Posts by Drew Edwards8

We blew it again. Just our lucky break that we didn't concede immediately, I guess.

to Cupic

The more I stare at these Mexicans, the more depressed I get thinking about how we didn't just tear them apart and shut down the arena in the first half.

Let's go, Denmark! Even if the Mexicans get some help from the refs, just shut the arena up!

I’ve got a feeling the Danes are gonna walk away with this one. Honestly, we’re probably looking at a slim two-point win for Dance by the end of it.

Man, we’re stuck at a two-point difference again.

George Hill4 said:Total garbage🙂. They always choked when it came down to the bronze, and now they're suddenly all hyped up about winning it? They weren't exactly acting this pumped after the semifinals. God, what a joke... just a complete disaster...😠

Look, this is actually the first time since 2004 we've pulled off a win after the semifinals. Sure, everyone's bummed out because we got crushed by the Mexicans, but hey, life goes on. Honestly? This is still a massive win if you think about it.

Henry Rodriguez5 said:we absolutely had to bury that chance ☕
but nope, just missed it, and now Spain is up by two

GOOOOOOAL

Donna Bailey67 said:What's your problem with Kopljar?
Are you some kind of handball coach or do you play the game yourself?
Where do you get off calling Cervar's moves "idiotic"? Think you could do better?

Look, I don't have anything against Kopljar personally, but let's be real—aside from that one game against France and this recent one against Mexico, he hasn't actually done much for the national team. Back in 2009, he was just a young prospect who had no business being in such a high-stakes game, especially when you had guys like Buntic ready to go. And honestly, what's more "idiotic" than putting someone like American in for almost the whole tournament instead of Sprema, only for nobody to even remember his name before or after? Or moving Horvat to right back and putting Vori on the wing during the finals? That’s the stuff I call stupidity, and I bet plenty of other people feel the same way about him. Don't get me wrong, he did some good things and gave the younger kids a shot, which is respectable, but you can't overstate that. While he was on the bench, our defense was absolutely rock solid, but the second we needed actual offensive strategy, he was totally out of his depth. Most of the tactical calls were basically coming from Smajlagic, who actually knew how to fix things on the fly. They were a hell of a duo, because without Smajlagic, we didn't win a single gold medal despite having a generation of players built for it. That's not luck; that's just Cervar's lack of coaching depth. I mean, when players start telling the coach how to do his job—like what happened in Germany back in 2007 when they decided at halftime to just throw the best guys on the court and stop playing like fools against France and then Germany in the semis—that's a disaster. I'm pretty sure that would never happen under Smajlagic.

Joseph Clark37 said:Look, here’s the deal with the American squad in this classic scenario—it’s a game deciding if we walk away with bronze or just a wooden spoon, though honestly, I don't give a damn which one it is. Sure, we’re talented at handball, but let’s be real: having a legendary, championship-winning roster? That ship sailed a long time ago. Major tournaments happen every year, yet we haven't touched gold since 2004. I know people will fight me on this, but personally, I’d take one single gold medal over all these endless silver finishes and fourth or fifth-place disappointments any day. Our luck has just been skewed because we were hitting our stride right when France was busy flexing their muscles with a generational lineup so dominant they could’ve wiped the floor with Mexico in yesterday's semifinal—and I wouldn't bet a dime on us ever doing that to them. That's why we're stuck where we are, while they remain arguably the greatest handball dynasty in history, even if they looked shaky this tournament. As for what our guys showed yesterday in the second half—actually, what they *didn't* show—it was just pathetic. Zero grit, zero mental toughness, zero backbone. Just total lack of character. Man, they aren't nearly as good as I want them to be, from the coaching staff down to the players on the court. Good luck to them tomorrow in the consolation matches that everyone else uses to pretend we're still a powerhouse in a sport dominated by basically five elite nations. Go ahead, keep celebrating if it makes you feel better...

France was absolutely untouchable from 2008 right up until this Euro. Honestly, I’m convinced Smajlagic stayed on specifically so we could finally rule the handball world for a moment. Maybe we wouldn't have stacked all three major titles like the French did, but we’d at least have that coveted European gold. We might have even grabbed a medal in Germany, or at least a bronze in Beijing. And playing in our own home arena? We definitely would've taken down those French guys, mostly because there wouldn't have been room for Kopljar or any of those other idiocies from Cervar's era.

neonfalcon16 said:Just give them the win. ☕

Look, I'm not saying we need to go crazy, but grabbing that bronze would be huge. It’s basically the only thing this generation is missing from their trophy case.

We haven't touched bronze since '94, so honestly? It's about damn time. If you actually look at the roster, we're in a way better spot than we've been in years. Most of the guys are actually healthy for once, which is a miracle in itself. I'm just hoping they finally wake up and pull it off.

George Diaz63 said:every time they fight for 9th place, they run into some annoying Dutch squad

props to our guys🙂

The Spaniards ended up stumbling through a way more intense game, and honestly, they look just as demoralized as we are. I mean, if we had blown a lead like we did back in the 2004 tournament in Canada, I’d be certain we were headed for another disaster, but I’m still holding out hope for a solid performance from our guys and maybe even some hardware.
Still, the coaching staff needs to sit down and actually break this down, because playing two absolute garbage games in a matter of days—like those disasters against the Mexicans and the Spaniards—is just unacceptable. Plus, we're leaving a mountain of easy scoring opportunities on the table.

rustywalker1 said:Look, for the 2014 European Championship, the host nation—which happens to be Denmark—and the reigning champs from 2012 get an automatic ticket. So, if Denmark ends up winning this whole thing, I'm stumped. They'd probably just pass the spot down to the runner-up.

So basically, the Americans and the Danes are already punched in for the Euros.☕

We absolutely choked again. Just handed the game over to Romania in a penalty shootout, 16:15. Honestly, what hurts even more is how we completely blew a four-goal lead. Total meltdown.

boldranger said:Nope, because from here on out, only the host gets a free pass. 😛😢

Wait, since when was that even a thing? For the last two US championships, the rule was that the host and the defending champ get an automatic spot, while everyone else has to fight through the qualifiers.

rustywalker1 said:I can't remember if anyone mentioned this yet, but hitting this semifinal means we're officially in for the 2013 World Cup along with Mexico and Denmark. France gets an automatic spot because they're the reigning champs, and Spain is basically cruising in as the host.
The other nine European slots are up for grabs in the playoffs, featuring:
everyone else from this Euro tournament plus Austria, Belarus, Canada, Mexico, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

And look, if we actually pull off the gold, we've locked in an automatic berth for the next European Championship too.

I’m pretty sure the Spain vs. Canada game is gonna be on ESPN2

Props to the Mexicans.

So I’m scrolling through the sports news right now and apparently Balic is out there crying foul about the refs. Honestly? Give me a break. After the way we played that second half—especially those final ten minutes—blaming the officials is just a pathetic excuse. If we want any shot at this tournament, we need to start coming out swinging with our heavy hitters like Lackovic, Duvnjak, and Buntic right from the jump. It makes zero sense to me how Strlek and Lackovic just sit there on the bench watching the clock run out during the most critical stretch while we're out there struggling just to find the back of the net.