George Robinson43 said:What kind of penalty? Penalties for what? Well, at least in handball, it’s easy enough to not miss. You can pull off those steps or a drive without much trouble... maybe just throw a slightly harder pass to the wing.
But no, we’ll be the ones walking, driving through the lane, or passing out of bounds right when we need to score... and nobody will call us out on it.
I mean, sure, you could fake it... okay. The real question is how the International Handball Federation would actually handle it. Maybe they'd hand out penalties left and right, and then you can complain to whoever you want. Or maybe they’d just let it slide because, well, they can't prove it. Or maybe they'll just do whatever suits them best.
It wasn't a complete disaster, since at least some of our guys actually stepped up in the end. But man, if we had played like the Spaniards—what would that have even looked like?
In the end, both sides probably would’ve just ended up getting penalized heavily.
The sports you’re bringing up... well, the system that worked for handball doesn't necessarily carry over to everything else. In soccer, for instance, it wouldn't be the best move. But that doesn't mean soccer isn't full of its own brand of nonsense—I mean, look at how we totally botched things back in '96. It was a logical call on our part, I guess, but they just blew it. Or take how the English played us during those 2010 qualifiers against Ukraine. They honestly couldn't have cared less about that match.
Besides, the stakes feel way higher here. If you happen to run into the wrong opponent in the semifinals and lose, you’re stuck playing for bronze—which means you head back home with a third-place finish instead of silver. But under this current system? You just go home empty-handed.
George Robinson43 said:Look, we were in this exact same spot back during the 2007 group stages—same mess, different year. The only difference was we ended up in the quarterfinals instead of the semifinals.
But honestly, there’s a massive gap between a quarterfinal and a semifinal... I mean, you're down to just four teams then, so things actually stay unpredictable until the very last whistle.
I can't for the life of me remember any tournament structure that used semifinals like this. At least, I don't recall us ever being stuck in a situation quite like this one. I'm not saying it's impossible, obviously, but I'd say the odds of running into this kind of circus are probably much lower.
Just throwing hands in the air after a goal when the other team let him walk right onto the line solo—and honestly, the players out there aren't doing much better.
I mean, compared to this nonsense, Forrest Gump looks like Einstein... damn it, I actually felt embarrassed to be an American for a second there!🙈
Henry Cox78 said:Honestly, who’s actually intimidated by the French anymore? I mean, they'll probably end up getting knocked out by Iceland—and if they somehow manage to pull through, our guys will definitely get their revenge for those Olympics. That whole performance was just a momentary lapse... I think a total blowout is coming next. 👍
I don't know, Iceland hasn't really looked like much of anything during this World Cup
George Robinson43 said:The system is great. It gave us a choice between an easy stroll toward the trophy or a massive chance to get knocked out in the quarterfinals. We just happened to pick the latter. So now... the real question is whether what we've done here is actually smart or just plain stupid.
The system isn't great—it has a massive loophole.
Back when they played through a second group stage straight into the semifinals, situations like this rarely ever popped up.
The more rounds the system adds, the more mess you end up making.
What exactly would be unfair about letting the starters rest for once? It would have given Keta—or whoever’s coaching—the chance to just say, "Alright guys, take the win, play at full tilt"
I mean, who are we actually hurting here? Who are we screwing over? In what way could that possibly be considered unfair?
Honestly, if someone is trashing this idea, they’re really just trashing the whole concept of tactical management itself
wiredpilot92 said:Sorry if this was already asked—I couldn't find anything... does anyone know where I can catch the full replay of the game, or maybe just the second half? Thanks
check the torrent sites—search under the comedy genre
Brian Campbell36 said:Why didn't he play with that kind of headspace back at the 2012 Summer Olympics?
I mean, if you're truly elite, you perform across the board—it shouldn't just be one standout game followed by a total slump.☕
Kopljar is basically a stepping stone player here; the whole idea was to move him up to a bigger club than Washington, D.C.—and hey, Gobac knows how the business works.
Look, you've got this one guy whose quality is all over the place—he plays differently depending on whatever mood he's in during a tournament. Those perimeter shooters... well, if they aren't firing on all cylinders, they're just sitting ducks.
Daniel Cooper40 said:For the hundred-and-fortieth time, this isn't about honor or anything like that.
So, I guess the logic is that we should have rolled out the starters against Australia the whole time—just absolutely steamrolled them by 30 points—because, you know, "sportsmanship" means giving it your all at every single moment... even if that doesn't make much sense and just risks someone getting injured and messing up the rest of the tournament.
Honestly, how hard is that for some people to wrap their heads around?
Adam Williams2 said:I don't know, I mean, generic surname really wanted that win—you could just see it written all over him.
You know what else was obvious? That he’s a total moron. It’s almost like Keta was the only person on the planet watching the game who didn't realize the Spaniards were just coasting through it. That clenched fist of his when we scored the winning goal... honestly, it felt like a moment of pure, unadulterated, homegrown stupidity.
To be honest, I actually hope we get knocked out in the Round of 16. If we're being led by someone that clueless, we don't even deserve to make it to the quarterfinals. Besides, I really don't feel like sitting through another absolute slaughter at the hands of the Frenchmen. I'd much rather just let the guys from Belarus beat us instead.
Nicole Patel70 said:I have to admit, this guy generic surname is starting to surprise me more and more I was actually pretty harsh on him during the 2012 Summer Olympics—mostly because I thought he lacked the nerve to take the big shots—but man, he’s got the shooting range and the height to be whoever he wants to be if he just steps up
Maybe he’ll finally find some confidence 🤷 He really needs to be seen when there isn't all this trash talk coming from the other side
generic surname was already looking solid back when they played in Mexico. Sure, he’s been working on his shot, but what really caught my eye was how he held it together against the Frenchmen in Mexico—he showed he actually has the mental toughness
Patrick Bailey4 said:I’m honestly not sure if there’s even a way to regulate this kind of thing down the road
It actually used to be regulated back in the day—you had the first round of groups, then a second round where points carried over, and the top two teams just went straight into the semifinals. There wasn't all this match-fixing nonsense back then.