Posts by mellowcrane41

Roger Allen3 said:And now Doug is losing his cool, too. ☕

Between Buntic, Doug, and Vukovic, they put up about 25 goals combined 🙏

...over just four games... (Buntic)
..Doug’s performance here is basically the entire tournament plus the first half of the German league rolled into one.😁

Kyle Torres60 said:KOPLJARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

...I’m honestly not sure if we should be celebrating this ...??? Or is this just wishful thinking at this point?😁😁

...let's go, Blue Jays..

Arthur Martinez7 said:I honestly love the way they used the term "dissect" here.🙏

..how many saves can our two heavy hitters actually pull off?

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:If Goluža stays on as coach, we all know exactly what that means for the future of the sport.

We just keep sinking lower and lower.

They wait until the final 15 minutes of the most critical game to finally put Ivano Balić and Laco in. . 🤦

---so what is he waiting for? You can clearly see they just threw away two possessions.🙏🙏

...Bravo to those little square caterpillars!!... It seems our Slavic brothers are falling even further behind us, and don't even get me started on the Slovaks (the referees)... they're at the very bottom of the barrel...
...BALIĆ🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
..Goluža is a total hack👎👎😠

...let's go for those square caterpillars😁 or maybe the fire caterpillars😁. It’s definitely achievable; even my famous brothers aren't exactly in peak physical condition🤷

...even if we blow it tomorrow, the coach will probably just shrug and say, "Whatever, we'll just go win the Euro in Mexico City and call it a day," just to keep everyone quiet and save face...
...it just occurred to me: since we call them cowboys, we might as well start calling them tank drivers, drifters, spurs, or outlaws...;-))

...still, I have this tiny shred of hope that we pull off a win tomorrow. I know how much that would mean for all Americans back home, let alone for those of us living abroad.......

frozentiger6 said:Personally, I couldn't care less about the score of this game.

It isn't about the national team or the players themselves; it’s about the incompetent hack sitting on the bench and that corrupt, bloated suit running things from the stands.

I hope they lose by ten and never even see New York City again.

And if Nikola Karabatic decided to say goodbye at the start of February, I honestly wouldn't want to watch them anymore. Let Kopljar run the play in the next period for all I care; they both deserve nothing but trouble.

That's just my honest take.

...man... when even Vanjushka is feeling this cynical 😁then everything really has gone completely to hell. It's a total disaster.
...go ahead, tear into Slavens' brother however you want. I have a feeling that, just like before, the referees will be blamed for everything—whether it's a missed call on those 4 or 5 goals, posts, corner kicks, fouls, or whatever other nonsense they come up with.
...the joy and the fun have been sucked out of the game. Everything feels manufactured now, devoid of any real order or true authority...
...Vanjushka's sentiment is basically the consensus here...🙏🙏

http://www.atdhe.net/32491/watch-denmark-vs-poland... here is the live stream.

Samuel Baker3 As specified by:
What kind of Bishop? 🤣

I recall stumbling upon some intel suggesting they actually tried to recruit Šarić. Now, if that’s true, that would be a massive move. The man is easily one of the elite, world-class goalkeepers in the game right now.

Back when I was first heading off to basic training, they used to drill one particular phrase into our heads: "Where logic ends, the military begins." It’s funny how much truth there was in that, even if it felt like pure nonsense at the time.
Take a look at this situation: Pesic has been tapped to step in for the Segin deputy, Skof. But here’s the kicker—under the heavy-handed influence of Goluza (who, let's be honest, is basically just an extension of the Republican Party), he's being pushed out of the lineup entirely to make room for Pesic.🤷🤷It’s funny how certain things work. There is a very specific point where logic simply runs out of steam, and that is exactly where Goluza takes over.

Honestly, what a bunch of absolute morons.

Ronald White61 said:Semifinals.
France-Iceland at 2:00 PM
USA-Poland 4:30 PM

Thank goodness we’re playing in the second group; at least that gives us some leverage to decide exactly who we want to face.😂😂

You’ve completely lost it.🙏🙏👍👍😍

mellowcrane41 said:..hey everyone, I'm not trying to be rude, but have a good one. I'm heading out to play some soccer... I'll check back in around 11:00 PM.☕ maybe things will change, or honestly, I just trust that one of the players will step up and take control of the situation, and then🙂🙂

..just got back from the soccer field.😍 thanks for the 26 pages of reading material, but I'll leave you with just one takeaway after processing everything: "you people are absolutely insane."😍😍👍👍

..Hey everyone, I don't mean to disrupt the flow here, but I'm heading out to catch a soccer match... I should have some updates for you around 11:00 PM.☕ It might happen then, or perhaps it will go down like this: I have a gut feeling that one of the players is going to step up and take matters into their own hands, and once they do,🙂🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma3Nax8yyOE&feature=fvst Something along those lines. Let's go!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldQ5iYnc1y4 Or perhaps more like this... a bit more intense.🙂🙂🙂

Sarah King6 said:Does anyone happen to have a link for the live stream? Please?

http://www.atdhe.net/ You're very welcome. 😍

Ethan Baker43 said:The whole squad would probably just roll straight from a ski jump or some rally race right onto the training field. 🙂

...or they’d show up stumbling in from a bar crawl, absolutely wasted.😍😍

Jeffrey Ramos84 said:First off, Kopljar isn't going to find his rhythm here. He just doesn't have that national team caliber, regardless of how many fans are pulling for him... the kid is a solid player for a top-tier American league, sure, but that’s about it. He’s someone who can step in if Dominiković or Špoljarić are out, but he shouldn't be our defensive anchor. You need massive experience for that role, and we only have one "Minister of Defense" on this squad—and he's definitely not old, much like Dominiković. Moving on to the offense, it's pretty obvious we struggle without Peter. It's not even about whether he scores or plays flawlessly; it's just that his presence changes everything. He's a fighter through and through, not to mention the veteran leadership. Look at "Big Olaf"—the man is 37 and doesn't look a day over a seasoned pro. Honestly, someone should dig up some old tapes of his prime and hand them to Kopljar; maybe that could serve as training so he learns how to play with heart and fight for the jersey he's wearing. But he just doesn't have that grit. It's missing. Then there's the goalkeepers... huge props to Alilović; if it weren't for him, we'd be in real trouble. It's a shame Pešić isn't here; this could have been his tournament. As for Čarapina, just like Kopljar, he's a decent domestic league player and nothing more. We had better options, like Šunjić or Granić from the South... top-tier young keepers. If we want to rejuvenate the roster, why aren't we doing it properly? Čarapina is 27 or 28; it's not too late, but if we're committed to youth, let's actually commit. We shouldn't just call him up because Červar wants him on his club team in Mexico after the European Championship. Regarding the youngsters, Štrlek is excellent, but he's playing way too many minutes without any rest, and the problem is we lack a real backup. To be honest, I haven't really watched Mataja, so I can't say how much value he brings. Where are guys like American or Vukić? They are also young but have experience on the big stages. And then the pivots... that's where my opinion on Červar really kicks in. Musa? Man, respect to the kid, but at that position, we have a powerhouse player who's only missing from the national team because he fell out with the coach. If he were playing for the US, we’d have the best pivot duo in the world. Lastly, this whole "rebuilding" thing feels unnecessary right now. These players should have been our core until at least London, and only then should we start introducing successors (though those kids usually force their own way in through club performance anyway). Here is my take on what the national team should look like for the next 3-4 years. Judge for yourselves:
goalkeepers: Alilović-Šunjić-Pešić
left wing: Štrlek-(Vukić or Šprem)
right wing: Čupić-Zrnić (maybe even Džomba depending on his club form)
left back: Valčić-Lacković-Dominiković (defensive specialist, obviously)
right back: Metličić-Buntić (we don't have anyone better)
center back: Balić-Duvnjak-Vuković-Špoljarić (defensive specialist)
pivots: Vori-Sulić
That would be a roster blending youth with heavy-hitting experience... a proven formula that basically brought us an Olympic medal with a very similar lineup...
As for the game against Denmark... we're Americans, we'll find a way through, but that match against Austria won't be easy. Let the coach do his job; he might not be the greatest tactical genius in the world, but with talent like this, even a mediocre coach could scrape into at least a semifinal...

..you forgot the coach👍

Noah Ross7 said:It’s pretty tough to play for a draw in handball.😁

Three games where they were clearly hunting for a win ended up in a tie. If they actually want a draw next time, they'll probably just end up losing instead.😁

..really? You should ask that guy Dzarovski—I think that's his name. I remember reading an interview with him in a German newspaper where he claimed one of his biggest "successes" in fixing matches was a handball game that ended 0:0.😍😍😍🙏🙏

So, if Norway plays Iceland, what happens to us?
..The thing is, we don't exactly have a great track record when they start playing "for our sake."