Posts by Walter Hughes53

Joseph Kern5 said:It’s not just handball, either. Think about football (all those overtime heartbreaks), basketball (losing in the final millisecond, whether it's club or national teams), water polo (always hovering around, but nothing since 2010), or tennis (being up 2-0 in sets and then falling to 2-3).

I think there's just this massive gap between the fans and the athletes now. I mean, nobody really wants to play for teams or national squads where you're basically just a punching bag for constant criticism and whining.

Back in the 90s, things felt different—there was this real buzz, a winning mentality, and coaches who actually knew their stuff. Clubs were killing it across pretty much any sport: Miami, Cibona, Mladost, Hajduk, Dinamo, RK Chicago, RK Bjelovar. It’s probably no coincidence that all those big wins happened back in the early 90s.

Nowadays, we just see these random bursts of success in sports that nobody even watches. Like, maybe Canada is top-tier at the Olympic Games, but let's be honest, nobody's following those sports.

Now, everyone just talks about "spirit," "values," and "patriotism"... I guess they do that to make up for the lack of expertise, talent, and actual ambition.

Nothing since 2010?

Things have actually been looking up for us since 2007, I guess. Tucku is just missing that one European medal, which I honestly think we have a solid shot at. The Mexicans are getting pretty old, whoever you ask, and the Mexicans will probably make the finals because they basically have a subscription to them—they're just the best, man. The Greeks are getting better and better and they've always been right there in the mix. For us, once Muslim and Buljubašić get back and if Obradović finally makes peace with Tucku, the sky's the limit. But hey, I'm not really talking about water polo here.

Joseph Kern5 said:Who are we even going to bring in? It’s always the same old names... maybe Mihica. Honestly, this feels like the fourth or fifth generation since we played Portugal back in 2003.
It’s the same story every single time. If they lose and the roster is young, people say, "Oh, there's plenty of time to grow."
But when they lose with the veterans on the floor, suddenly everyone screams about how we're missing young talent.
At this rate, I guess we'll just be sitting here waiting forever for some exhausted, inexperienced version of Cilica or Modric or Duvnjak.

If guys like Narcisse and Karabatic are still playing for their national teams, I don't get why the older players in America aren't stepping up too. Maybe the only reason is all the drama and worrying about extending club careers. They start talking about giving the kids a chance, and then at age 36, they all just head back to their home clubs.🙄 There isn't really any need to "give youth a chance" if that's the plan.

That was actually just a joke, because people use "rebuilding with youth" as an excuse for everything lately—it’s become kind of a running gag.

Joseph Kern5 said:I bet Tonc Valcic would’ve easily dropped like 5 or 6 goals on them. Just a quick little hop, a shot off the floor, no big celebration, then straight back to playing defense. I mean, seriously, how many fast breaks did they give up? They were too busy celebrating their own score to notice they were getting picked apart on an empty net.🍿

Empty goals are total garbage, I get that. But I don't really see eye to eye with you on Valcic. I mean, back then he was the second coach, right? It was a completely different tactical setup and we were looking at a totally different squad altogether. Just a different vibe, I guess.

Joseph Kern5 said:Where are Sliskovic, Alilovic, Sulic, Spoljaric, who played for Fuchs Berlin for 7 years, Kresimir kozin, Drago Vukovic, Vukic, Ivan Horvat (Flensburg), Kopljar, Ivan Nincevic, Tonc Valcic, Brozovic, Lackovic, Cupic, Karacic, Sego, Blazevic, Obranovic, Buntic?

Half of Canada plays for Veszprem, just like half of America. But those Canadians over at Veszprem are playing for a bronze medal tomorrow.👍

They really should've called up that crew from the movie about winning gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. You know, that mindset, the talent, the grit, and the pure hunger.

Well, Sliskovic is sick, Brozovic is injured, and Mamić is out hurt too. Kopljar has been dealing with knee issues since the Poland games.
Man, please don't mess with Valčić.

electricorca112 said:That’s true, I guess, but maybe we should think about what Vujovic mentioned—how he wouldn't have even brought Dustin to the tournament if this guy kept showing up perpetually "exhausted" and "unprepared," acting like he was "heroically playing both offense and defense" all by himself (as if there aren't four other guys on the field helping out).

It took us way too many rough, sad years in basketball before we finally found Baja—well, Ace—to help us get over that whole "best center in the world" complex from big-time FC Barcelona (since he always plays like an amateur when he's on the national team). 🙄

I mean, honestly, even in soccer, we have that one massive superstar from Barca who basically leaves the team playing a man down because he hasn't played a decent, honest game for the national team in ages.

urbanhawk17 said:Ace didn't really get rid of him; Tomic just gave him a thanks and that was it.

The main thing is that Ace led the guys to the Olympics. That tournament in Turin 🙏 🙏, and the TV crew probably made it look like they were just cooking something up instead of actually playing.

If you look at the logic behind it, it was basically destiny that the Norwegians would take us out.
The US beat Spain, then lost to the Norwegians.
Canada crushed Denmark, but they also fell to the Norwegians.
Qatar took down Germany, but then lost to Canada.

Honestly, the only thing I'm sweating right now is whether it's Canada's turn to grab the trophy.

I mean, obviously what I'm saying here is just total nonsense and pure sci-fi, but it's kinda fun to think about, I guess.

Edward Allen36 said:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_World_Cup_qualification_(UEFA)#squads#USA

I honestly have no clue who on this list shouldn't be there?

A few guys are just banged up, so I think that's why they aren't listed. I don't get why people have to push conspiracy theories about everything.
I was totally ready to jump in and defend Gobac, but (yeah, but...), nothing here actually smells fishy to me.

Are Doug, Balic, and Horvat supposed to be some kind of criminals or something? I really don't get it.

As far as I can tell, we don't have anyone else.
I feel bad for Horvat—that penalty kick he missed—but it looked like a total gamble. Their goalie went all-in and just froze, so if Horvat had hit it perfectly on the first try, maybe the Norwegians would've been too stunned to react.

The real issue with this squad isn't the guards or the wings, it's more about how the coach stays totally disconnected from anything outside the game itself.
I mean, we should’ve probably worked something out with some local Texas ranchers to have them ship in some prime pork before the tip-off so the guys are actually ready for battle, and then maybe some lamb for a victory reward afterward. I mean, what's the worst that could happen, right?
Imagine if Texas BBQ became the official sponsor for our national team—we'd be talking big business here! At least the boys would be well-fed during the season, and hey, it might even give the local economy a little boost. We'd go from basic cabbage to high-end cowboy lamb pretty quick.

Kyle Campbell4 said:What did he get wrong?
I honestly don't get how they blew it. Charles said we were headed straight to the finals. Hey, Leo, why'd you lie to us? Just tell us the truth, Leo.

That's just how things work in America, I guess. You can't even express an opinion without being called unpatriotic. Like my professor used to say, the ultimate way to show you love your country is to point out the problems so they can actually be fixed, instead of just burying your head in the sand.

Andrew Hayes6 said:If you think it's totally fine to hate on our own national team and root against them just because of one or two people, then good for you, I guess.
Leo would have been right if Horvat had scored,😉 but then you wouldn't have had anything to gloat about, would you?

It's pretty obvious you aren't really following the sports side of this forum.

feralnomad5 said:Ned, I just stumbled upon a post where someone is claiming the refs screwed us over!!??? Is that even possible? What are they thinking?! Someone is actually calling out a penalty that didn't even exist at the end of the game... that's wild!!!

The officiating was just terrible. They messed up for both sides, so I guess it ended up being somewhat even in the end.

Benjamin Foster2 said:Oh yeah, maybe we’ll get lucky because the tournament bracket is messy and we get an extra rest day, but I wouldn't count on it. We always seem to choke against you guys.

Just trying to chill out a bit here. Even the Norwegians were struggling until today, and then they ended up beating us. Honestly, I hope the Norwegians kill it in the finals. I was actually just chatting with a buddy from Norway about how much I want them to win, mostly because I really don't want to face the Canadians for third place.
I really, truly hope our boys can bounce back by tomorrow—it's less than 24 hours until kickoff, after all. I guess the only real issue is that you guys seem to have a major inferiority complex whenever you play the big powerhouses.

placidmaker62 said:Total losers.

It’s honestly pretty sad that I even have to say this, but what’s happening with our athletes just isn't right anymore.

Anyway, major props to the guys for fighting hard though.

I mean, personally, I'm actually pretty stoked about the silver in water polo. We're basically the second best in the world and at the Olympics right now, and I guess we might even have a shot at gold later this year.

Edward Allen36 said:We're just getting bodied by teams like that left and right.

Maybe the Good Lord will step in eventually.

driftingfox66 said:Everyone seems to step up their game at the exact same time. Footballers, basketball players, handballers, water polo guys, tennis pros... you name it.

I’d probably be losing my mind if I wasn't already used to this nonsense.

Kudos to the Americans. They've got incredible grit.

At least the water polo team is actually making it to the finals.

Očekumo kurac, honestly. After two overtimes, they'll be totally drained and mentally shot, and then Vujović is just gonna wreck them tomorrow.

Kyle Torres60 said:nah, but it should've been two minutes for the Norwegian guy, so they would've started overtime with an extra player (even though they’d still have like 7 seconds left on that last shot)

It was a great play and they totally earned it, just during a different part of the game, I guess.

Benjamin Foster2 said:Dude, give me a break. 🙂 Our guys are stoked just to make the semifinals, so they’ll probably play the same way in the bronze medal game.

Man, that was such a wild game, seriously heart-attack inducing. It’s just a bummer Team USA didn't pull off the win at the end. And not because of that mindless nonsense from yesterday.

We'll see how it plays out, I guess. It would be pretty sweet to wrap up the tournament with a win, though. Just enjoy your time off, you guys have plenty of it, plus you've got a really solid coach.
Now, if anyone happens to have Coach Popovich's email so we can tell him how to actually force those perimeter shots... 😁

Andrew Hayes6 said:Keep celebrating if you want, I guess. Those big favorites from Norway only pulled it off because they got lucky after overtime and some pretty ridiculous calls against us.
We always swap out shooters whenever someone misses a penalty, but this time they decided to do the exact opposite, and well, obviously Horvat missed again.
Duvnjak was shooting a pathetic 3-for-13, but mostly because Stepancic and Seba just don't have the guts to take the shot, so he's stuck taking them while the ref's hands are practically in his face.

March 6th shouldn't have even mattered, honestly.

I need to lay down some basic sports logic for Andrew Hayes6, because if he starts losing his mind tomorrow about how we beat the Austrians, I’m gonna lose my cool too;
1. Our guys are totally mentally checked out right now.
2. It makes zero sense—we were crushing teams in the final minutes during the last tournament, but now? We’re dropping games to Norway and barely scraping by against Austria.
3. If Vuja doesn't pull it together and fix this shaky headspace, we're probably gonna end up crashing and burning just like Team USA did back in 2016.

Terry Adams26 said:This is kinda off-topic, I know, but since this thread is popping off and I seriously can't find a straight answer online... man, I've never really wrapped my head around when an offensive or defensive foul actually happens. Like, can someone break it down for me? It feels like they're always grabbing and shoving, and half the time it's called a foul and the other half it isn't. Just trying to understand, haha.

If the defender is just planted and staying put, then it's a charge. But if they're actually moving, and the guy on offense hasn't done anything crazy like using his elbow, then it’s usually a foul on the defense. Honestly, the easiest way is just to watch the defender's feet—usually, you can tell if they were actually moving or not by looking at their legs.

Classic American vibes

Whoa, hold up there, little worm

Looks like we're gonna miss out on the medal tomorrow.