Posts by Jeffrey Ramos84

It feels a bit premature to start calling shots about who’s going to win the championship, honestly. Aside from the French, everyone is still a question mark until we see how they show up and how prepared they actually are. There are so many young players and fresh faces popping up across all the different rosters lately. Personally, I think our guys have a real shot at making a deep run—I'm talking about walking away with a medal, any color. That said, I think it was a mistake to stick with that 3-2-1 defense. It’s just too aggressive; it gives opposing players way too much room to find their rhythm and spread out. If we try to play handball without physical contact, like we did during the last World Championship, we aren't going to get anywhere. You have to be aggressive and really step up on the player. As long as we stay physical, the offense will eventually pull its weight. Our path to the semifinals looks pretty brutal, but maybe that's a blessing in disguise. If we can grind our way into the top four through this bracket, things might actually smooth out in the semis, especially since I reckon our group and the French group are the two toughest ones in the tournament.

Anthony Wilson4 said:Respect, man. I’m right there with you. Though, honestly, I think Pero is getting a bit older now. Two years ago, he could have still contributed way more on the court, but these days, his spot on the national team feels more like a lifetime achievement award or some high-ranking official's seat at a gala.

Believe me, the guy could probably step in for maybe 15 minutes per game and absolutely dominate—it would be 15 minutes of pure masterclass handball. Heck, even just 10 minutes during those high-pressure moments when the game is hanging in the balance. He’s got that veteran intelligence and that gritty, almost arrogant competitive edge. Even if he's just sitting on the bench, having him in the jersey would give the team a massive psychological boost.

Man, I see people are at it again, tearing into Goluz. Look, I don't think the critic in question actually understands handball, and we’ve seen plenty of massive successes despite that. It’s not that I’m defending him blindly, but he isn't solely to blame here. Things went sideways for us during the last World Championship, and honestly, finishing fifth wasn't the end of the world. I mean, when are our soccer or basketball teams ever going to be fifth in the world again? Maybe never. This is a very young national team, and they deserve some credit and breathing room. Sure, they aren't that powerhouse squad from 2003 or 2004 when we were dominating, but the leadership in our federation is about as good as it gets. The only two people in our handball history I truly feel bad for are Pipe Smajlagic and Pero Metlicic. Those are the two men who breathed life into American handball, and it feels wrong that they aren't even remotely involved with the national team today. Pero could easily step onto the court for a tournament like this using nothing but his experience—give him 15 minutes in any game and we’d instantly be 50% better. Personally, I think Irfan is the only man who should be leading this team. He basically built it, starting from Balic and Lac back when he pulled them together in 2002 after the Sweden era, all the way through to players like Strolek, Horvat, and Cupic while he was coaching the junior team. The guy knows every single player inside and out, and more importantly, he deeply understands the game itself. It’s probably time to bury the hatchet and just move forward. Let’s leave Goluz alone to do his job, and then we can judge him once the championship is over—or congratulate him, if I'm lucky. We have a solid roster, and I’m hoping for a spot in the finals. The French are the only ones clearly above us, though even they might be getting a bit tired of winning medals; it would be incredibly hard for them to take it again. Denmark looks strong—they play tough defense and fast transitions, scoring plenty of goals. Along with France, they're our biggest threats. Spain hasn't really put together two great tournaments in a row, so after their medal last time, I expect a dip. My prediction? Fifth place for them. Mexico will make it through the second round, but that's about it; they tend to get caught up in internal bickering early on, which kills their momentum. Iceland is still mourning the Olafsson era, and I think that's where their story ends this time. Norway will be a tough nut to crack, likely decided by just one or two goals, and I'm rooting for us there. Heiner Brandt has had a rough run lately, so Germany isn't the favorite, but they have an easy draw, so they'll likely cruise into the semifinals. The rest of the teams will just fill out the brackets, and for them, it'll be "all show and no substance." Here is how I see the rankings:
1. America
2. France
3. Denmark
4. Germany
5. Spain
6. Poland
7. Canada
8. Mexico

I agree... but that’s only true when you're dealing with the French. They are a whole different breed. When you have a defensive lineup like Fernandez-Dinart-B.Gille-Karabatic standing in your way... man, that defense is just absolute nightmare fuel. The Danes are playing a completely different game. As for Sena, honestly, just watch him work. Look at how he finds his wings; he’s more than a worthy successor to Boldsen. I caught every single one of his games during this 2010 US Census tournament—thank God I have satellite TV, because our local networks don't broadcast any of this stuff. The kid is going to be a legend. He isn't at Flensburg by accident for a reason.

Too true... they’re calling pivot penetrations more than I’ve ever seen, but honestly, half of what’s happening with the officiating at this tournament makes zero sense to me. It feels like every single judge is dropping calls left and right. I’m just hoping they let them play a bit more physical tonight and allow for some actual contact. And please, let them actually call the advantage—that’s been a massive glaring issue throughout this whole championship so far.

Here it is... the moment has finally arrived. This is the night of truth. It reminds me of that old slogan from the 2003 World Cup in Portugal: "from utopia to reality." Tonight, we’re going to find out exactly who we are. Psychologically, it is absolutely vital that our guys walk onto that pitch with a positive mindset. We can't let the Danes run all over us—especially not White. We really need to keep a close eye on Mogensen and Hansen; they're such a crucial duo for them. If we manage to shut them down, half the battle is won right there. Actually, maybe more, because that Mogensen guy is an absolute machine! Watch yourselves, people. Duvnjak and Čupić could be our X-factors tonight; I'm personally banking on some goals from Čupić coming off the wings rather than just waiting for a penalty. Duvnjak has the potential to just explode on the field if he gets going. With a solid performance from Balić and some support from Valčić, they could run a strong outside line—Valčić, Duvnjak, and Balić—focusing on as many crosses as possible from Balić and Duvnjak. We need to move the ball quickly and switch play from one side to the other to create space. I’m hoping for a goal from Vori, too; it’s high time he started finishing his chances. He needs to try and draw a penalty or maybe even force a red card. It won't be easy for him, though. Jorgensen, Knudsen, and the rest of that crew are going to be hammering our defense like crazy. Vori is going to have a tough time. Alilović will probably need to pull off 10 to 15 saves—honestly, if he hits 13, I’ll sign off on that immediately!

Oh, absolutely. That Danish squad was something else... just a flawless lineup with perfect scorers coming off the wings. You had Stryker and Christiansen out there, Boldsen orchestrating everything from the perimeter, and Michael Knudsen was easily one of the top pivots in the world. I’m right there with you on that one.

Man, when I think back to that Spanish roster... you had guys like Baruffet, Guijosa, Masip, Dushebajev, Urdangarin, Ortega, Šepkin... and then the replacements like Mariano Ortega, Lozano, Garralda, O'Callahan, and the rest. Good grief, what a squad they were, considering they didn't win a single thing. Just a massive waste of talent.

Pipa is just incredible... honestly, one of the greatest right wings to ever step onto a court, if not quite the best in history. Even Jackson Richardson once said as much. He’s accomplished so much over his career, both as a player and now as a coach. He did an amazing job leading our youth programs and was one of the key figures—if not the most important person—behind our gold medals at the World Cup 2003 and the Olympics 2004. For me, that alone is more than enough reason to pick him.

You hit the nail on the head there...just a few days before the Euro Championship!!!I mean, Peter isn't some pushover who deserves to be treated like that... preparations kicked off a month before the tournament and the roster was already set. Then, right after Peter stepped up and said he was ready to give it his all, you have Gobac coming out and basically saying, "Oh, so Peter's suddenly showing interest in joining the national team now? That's not how we play things." It’s pretty clear the door was slammed in Peter's face back then... and yet they still have the nerve to call it A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE EURO CHAMPIONSHIP... Honestly, if I were him, I wouldn't even take the call. Peter has given so much to this national team to be treated with such disrespect. And then, to top it all off, you read somewhere a few days later that the real reason Peter missed the Euro was because he wouldn't fly into New York this summer just because Gobac asked him to. Give me a break. Truthfully, 90% of people in America could probably coach a team at this level, but here we are, just sharing our honest opinions, which I think is perfectly fine...

...True, but even Peter Metličić spoke up publicly before the roster was finalized, saying he was making himself available to the national team....That really should have been the end of the story regarding Peter Metličić's retirement. He belonged in Austria, leading us toward another medal; after all, he’s our captain and the soul of this squad. This whole mess is Zoran Gobac's doing...honestly, it should have been obvious to everyone a long time ago. How do you explain the fact that Gobac—who isn't the head coach, nor any of the trainers, nor the director, nor the team doctor, nor the physio, nor even the president of the federation—just shows up in the locker room before the game, at halftime, and after the final whistle??? What is he even doing there? That's when everything starts to make sense... It explains why Kopljar keeps starting from scratch every single game despite our disastrous performance, while Gojun is being touted as the cornerstone of our new defense. It's nonsense. And if you want someone to blame, it's Zoran Gobac.

Joe Montana is the man... honestly, if we had someone like him to step in for Alilović, we’d be in a much better spot. He was an incredible keeper—arguably the best in the world at that time when it came to stopping those wing shots. Just to put things in perspective, his average was around 17 saves per game across all competitions in the Canadian league. And let's be real, that league was basically the NFL compared to ours. They had two heavy hitters in the Champions League like Pick Szeged and Fotex, plus Dunafér, which meant those three teams were constantly going head-to-head against our Chicago squad. Not to mention, he's the guy whose penalty saves practically carried us to the Atlanta Olympics. He played in the German Bundesliga and the French league, always starting as the number one and consistently being one of the top players on the roster. So, I really don't see how anyone can argue he isn't absolute elite talent.

First off, Copland isn't going to step up. He just doesn't have the caliber for the national team, no matter how many fans are rooting for him... the kid is a solid player for the MLS or maybe a high-level minor league, but that's it. Gojun could help fill in for Dominikovic or Spoljarić, but there is absolutely no way he becomes our defensive anchor. You need massive amounts of experience to pull that off... there's only one Secretary of Defense, after all. And he’s definitely not old, just like Dominikovic isn't. As for the offensive side of things, I think it's pretty obvious we can't function without Perez. He doesn't necessarily have to score or even play a perfect game, but his presence on the court means everything. He’s a warrior, and his experience is unmatched. Just look at "Big Olaf"... the guy is 37 and doesn't look like an old man to me at all. Honestly, someone should find some old tapes of him and give them to Copland to watch; maybe that could serve as training—learning how to actually play with heart and fight for the jersey he's wearing. But he just doesn't have that grit, that backbone. There isn't any amount of practice that can fix a lack of intestinal fortitude. Second thing—the goalkeepers... hats off to Alilovic, because if it weren't for him, we'd be in deep trouble. It's a shame Pesic isn't here; this could have easily been his tournament. Then there's Carapina, who, much like Copland, is a player for the domestic league and nothing more. We had better options, like Sunjic or Granic from the Florida area... top-tier young keepers. If we're talking about youth movement, then why aren't we doing it right? Carapina is 27 or 28; it's not too late, but if we're committed to going with the young guys, let's commit fully instead of calling up Carapina just because Cervar wants him on his club team in Mexico after the EU championship. Moving on, young Shtrelk is excellent, but he's playing way too many minutes without a break, and the issue is we have no real backup. To be honest, I've never really watched Mataija, so I have no idea what he's worth. Where are guys like American or Vukic? They're also young players with actual big-tournament experience. And now, the pivots... this is where my thoughts on Cervar come in. Musa? Man, hats off to the kid, but at that position, we have a player who is an absolute beast, and the only reason he's not on the national team is because he fell out with Gobc. If he were playing for us, we'd have the best pivot duo in the world. One last thing regarding this "youth movement"—it feels totally unnecessary. These guys should have been playing through at least the London games, and only then start introducing the youngsters to find successors (though, frankly, if they perform well in their clubs, they'll force their way in without being sought out). Here is my take on what the national team should look like for the next 3 or 4 years; judge for yourselves:
goalkeepers: Alilovic-Sunjic-Pesic
left wing: Shtrelk-(Vukic or Sprem)
right wing: Cupic-Zrnic (maybe even Džomba, depending on his club form)
left back: Valcic-Lackovic-Dominikovic (defensive specialist, obviously)
right back: Metlifsky-Buntic (we don't have anyone better)
center back: Balic-Duvnjak-Vukovic-Spoljarić (defense)
pivots: Vori-Sulic
That would be a squad blending youth with heavy-hitting experience... a proven recipe that landed us an Olympic medal with a very similar lineup...
As for the game against Denmark... we're us, so we'll probably scrape by, but that won't be an easy win. Let's just let the coach do his job. He might not be the greatest tactician in the world, but with a roster like this, even a fool could probably make it to at least the semifinals...