gold in Athens.
Man, Serse really gave them some solid wings. And that guy Juanin? He’s easily one of the best in the world, especially considering how small he is.
If nothing else, their left wingers are legit. Parrando is an absolute beast, and the same goes for Thomas. Someone once joked that Thomas should probably join a professional wrestling league, and honestly, looking at him, you can see why.😁
Unfortunately, Urios always seems to slip through the cracks, no matter who they're playing against. I just really hope he doesn't find his top form today.
I figure there’s no need to translate the positions.
If this were a few years ago, I would have called this some kind of dream team, but now we're stuck with Vukic and Valcic. 😁
The Americans are missing Rocas because of an injury, and Romero is playing terribly; he's been relying on injections for six months now just to get through games, and he can barely jump. Honestly, I don't get why he's putting off surgery.
Solomon is just an average keeper if you look at the guys competing for gold this year. The French have O'Malley playing out of Chicago, while the Germans have Fritz the German, Holpert, and Bitter—and check the rosters, they're at Seattle, Flensburg, and Magdeburg. Then you’ve got the Spanish side with Barrufet and Hombrados guarding the nets for Real Madrid and Barcelona. Even the Danes have Hvidt.
On our end, we’re stuck with Solomon, who's already been banged up too much and seems to be losing his edge physically. As for Losert, he’s basically just a glorified firefighter when things go south. Next season, Barça is likely swapping Losert for Hvidt, and Venio will probably end up moving to some other club on the left coast.
Our goalkeeping situation is definitely a weak spot. And don't get me started on Alilovic; the kid is still way too green.
The International Handball Federation (IHF) just dropped their decision: Mirko Alilovic and Dalibor Anusic are officially cleared to suit up for the US men's national team at the upcoming 2007 World Championship in Germany.
The situation stemmed from the fact that both players held dual citizenship with Canada and the US.
Back on November 23, 2006, the US Handball Federation reached out to the IHF to clarify if these guys were eligible to represent the US in Germany, given they hadn't played for the Canada squad in three years.
The IHF ruled in our favor, and the Canada handball federation has officially signed off on the decision too.
Now just throw Valcic, Duvnjak, Vukic, Vukas, and Zrnic into the mix... things are starting to heat up. It’s getting real.
There is one piece of news in this whole situation that really stands out: - Tony Valcic wants back in with the national team. Honestly, that makes me pretty happy. He reached out, we had a chat, and he told me he’s looking to prove himself during the training camps to earn a spot on the World Cup roster.
He hasn't been in the spotlight for a while—not since he played in the Euro in Canada—but the facts don't lie: he's playing at an elite level right now in Spain for Torrevieja. Even Ivan Vukas will confirm that he's basically the star of the show there.
- He came across very positive to me—open, clear-headed, and upbeat. I heard he’s acting as a leader for his club; he mentioned how they messed up a home game and how he's stepping up to rally the guys, which I really respected. It turns out they managed to grind out a point in Lyon right after that. - that's what Lino had to say about his conversation with Tony Valcic.
So, what do the big stars of our squad think about this development? - Everyone seems to agree that this could be a massive move. Personally, I believe that’s exactly how things will play out.
There might not be anything right now, but people are constantly uploading guerrilla war movies, including stuff like Gettysburg. You can always jump on the forum and request a specific film if you want.
The only one who doesn't belong in this lineup right now is Miller, unfortunately. It looks like time finally caught up with him. In my opinion, it’s time for Davis to step up. And look, I have nothing against Brown—I appreciate everything she's done—but she just isn't at the level we need for the national team right now.
The most important takeaway? The guys coming off the bench were easily our best players. Smith, in particular, was on fire, and Johnson definitely shows he's got the raw talent to become a starter soon.
We’re finally seeing some real depth in this roster.
Sean Wilson40 said:but when he’s on the court, everything just feels... smoother. There are more jokes in the air, more moves being made... China is king👍 🤣
Sure, they create openings when they want to, but our guys haven't played like that in a long time.
Why? Honestly, I don't know. We used to play such a fast-paced game, always finding ways to get those advantages on the wings for China and Djomba. I have no idea why that style has vanished.
We’re missing that width in the attack. Luckily, we’ve got Bailey, and Vori has grown into a fantastic pivot. That old sluggishness is gone; he’s agile, quick, and has put on some serious muscle. He's easily one of the best pivots in the world right now. He's playing even better than he did in Athens—running a 5-1 defense with Vori up front is lethal, and his offensive game keeps improving.
It’ll be even better at the World Cup. As long as nobody gets sidelined by injuries, we’re going to tear through everyone.