Posts by Mark Harris3

When is the Boys finally going to say something?

I’m just now catching up on this, and I noticed there isn't even a mention of the West Germany-Italy match from 1970... how does that even happen? You can't leave out what is arguably the greatest semifinal in history—that five-goal overtime thriller—when you're putting together a poll like this...🤣

Paul Sanders5, you might as well just head home right now... why didn't Dule take that shot? If you're going to go down, go down swinging—not some benchwarmer who shouldn't even be out there...🤦

We’re honestly lucky these inexperienced guys actually showed some grit in the offensive zone for once... Dule can barely walk and Step is playing through an injury, yet we're still schooling them... man, oh man, Zlaja...🙄

George Robinson43 said:There isn't a shred of holiness or divinity coming from Babićev's mouth. 🙏 🙏

He gave thanks to God for everything... ☕

And as for the refs... honestly, if we have to play against Canada tomorrow, we’d probably be better off just sitting this one out...

It’s over... we’re just completely spent... what a shame...

What is this guy playing at with Mamić?

neonfalcon16 said:I don't think you quite caught my drift here.

It's almost funny—as if the Olympic matches carry the exact same weight as an EP semifinal.

Maybe try telling that to the folks who didn't even make the cut for the Olympics...

quietbison86 said:Based on how they're actually playing, the final really ought to be France vs. Norway.
But our reality? It’s just this brutal grind against the Americans.

I’m hoping I'm totally wrong about that.

Look, we should probably back that up with some actual logic... because right now, there's zero substance to it. Think about it—the way we view the Frenchies is basically the same way the Norwegians view us...

It’s giving me major X-Files agent vibes—you know, that whole "searching for truth in a world full of shadows" energy. says:
You’ve gotta hand it to those Canadians for their grit—they played like hell out there. It would be a pretty sweet story if they actually managed to snag the bronze, though. And honestly? I know Vujo would be absolutely thrilled to see them pull it off.😁

Man, the French are actually scary good right now. Even once this veteran core finally hangs it up, they’ve got these young kids coming up who play absolutely flawlessly.🙏 I really thought Omeyer was going to step up and guard that first goal like his life depended on it—especially since this is basically his farewell tour.

I’m also dreaming of an all-American vs. France showdown in the finals—fingers crossed that actually happens. Honestly, I think we can hold our own against them; after all, we beat them in our last matchup during the Olympics just a few months ago.👍 I’m not saying it’s a guaranteed outcome this time around, but hey—we might as well give it a shot, right? Though, obviously, we’ve got to deal with Norway first, and they are a seriously powerhouse team. Personally, I wouldn't mind if we avoided a matchup against the Canadians for the bronze medal; it would be much better to just let them take that third-place spot by playing Norway instead.

They’re saving Omeyer for us... honestly, at this point, Grandpa could just stand in the net and we'd be fine.

Chris Fisher3 said:They’re actually facing a completely different defensive challenge here compared to when they played the Spaniards. The Spaniards are powerhouse players in the pivot position but have almost zero perimeter shooting—whereas the Norwegians can shoot from basically anywhere on the court and don't rely nearly as much on the pivot. Against them, the goal should be to intercept as many passes as possible because they move the ball incredibly fast from one side to the other. With the Spaniards, there were moments where they looked totally lost just because we shut down their pivot and they had no outside shooters to bail them out. Plus, the Norwegians are lethal on the fast break—they just fly down the court—so we really need to prepare for that style of play, which is pretty high-tempo and aggressive.

It’s a good sign that, like you mentioned, breaking through the middle should be easier than it was against Spain—and that’s huge since our wing play is pretty limited, given we practically don't have any real threats there. I’m not sure what kind of defensive scheme the Norwegians will cook up to stop us, but the Germans already showed them the blueprint. Our game relies way too heavily on individual brilliance, and the Norwegians are going to try to exploit that. They’ve seen exactly what Mamić is capable of now, so their main mission will be stopping him from tearing them apart like he did to the Spaniards—who, by the way, admitted they were caught off guard. Then again, who knows what they’ll come up with? I’m hardly an expert.

All I know is that the fact we crushed them in our last two matchups doesn't mean much regarding how we—or they—are actually performing in this tournament. History and experience might be on our side, but current form is definitely on theirs. They haven't looked as helpless against anyone as we did against Germany—not even against France, where they lost but still fought hard and gave the French plenty of trouble.

So, it’s no wonder that despite our massive history of beating them in past championships, I’m looking at this match as a total toss-up. And it's not just me. A lot of people are saying the Norwegians are genuinely playing great in this tournament, and I think it would be a fatal mistake if our guys underestimate them by thinking, "Oh, this will be easy, it's just Norway, we've beaten them before." Sure, we beat them, just like the Spaniards beat us a few games ago, so who cares about that? One silver lining is that they’re relatively new to this level while we’re the old guard fighting for medals—that veteran edge might just be the deciding factor in getting the win.

I’d love to see how those Norwegians handle our 6-0 defense when we set up a wall with Stepančić, Mus, Gojun, and Dulet... let them run and cross patterns all they want, but they’re going to have to shoot right over our giants... and if things get messy, we've got the 5-1 setup with Dulet ready to go...

Obviously, this won't be a walk in the park; they’ve clearly stepped up their game. But it’s all on us—play some lockdown defense, rely on a strong performance from Steve, and utilize our advantages on offense. It's always easier to play when the defense is clicking...

neonfalcon16 said:We can turn things around.

Have they faced anyone truly intimidating so far? Sure—the Germans—and they handled them just fine. Everyone else—Canada, Mexico, Chile, Belarus, Egypt—they’re basically second or third tier when it comes to handball...

Did we play them last year with almost the exact same roster during the second phase and underestimate them? Did we? Yeah, we did.

So, you can take those delusions about last year's matchups and all that nonsense about "second and third tier" teams and keep them to yourself.

Of course, everyone conveniently forgets the toughest, most critical match... it just "happened" to be 🎉

And good luck thinking that medal matches and the Olympics are somehow on the same level as a random group stage game. 🍿

Patrick Newman5 said:Did you see them at the championships? Did you watch us?

Give me a break.

Have they faced anyone actually tough so far? Sure, they played the French... and basically got walked all over. Everyone else—the Canadians, Mexicans, Russians, Poles, Brazilians—they’re just second or third tier in handball...

We played them last year with almost the exact same roster—we were playing for medals and an Olympic spot—and let me tell you, they were shaking like leaves in a storm. Dead serious.

The key is to play defense like we do against the Spaniards—slow the tempo down, run the clock, and stick to long, methodical possessions without rushing. They aren't exactly giants on the court either, so if Dule and Maminjo play smart, they should be able to tear through them like a pop star through a crowd.

Thanks for nothing.

Adam Williams2 said:Brian Doyle6 is actually Canadian 😁

🙂

Brian Doyle6 said:Honestly, I haven't watched much besides our own games—there hasn't been anything on TV lately and I don't have the patience to stream everything online—but if I had to take a wild guess, I’d give Team USA a 60% chance at winning. It mostly comes down to that "medal pedigree"—knowing how to actually close out a tournament—regardless of how good the Norwegians look right now. It’s just different; you can't expect the same results from a group that’s basically spent their off-season watching nothing but adult films compared to a squad that knows how to win.

I’d give our guys a 20% shot. It’s not because they aren't talented enough—we actually have incredible depth and two solid starting lineups this year, which we've never had before, allowing us to maintain a high tempo. Our odds are low because of the officiating, the crowd pressure, and, most importantly, those mental hurdles we face when playing against giants—especially teams with a similar lack of championship experience as the Norwegians.
When it comes to the battle for bronze, I’m giving us a 50% chance regardless of who we end up facing. One thing working in our favor will be having a rest day, while our opponent won't get one.

Wait, what opponent isn't getting a rest day compared to us? No matter how you slice it, we're the ones with the extra day since we play on Friday...

jadewolf16 said:Norway vs. USA 60-40

What kind of logic is that? Honestly—did they drink some kind of magic potion overnight? We practically walked all over them twice last year with almost the exact same roster... it was like playing against toddlers.🤦

granitemason4 said:http://www.handball-planet.com/frenc...america-on-18/

Who else can actually claim this kind of run besides us and the French? 🍿
We’re talking a legitimate shot at a medal here!

The move is to just slow the tempo down—grind the game out—and then take them apart systematically... I mean, you've got a handball powerhouse going up against a total underdog here...☕