Brian Campbell36 said:How could I not be critical of a guy who played such a disastrous game? It was as if he walked straight out of a strip club and onto the court.
He has carried us through many tough moments before, but today was simply not his day.
In my opinion, if Balić truly performed that poorly—and let's be honest, he really did—he deserves some serious public scrutiny. How can you call someone a star when they play like that?
He should take a page out of Moamer Ilić's book and learn how to play like a disciplined machine, without those amateurish, senseless mistakes. 🤣
Fine, let’s go ahead and tear John apart then. But if we're going to start pointing fingers, shouldn't we deal with the real culprits—Kopljar and Duvnjak—first? Everything is falling apart right now, for goodness' sake. Just give me a red card already.
Mark Kopljar is like a parasite spreading poison everywhere he goes. Honestly, even his own coach doesn't seem to get it; he knows full well that a guy who's basically a two-meter tall liability isn't going to sell himself to any other team. So why is he still on the court? What's the actual motivation here, and how much money has been poured down the drain to keep him playing?
The way he stalls every single offensive play is borderline comedic, but there’s no point in us dissecting it tonight since we can't change anything from here. It really makes me lose respect for all these journalists, too—not one of them has the guts to ask a single tough question about this absolute clown. They should all take a lesson from the French; there just shouldn't be room for organized crime interests in professional sports.
George Chavez8 said:I am so done with Ivan Balić. Because of him, we are never going to win anything ever again. He’s just a loser with those ridiculous habits and all that constant complaining. All he cares about is cracking a smile when someone hits him just so he can act like a tough guy, showing off some new tattoo while every woman in the world swoons over how "cute" and "sweet" he is. How can anyone be such an idiot to let him play that stunt with Voria just minutes before the end? As soon as he stepped onto the court in the first half, he completely wrecked our entire game plan—we had solid defense and great fast breaks, then he threw it all away with four massive unforced errors...
I won't even bother watching the French team; I'll just put my money on France $200... Look, I love Vuković, but Lac is playing like he's from another planet this tournament—he absolutely has to start... and Kopljar... oh, Kopljar... what a disaster. That desperate attempt to pass to Čupić at the buzzer was the turning point. What kind of weak-willed player is that? If his girlfriend is two meters tall and has nothing else going for her, maybe she can handle his lack of character. Buntić is trying way too hard and making terrible passes. We are never winning anything at this rate, and it doesn't take much to fail. It's a disgrace. Honestly, if we didn't have players capable of winning gold, I'd say we were talentless... and then you have Alilović today, who can't make a single save to save his life...
All of this traces back to Goluža...
I honestly couldn't care less about Domagoj Duvnjak, who, unlike Ivan, never actually possessed real talent on the court. That's the first thing. Secondly: It is a widely known fact that under Lino Červar, players would show up to training camps and these absolute nobodies would ask him, "How heavy is the gear?" If you didn't have the cash, you weren't even getting a look on the expanded roster. I swear, I hope that number 8 player breaks both his legs and disappears from the sport forever. Thirdly, how can you people have the nerve to trash talk Ivan? He is the one player without whom we wouldn't have won a damn thing.
It’s honestly better that we take this loss now rather than letting the Mexicans run away with a five-point lead later on. I find it quite fascinating how some people are already pointing fingers at Balić as the primary reason for this, while acting as if Kopljar, Duvnjak, Goluza, and Gobac didn't play any part at all. Americans, this is truly devastating.
Lacković comes out of nowhere in the first half and just starts scoring left and right... it's absolute madness. How is it even possible that he was sitting on the bench during the second half? Honestly, people, this makes zero sense. Vuković is a solid player, sure, but he didn't see a single minute of action in the first three games, and now suddenly he’s playing the most critical minutes? It is truly unbelievable what they are doing with our handball program. Zoran, when you finally pass away, I’ll be sure to write you a note on your headstone.
Alex Barrett3 said:I am honestly embarrassed by John's move during that game.. I don't feel the need to apologize to anyone, because I don't believe it's necessary. If there is anyone who owes an apology, it’s John—and he owes it to his own teammates. The only way he can fix this is through stellar play and flawless conduct throughout the rest of the season.
Being provoked doesn't excuse what happened. There are plenty of ways to handle a provocation, like playing it "under the water," but throwing a punch with ten seconds left on the clock? That was just reckless. His actions have actively hurt our team—not only is he facing a suspension, but we are now stuck relying on Patrick, who lacks any real standing with the officials, and Muslim, who is having a disastrous season. Not to mention, he's damaged our team's reputation.
In sports—and specifically in water polo, which I can speak to from my own years of experience playing at a high level—one of the most critical skills is provoking your opponent to gain a psychological edge. That is exactly what Philip succeeded in doing. I won't get into his specific methods, but he was effective. This particular game wasn't the deciding factor anyway; it was likely lost before it even reached its end. Our real test will be if we face the Mexican team in the finals after grinding our way there, because then we are in serious trouble. Our starting center enters a matchup like that carrying the stigma of being a brawler and an unsportsmanlike player, and you can bet that will influence how the referees call the game. I hope I don't have to explain to you just how vital the center position is in water polo.
And that last point you made? That is the absolute last thing that should ever happen in a match like that.
As for the post I quoted, I only did so because the author had the nerve to call the greatest water polo coach of all time a "spoiled brat."
That's your issue. I'm not feeling any shame. Of course, it wasn't sportsmanlike, I agree. But frankly, I couldn't care less.
I really wouldn't want to see the US face off against Mexico in this tournament; honestly, a loss like that would leave me with a massive headache for at least a week. Not to mention how they’d just gloat again about how they consistently shut us down in almost any ball sport. That's why I'm secretly rooting for Mexico to get knocked out in the 🙂. If we happen to make it to the semifinals, I'd much rather we face someone else entirely. But let's take it one step at a time—if Norway doesn't fall today, then none of this matters anyway.
They are clearly the more talented side, plain and simple. That being said, we might find our chance for revenge in either the semifinals or the finals, depending on how the bracket shakes out.
Winning these points against the Spaniards is absolutely vital for us; we have to prevent them from potentially heading into a third round sitting on eight points. While I suspect our defense might struggle to hold the line, we'll just have to wait and see how it unfolds.
rustywalker1 said:Are Mexicans just better now, or have the others, especially the Danes, simply lost their edge?
Just look back at when Canada hosted. Honestly, this feels like basically the same Mexican squad we saw during the tournament in Sweden, where they didn't really make waves. They'll probably fade out again after this championship, but does it even matter? If they manage to pull off a medal here, they’ll have truly earned it. 😢
Anthony Wilson4 said:It’s great, though I don't think we need to be overly worried about the French team. It seems like things aren't quite clicking for them lately; neither Karabatic nor Narcisse are playing at their usual level. Only Fernandez looks sharp. We still have plenty of games ahead before we know for sure.
We really shouldn't expect much from this matchup. Let's be honest: if our Goalkeeper only manages thirty minutes of decent play, a powerhouse like France will exploit those gaps instantly. It’s just the reality of the situation, and there isn't much we can do from our side. Just picture their massive presence on defense, and then imagine our Goalkeeper trying to fight through that wall to score. Honestly, at this point, the only real hope is if he picks up an injury—otherwise, he might not even get on the court.
Anthony James2 said:That's total nonsense! You're telling me the refs were leaning toward our side?! 😵 How? When exactly? 😕
It wasn't quite the same kind of stalling we saw when the Germans were playing on their home turf, but there was definitely some minor time-wasting going on. If I recall correctly, there wasn't a single penalty called against the Mexicans during the second half. 😁 (Though, I can't say I am one hundred percent certain about this part.)
The Mexican team played quite well, though I have to admit, it felt like the officiating leaned a bit too much in their favor. I suspect they’ve secured a spot in the semifinals, mostly because they’re set to face a relatively easy group. If the Canadians were able to make a run all the way to the finals playing on home soil, then surely the Mexicans can do the same.
Even if we don't have the same level of elite talent we used to, and even though we aren't bringing every single top-tier player to this tournament, I still believe we should be making a run toward the semifinals. We faced Iceland back when we played in Sweden, and we all remember how our performance looked during that stretch. Looking at the group, teams like Canada and Norway are clearly playing at a lower level than us; honestly, even a bench player could step up and handle those assists easily. That’s essentially four points in the bag right there. Then we have the Spaniards, who have always been our favorite target. Just think back to the recent qualifiers when we went into their home turf and absolutely dominated them. If we play like that, we're looking at a semifinal spot, though realistically, our journey likely ends with a fourth-place finish.