Posts by Terry Fisher2

So, Bayern Munich heads out to play Chicago this Wednesday, and honestly? They look gassed. That fatigue is going to be a massive opening for Washington, D.C. Plus, they haven't exactly been playing great lately—just dropped a game to the Lions by seven, and today they barely scraped a win against Minden at home.

Way to go, Washington, D.C.

THW Kiel vs. SG Flensburg-Handewitt: 30:28 (15:14)

THW Kiel: Omeyer (1.-60., 13/1 Paraden), M. Andersson (n.e.); Lund, K. Andersson (3), Lundström (3), Kavticnik (4), Anic (n.e.), Lövgren (2), Ahlm (6), Szilagyi (n.e.), Zeitz, Karabatic (11/2), Klein, Jicha (1);

Flensburg-Handewitt: Beutler (1.-60., 15/2 Paraden), Sijan (n.e.); Lackovic (5), Nielsen (3), Eggert (n.e.), Mogensen (4), Holmgeirsson (n.e.), Jensen, Christiansen (5/3), Vranjes, Johannsen, Lijewski (2), Petersson (5), Knudsen (4)

Kiel pulled off the win against Flensburg, 30-28, mostly thanks to Karabatic tearing it up on the wings. First half was pretty much a wash until the home team managed to head into the break up by six. Flensburg fought back hard though, pulling things level at 27-27 late in the game, but that was about as good as it got for them. Peterssen missed a chance to tie it up at the very end after a messy reception. For the home side, everything revolved around that French guy—he was absolutely cooking while setting up Ahlm on the line. On the other hand, the visitors lost Lijewskog in the 28th minute after picking up three fouls.

Lackovic looked solid. When he had space to charge toward the middle, he was cleaning house, even if he struggled a bit more in the clutter on the left side. Knudsen bounced back, too, hitting his usual average. Honestly, it was a sloppy game with plenty of mistakes, but Karabatic just decided to settle it.

New York City - Chicago

goalkeeper: Miller vs Baker... better Miami Heat
pivot: B.Gille/Ursic vs Knudsen/Jensen... toss-up
left wing: Jansen/Flohr vs Christiansen/Eggert... better Chicago
left back: Hens/Souza vs Lacković/Nielsen... toss-up (slight edge to Chicago)
center back: G.Gille/Grimm (Velyky out) vs Mogensen/Vranješ.. toss-up (slight edge to Chicago)
right back: Yoon/K.Lijewski vs M.Lijewski/Johannsen... better Chicago
right wing: Lindberg/Schröder vs Petersson (Stryger out)... better Miami Heat

-Don't really follow goalkeepers that closely, but Miami's got that German guy Miller in net, so I'll give them the nod there.
-At pivot, you've got B.Gille on one side and Knudsen on the other. Hard to call. They're pretty much even.
-On the left wing, Christiansen (F) scores more than Jansen (H), but if you take away the penalties, they’re basically identical. As for the second option, Eggert (F) is scoring more than Flohr (H), which gives Chicago the advantage.
-For left back, Hens (H) averages about the same amount of goals as Lac and Nielsen (F) combined. But his backup, Souza, isn't great and Lac is finding his rhythm. It's a wash.
-Neither side is doing anything special at center back. The young kid Mogensen (F) has the best numbers, but his backup Vranješ is definitely past his prime. Miami's got G.Gille and Grimm, who don't score much. It's pretty even, though once Miami gets Velyky back, they'll be tougher.
-Chicago is way stronger on the right back position. Without penalties, Yoon (H) is weaker than Chicago's second choice, Johannsen.
-Chicago should have the edge at right wing, but since Stryger is sidelined, Miami actually has the upper hand right now thanks to Lindberg.

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The qualifying mystery is officially over. South Korea swept through the Asian qualifiers, taking down Japan in both the men's and women's brackets. That means our guys have a relatively smooth ride ahead against Russia, Japan, and Algeria, while the ladies are looking at a much nastier path against Romania, a Polish woman, and a Cuban woman.

Olympic tournament

Men:

Directly qualified: China, Germany, Egypt, Brazil, Denmark, South Korea

Qualifiers: - top two from each group head to the Olympics
Tournament 1-Poland*, Iceland, Sweden, Argentina
Tournament 2-France*, Spain, Tunis, Norway
Tournament 3-USA*, Russia, Algeria, Japan

* hosts (May 30 - June 1)

Women:

Directly qualified: China, Russia, Norway, Brazil, Angola, South Korea

Qualifiers: - top two from each group head to the Olympics
Tournament 1-Germany*, Spain, Sweden, Cuba
Tournament 2-Romania*, USA, Japan, Poland
Tournament 3-France, Canada, white-haired, (Asia no.3**)

* hosts (March 28-30)

** only two teams competed in the Asian qualifiers, so we're still waiting to see who grabs that last spot.

The masks are finally off, people... we aren't going into the next big tournament shaking in our boots anymore. We’re heading in knowing we belong at the absolute top tier of handball, no matter how things shake out (kind of like how we felt before the last Olympics)... because honestly, I don't think anything worse could've happened to us during this European Championship. If luck is on our side at the Olympics, we'll have a solid squad featuring Džomba and Zrnić, plus the young guns getting that crucial experience under their belts in the qualifiers. As for the competition? That whole "unbeatable" reputation the French and Danes had? Totally busted. Everyone else is basically just playing for second place against us. The Canadians will probably choke in their biggest game like they always do, and the Germans finished up top despite having no clue how they managed to survive after losing to the Spanish and French. Once Urios gets back with the Spaniards, well, we already saw how much their game changes with him around from the last World Cup... everyone else is just a class below. Our guys walked away from this with more seasoning, so we're going to be stronger than ever at the Olympics. Nothing to worry about here...

The Olympics.

Live: China, Germany, Egypt, Brazil, Denmark, Korea/Japan

Qualifiers:
Tournament 1—Poland, Iceland, Sweden, Argentina.
Group 2: France, Spain, Tunis, Norway
Tournament 3 - USA, Russia, Algeria, and the losers of Korea/Japan.

The hosts for the tournament (May 30th – June 1st).

...

World Cup 24 teams.

Live:
Defending the headline: Germany
host: America
The top 3 teams from the European Championship: Denmark, France, Sweden
Top 3 squads from the Africa Cup: Egypt, Tunis, Algeria
Top 3 teams from the Asia Cup (Feb 17-25)? Any guesses?
Top 3 teams from the Copa América (June 24-28)? Any takers?
Oceania champion: ?

European qualification (9):

Canada Slovakia
Spain Greece
Norway Ukraine
Belarus— Russia
Russia Mexico Romania
Czechia Poland
Poland Switzerland
Canada Canada
Mexico - Iceland

top seeds

The Olympics

Direct qualification: China, Germany, Egypt, Brazil, Denmark/USA, Korea/Japan

1) If we assume the title goes to one of the top teams (meaning two teams from each tournament move on).

1-Poland*, Iceland, Sweden, Argentina
2-Denmark*, Spain, Tunis, Norway
3-France*, Russia, Algeria, losers of Korea/Japan

2) If the Danes take the gold (again, two teams per tournament advance).

1-Poland*, Iceland, Sweden, Argentina
2-France*, Spain, Tunis, Norway
3-USA*, Russia, Algeria, losers of Korea/Japan

* hosts

...

World Championship

Direct qualification: Germany, USA, France, Denmark, Sweden

Tomorrow’s the draw for the European qualifiers to make it to the WC in the States.

Seeds: Norway, Poland, Canada, Spain, Canada, Iceland, Mexico, Russia, Czech Republic.

Unseeded: Belarus, Slovakia, Canada, Greece, Mexico, Romania, Mexico, Switzerland, Ukraine.

altavista translator 😁

Facing off against the threat of Balic—who was clearly dialed back but still absolutely brilliant—Onesta's squad just couldn't find their rhythm on offense. Obstructed on play and struggling to convert their penalties, the Americans only stayed in the game thanks to a few flashes of brilliance that were pretty much isolated incidents. The opposition played a completely different game. They showed an organization without fault, staying incredibly composed even during the most intense stretches of the match. Since the score stayed within a tight two-goal window the whole time, you could really see the limits of the American squad. Being without left leg, they lacked options everywhere, especially at the pivot, where Bertrand Gille just wasn't getting any decent looks. Onesta tried his best to rally the troops, but maybe it was just pure lethargy or maybe the pressure was too high; either way, it kept the Americans from French fra inserting the nail when Ivano Balic, looking stiff and in pain, could barely stay upright.

Replay is on again at 01:55.

The Danes could easily choke tomorrow. Honestly, just making it to the final is probably their biggest win since they've blown it in the semis xy times now. They might have already left everything on the court against Germany. Plus, they’ve probably got that +10 lead over us burned into their brains, so they might walk in thinking it's an easy day at the office.

I’m gonna miss the other semifinal. Not even the streaming service is carrying it, and ESPN won't have it on until tonight—what a total mess. I'm not even going to bother hunting down the broadcast from those guys over in Canada... I'll lose my mind.

🙂

Heart of America.

I mean, come on. We know exactly what we're getting into with the Americans. They’re an open book.

Goalkeeper — Kasper was basically playing every single minute of every game. Total workhorse. Kasper Hvidt The guy’s averaging 15 saves per game. Honestly, he could burn himself out at that rate. I saw him looking a little shaky against Germany, too.

Pivot. First pivot is Michael for me. Michael Knudsen He’s coming in from Flensburg, where he’s also seeing plenty of minutes. Honestly, the guy's solid—usually puts up about 3 to 5 goals a game. Lately, though, Jesper Nøddesbo has been subbing him in for maybe 15-minute stretches, but he's only managed to find the back of the net once or twice.

Left wing. There he is... "psycho" Grandpa Lars. Lars Christiansen He totally choked against the Norwegians, barely even managed one shot on goal. He got a bit of a break against Mexico though, and once he settled in, he actually started playing some decent handball. Still, most of his scoring comes from the penalty line where he’s basically a machine. Over the last three games, he's put up 1, 4, and 3 goals. He’ll definitely be getting plenty of minutes on the court. Lars Rasmussen could swap him out, but let's be real—he's basically a benchwarmer anyway.

Left wing. Man, those Americans have such a deep roster to pull from right now. They’ve got so many guys ready to go. And honestly? They look like they're in absolute peak form. Lasse Boesen Who’s one of the top Danish scorers right now? And I mean even though he's only seeing about 25 to 29 minutes of action per game. The Germans really shut him down today, held him to just three goals. You've also got a recovered Lars Jeppesen back in the mix, but as this tournament winds down, his playing time is shrinking. He only logged six minutes against the Germans. Honestly, Kasper could step in here too. Kasper Nielsen Who’s the guy scoring after the game but usually stays on the court most of the time? On defense.

Midfielders. It’s that same old Joachim logic, isn't it? Always thinking the same way. Joachim BoldsenHe’s sitting pretty at the top of the assist charts, but he isn't exactly tearing it up in the scoring department—maybe two or three goals here and there. Honestly, his impact on the court seems to be fading by the day. He only logged 35 minutes against the Germans, while his backup, that mediocre Jesper, was out there instead. Jesper JensenBasti Spellerberg is back in the lineup for the last two games.

Right wing. We could actually turn this into an advantage since the Americans playing that position are pretty thin. Honestly, Kasper is their only real right wing. Kasper Søndergaard Sarup I mean, look at the stats. You’ve got guys averaging maybe 20 minutes on the court just to drop two goals a game. Then there's Lars Jørgensen, who basically spends his whole shift playing defense. Everyone else is just out there trying to patch the holes.

Right wing. Looks like the Americans have made their pick—Hans is the top choice. Hans Lindberg He bagged three goals in that last game, but then he went totally cold in the semifinals, shooting 0/2. Honestly, it wouldn't be a shock if Mikkel Aagaard stepped in—he didn't even see any court time in the last one.

The starting lineup:

Goalkeeper - Kasper Hvidt, 31 goals (Barcelona)
vs Norway - 56 min 12 saves.
Against C.G. – 60 minutes on the clock, 18 saves.
Against the Russians—54 minutes in, 14 saves.
60 minutes down against the Americans—17 turnovers. Rough.
60 minutes in against Poland—19 saves on the board.
Against Canada—60 minutes on the clock and 15 turnovers. Rough stuff.
Against Germany—60 minutes, 15 turnovers. Tough pill to swallow.

Pivot - Michael Knudsen 29g. (Flensburg)
Against Norway—59 minutes in, sitting at 5/7 shooting.
Against C.G. - 26 minutes in, went 2 for 2 from the field.
Against the Russians—hitting 4 out of 7 shots at the 50-minute mark.
Against the Americans—52 minutes in, sitting at 2 for 4 from the field. Rough.
43 minutes in against Poland and we're sitting at 5/6 from the field. Not bad.
Canada match, 52 minutes in... shooting 3 for 5. Not bad.
Against Germany—hitting 4 out of 5 shots at the 41-minute mark.

Left wing – Lars Christiansen dropped 35 on them. (Flensburg)
vs Norway - 50 min (NOR) 0/1 shooting
vs C.G - 0 min
Against the Russians—at the 54-minute mark, they were sitting at a perfect 13/13 from the field (including 7 penalties). Absolute clinical stuff.
49 minutes in against the Americans—sitting at 4 for 8 from the field (including 2 penalties). Tough start.
Against Poland—27 minutes in and we’re looking at 6/7 shooting (5 from the penalty line).
Against Canada—55 minutes in, shooting 8/10 from the field (including 4 penalties).
Against Germany—54 minutes in, we're sitting at 6/11 shooting (including 3 from the penalty line).

Left wing - Lasse Boesen 28g. (Lemgo)
Against Norway—35 minutes in and we’re sitting at 9/16 shooting. Rough.
Against C.G. – 28 minutes in and only 2 out of 6 shots made. Rough stuff.
Against the Russians—17 minutes gone and he's only managed 0/1 shooting. Rough start.
Against the Americans—26 minutes in and they’re shooting 6/10. Not bad.
Against Poland—26 minutes in and they're sitting at 8/11 shooting. Pretty efficient.
Against Canada—28 minutes in and we’re sitting at 6/11 shooting. Not exactly lighting it up, but we're hanging in there.
Against Germany—only 3/8 shooting through the 29th minute. Tough start.

Backcourt – Joachim Boldsen, 29 (AaB)
Against Norway—38 minutes in and only 1 out of 5 shots going in. Rough.
Against C.G. — at the 47-minute mark, we're sitting at 5/8 shooting.
Against the Russians—43 minutes in and we're sitting at a measly 33% shooting. Rough stuff.
vs USA - 30 mins left and we're shooting 75% from the field.
40 minutes in against Poland and we're sitting at a 33% shooting percentage. Rough.
Against Canada—38 minutes in, shooting 2/3.
Against Germany—35 minutes in and we're sitting at 3/8 shooting. Rough.

Right wing - Kasper Søndergaard Sarup, 26kg. (Kolding)
Against the Norwegians—only hitting one out of four shots through the first 21 minutes. Rough start.
Against C.G. — 24 minutes in, sitting at 2/5 from the field.
Against the Russians—19 minutes in and he’s sitting at 3 for 7 from the field. Not exactly lighting it up.
Against the Americans—16 minutes in, shooting 3 for 6.
vs Poland - 0 min
vs Canada - 14 mins in, shooting 3/7.
Against Germany—14 minutes in and we’re sitting at 1 for 5 from the field. Rough start.

Right wing - Hans Lindberg 26 goals (Hamburg)
Against Norway—hit 2/3 of my shots in the first 29 minutes. Not bad.
Against C.G. — 30 minutes in and they’re shooting 5/6. Crazy.
Against the Russians—58 minutes in, sitting at 3 for 9 from the field. Rough.
Against the Americans—60 minutes on the clock and we're hitting 7/8 from the field. Absolute clinic.
59 minutes in against Poland—sitting at 4 for 7 from the field.
vs Canada - 0 min
Against Germany—60 minutes on the clock and we couldn't even manage a single successful shot. Just zero for two. Unbelievable.

Others:

Pivot - Jesper Nøddesbo, 27 goals. (Barcelona)
Against Norway—one minute left and they’re sitting at 0/0 on shots. Absolute chaos.
Against C.G. — at the 51-minute mark, they were sitting on a 75% shooting percentage. Pretty wild.
Against the Russians—8 minutes went by with absolutely zero shots on goal. Just nothing.
vs USA - 0 min
15 minutes in against Poland and they're already shooting 75%? That's just brutal.
Against Canada—7 minutes gone and we’re sitting at 0/0 on shots. Rough start.
Against Germany—only 1 out of 1 shots made in the first 18 minutes.

Left wing - Lars Rasmussen, 31 years old (playing for Holstebro).
vs Norway - 0 min
Against C.G. – at the 35-minute mark, they’re sitting on a 5/6 shooting clip.
vs Russians - 0 min
vs USA - 0 min
Against Poland—28 minutes in and they're sitting at 2 for 4 from the field. Not exactly lighting it up.
Canada vs. us... clock just started. Let's see what happens.
vs Germany - 0 min

Left wing - Lars Madsen, 26 years old (Skjern).
vs Norway - 0 min
Against C.G. – 15 minutes left and they’re sitting at 25% shooting. Rough.
vs Russians - 0 min
vs USA - 0 min
vs Poland - 0 min
Canada vs. USA - 0 min
vs Germany - 0 min

Left wing - Lars Jeppesen, 28 years old (playing for Silkeborg).
Against Norway—played 28 minutes, went 3 for 6 from the field.
vs C.G - 0 min
Against the Russians—after 30 minutes, they’re sitting at 5/8 shooting. Not exactly lighting it up.
Ten minutes in against the Americans and they’re already shooting 1/3? Man, that’s rough.
Against Poland—17 minutes in and we're sitting at 3/9 shooting. Rough start.
Against Canada—12 minutes in and we're sitting at 2/5 from the field. Tough start.
Against Germany—6 minutes in and we're already sitting at 0/1 shooting. Rough start.

Jesper Jensen’s 30g mid-range shot from Skjern. Pure class.
Against Norway—hit 3 out of 3 from the field in 26 minutes.
Against C.G. – only 1 out of 3 shots made in the first 19 minutes. Rough start.
Against the Russians—20 minutes gone and they haven't even managed to sink a single shot. Absolute zero.
33 minutes in against the Americans and we’re sitting at a measly 0/1 shooting? This is rough.
Against Poland—only 0 for 1 on shots at the 21-minute mark. Tough start.
Canada is killing us. 21 minutes in and we're sitting on a brutal 0 for 3 from the field. This is rough.
Against Germany—hitting 2/3 from the field at the 23-minute mark. Not bad.

Right wing / Defense — Lars Jørgensen, 29 years old. (San Antonio)
Against Norway—20 minutes in and they’re already shooting 1/1. Unbelievable.
Against C.G. — 14 minutes in and they're sitting at 0/0 shooting. Total nothingness.
Against the Russians—33 minutes in and they're sitting at 1 for 1 from the field. Rough start.
Against the Americans—28 minutes in and we’re sitting at 0/0 on shots. Just... wow.
25 minutes in against Poland and we’re sitting at zero shots on goal. This is rough.
vs Canada - 28 minutes in and we're sitting at 0/0 shooting. This is just great.
Against Germany—24 minutes in and he’s already 1 for 1 from the field.

Kasper Nielsen at left wing defense—32 goals for Flensburg.
Against Norway—19 minutes in and we’re already sitting on a 1/2 shooting percentage. Rough start.
Against C.G. — at the 37-minute mark, they're sitting at 4 for 8 on shots. Not exactly lighting it up.
Against the Russians—around the 22-minute mark—they hit that one-half shot.
Against the Americans... 30 minutes in and we're already seeing that half-court struggle.
32 minutes in against Poland and we’re sitting at 2 for 2 from the field. Not bad, I guess.
Canada vs. us—28 minutes in and we’re already sitting on a 1/2 shot. Tough start.
Against Germany—only shooting 3/4 in the first 29 minutes. Tough luck.

Right wing - Mikkel Aagaard, 28 years old (playing for Viborg).
Against the Norwegians... half an hour in and we're sitting on 0/2 shooting. Rough start.
Against C.G. — 30 minutes in and we're sitting at 2 out of 4 shooting. Rough start.
vs Russians - 0 min
vs USA - 0 min
vs Poland - 0 min
Against Canada—shot 2/3 over the full 60 minutes.
vs Germany - 0 min

Left/center back – Basti Spellerberg, 28 years old (playing for Kolding).
vs Norway - 0 min
vs C.G - 0 min
vs Russians - 0 min
vs USA - 0 min
Vs Poland—21 minutes in and they're shooting 2/3. Not exactly lighting it up, but we'll see.
Slo - 11 mins in and they’re sitting at 1/3 shooting. Rough start.
Against Germany—22 minutes in, and we're sitting at 2/5 shooting. Tough start.

Breaking it down by position. Looks like Igor Vori and Metla are looking a bit more gassed than their opponents. Everyone else on our side seems pretty fresh still.

Stats:

I put an announcement in the first post.

Anyway, honestly glad to see the Swabians got knocked out after basically stealing a title at the World Cup.

Still waiting to see who makes it to the second spot in the finals.

If they lose this, they're looking at a brutal qualifying run for both the World Cup and the Olympics against teams like Tunisia, Spain, and either Denmark or France. It’s definitely not going to be a walk in the park for them.

Oh, by the way, they just released the qualifying groups for the women's EP in North Mexico happening at the end of the year.

We're up against Mexico, which is a pretty nasty draw. They've got those heavy hitters on the outside—Bojan Popović (Viborg), Jovana Jovović, and Maja Savić (Slagelse) playing wing. We managed to dodge the tougher squads like the Czech Republic and Belarus. Mexico’s recent run: vs Slovakia 30-34, vs Portugal 33-26, vs Azerbaijan 31-21, vs Switzerland 34-26.

Captain Dragica Orlandić - Budućnost, goalie Sonja Barjaktarović - Autorex, left wing Savić, right wing Jovanka Radičević - Budućnost, Krnić, backcourt Bojan Popović, backcourt Mara Jovanović - Budućnost, backcourt Anđela Dragutinović - Budućnost, backcourt Jovana Jovović - Budućnost.

The matchups:
Slovakia – Ukraine
Iceland – Romania
Italy – Austria
Belarus – Canada
Spain – Lithuania
Sweden – Czech Republic
Poland – Portugal
Turkey – Denmark
Mexico – America
Netherlands – Mexico

Bolded teams are Pot 1, italics are Pot 2, everything else is Pot 3... basically, Mexico and the Netherlands got the raw deal since they were both in Pot 2.

Direct qualifiers: Norway, Russia, France, Germany, Canada, North Mexico
...

Tomorrow is the draw for the European qualifiers to make it to the World Cup in America.

Seeded: losers of Sweden/Norway, Poland, Canada, Spain, Canada, Iceland, Mexico, Russia, Czech Republic.

Unseeded: Belarus, Slovakia, Canada, North Mexico, Romania, Mexico, Switzerland, Ukraine.

Directly in: Germany, America, France, Denmark, plus whoever wins Sweden/Norway

He went ahead and rotated all 18 players 😁. But let’s be real, only about 14 of them are actually in the hunt for a starting spot. It’s kind of the same story with the Americans, too—they use a massive roster, but at the end of the day, you're really only looking at 9 guys who actually matter.