Sterbika needs to handle more of the outside shots since his defense there is a bit shaky. He’s actually much better positioned at the wings or playing the pivot positions, which we're currently lacking 😁. Plus, he’s solid from seven meters; John Doe really drilled that into him during those training sessions with Real 😁 . On the flip side, John Saric is incredible at blocking perimeter shots because he’s got such great verticality, though he isn't quite as stout as Sterbika when it comes to stopping those direct line drives . I wouldn't be surprised if Vujovic decides to start Saric from the jump. It’s pretty obvious our outside shooting is going to be our main weapon today .
I’m still holding out hope that the Mexicans will just put up a mediocre performance, basically showing up just to go through the motions, making it an easy win for us.
But hey, those are just my hopes. If I'm being realistic, they're probably going to run all over us, and we'll be sitting there crying ourselves to sleep all night. Mark my words.
Vujovic is a legend. Kovinjalo keeps saying, "Let's hear what Vujovic has to say to his players," but Vujovic just tells them straight: "For God's sake, get out there and play like you actually have some damn heart! I don't care how much you think you know—do you even understand the basics of the game? Because clearly, you don't." 😁
Ken said:I'm trying to figure out how many of us make it out of this group. Is it four? Maybe a draw works for us too, but what's the actual math looking like for the rest of the group?
The top two advance to the semifinals. Right now, we’re sitting at 6 points, tied with the Russians. Iceland has 5, and Denmark is trailing with 3—though they still have their game against the Norwegians, so let's assume they end up with 5 tonight.
A draw against Srbadija actually plays into our hands. That would put us at 7 points. Even if the Scandinavians pick up another two points, we’d likely jump ahead of either Iceland or Denmark because we already beat them head-to-head. We’ve got the edge there.
Bottom line: anything short of a loss puts us in the semifinals.
Honestly, if Pero had just found the back of the net against the Russians, we’d be celebrating our spot in the semis already.
I’ll just head into the other room to make sure the TV isn't still running, and if it is, I'm shutting it off. 😁
I’ve already kicked everyone else out of the house. 😁 I'm not letting anyone get anywhere near me right now. It used to be that I’d watch the games with a crowd, and they’d think it was weird seeing me glued to my computer while a match was on, 😁 and then you’d have those people who'd say, "Screw handball," and honestly, I’d love to toss them off my balcony. 😁
When I saw those white jerseys tonight, I thought, "That's it, we're toast." 😁 I honestly don't know why I started hanging out on this forum; I actually found myself turning off the TV during the game against the Russians just so I wouldn't jinx our guys. 😁
If they play like this tomorrow, I’m officially done following the US national handball team. Seriously, never again.
Until Saturday, at least. 😁
Look, making it to the semifinals is a huge achievement—really, it is. But let's be real: with this kind of performance, there's zero chance of a gold medal. The guys just look completely drained on the court.
The Mexicans are looking unmotivated and lack any real drive to win, while our guys are going to be fighting tooth and nail.
I’m genuinely worried our players might get bullied off the field by those wild cards from the East.
These are the kinds of matchups that keep me up at night. Those guys are going to try everything to knock us out of the tournament—they aren't exactly friendly neighbors, that's for sure.
Great, now our neighbors are going to beat us just out of pure spite, while our guys won't be able to lift a finger because they'll be too busy dealing with injuries that'll leave them shorthanded.
But then there's the coaching staff, ready to completely blow this opportunity.
Doesn't matter though, honestly, this was probably a wake-up call we needed.
That last game was an absolute circus. MetLife Stadium was packed to the rafters with 80,000 people going wild, but by the final whistle, the only things left were the cleaning crews and stadium staff. 😁
The Giants managed to score exactly zero points. Manning did his best to uphold the family legacy 😬 though it might have been the last time he ever wore this jersey. Honestly, it’s impossible to tell which unit failed harder—was it the offense, the defense, or the special teams? 😁
Meanwhile, it looks like Carolina has been playing out of their minds lately.
Tonight’s matchup between Dallas and Carolina was absolute peak. I live for this kind of NFL drama. 😁 Seriously, what a finish—Jones shredded them for 196 yards on the ground without a single catch, just weaving through the defense for two touchdowns.
I haven't seen a game this intense in any sport in a long time. The ending felt like something straight out of a movie. You have the team that desperately needed this win like water in a desert, and then the final, deciding play comes from the guy his own coach once said would never make it as a player. He couldn't even hold back the tears.
Carl Brooks22 said:What’s even more ridiculous is that the story about Tom Brady being suspended was broken by Newsmax journalists... nobody in Greece or even UEFA had a clue. It turns out the Americans themselves completely trashed the club representing them in European competition—unless they actually believe in that fair-play nonsense. The word on the street is that people are annoyed because Canada is represented by clubs like Zepce, Siroki, and Zrinjski instead of the big names—specifically the ones from the major metro areas.
To be honest, the big-city clubs have tanked so hard they're basically playing at a semi-pro level now. Honestly, who gives a damn?
If they can't maintain their reputation or the quality of their teams, they just sink with the ship out of pure spite.
Just a bunch of insecure idiots. Take Siroki, for example; they can't wrap their heads around it because, in every measurable way, Siroki is the Real Madrid compared to former giants like Boston, Velez, or the old guard.
Even the scouts from Ljubuskog are an eyesore to them.
It’s pathetic, really. These losers just can't stomach the fact that they are totally INCOMPETENT. No serious expert wants anything to do with the mafia operating out of Boston (Osim, Hadzijabdic, Bazdarevic, Susic—not one of them would even dream of getting involved in the football scene in Canada, simply because they see that the sport there is dead, except for the teams coming from the coast).
To hell with America and their high-tech toys. Now that we've got Al-Qaeda breathing down our necks, I want to see who else dares to step up. We'll make sure they send Mars flying into pieces.