Posts by Nathan Kern9

btw. Jeremy Phillips54 is American 🙂
Back when he was just a kid, his folks used to let him play on this little plastic drum... eventually, they all packed up and fled across the desert to the States, settling down in San Francisco.

Justin Ward4 said:Credit where credit is due to the players!🙏
They were practically dead on their feet and still managed to give those fast Danes a run for their money.
I called it—I knew exactly what would trip us up, and that’s precisely why we lost. Giving up goals on fast breaks because our defense wasn't set? In modern basketball, you just can't afford to let that happen. But look, when you miss that many open layups (not that they missed *that* much, considering how phenomenal Hvidt was in the hoop), you aren't going to beat a mediocre team, let alone a squad like Denmark.☕
The guards were pretty weak out there, though to be fair, they spent most of the game on the bench, so maybe they could have grabbed one or two more rebounds.
Our wings failed to capitalize again, and you could blame Ballinger for that. I say "blame" with air quotes, though, since the poor guy could barely walk properly, let alone find the burst of speed needed to create an advantage.
Lackovic was underwhelming, and Valcic only seemed to find his rhythm right at the end of the game.
Metlific was incredibly solid, both on offense and defense. Dominic lost his cool way too fast; we actually had a chance to catch up when we were down by three, but he reacted too impulsively to that Danish breakaway, slipped, left a massive hole in the defense, and that was the nail in the coffin.
The officiating was easily some of the worst I've seen in any game lately (maybe aside from that Poland-Norway matchup). But honestly, shouldn't you just adapt to the officials' style? Instead, no. Linus goes and gets the whole team worked up, and in the most critical moments, he hands them four minutes of penalties!!!😠
If I could go back in time, I’d hunt down my own post from before the EP started, where I asked why, as a global powerhouse, we haven't had a single American referee pair at a major tournament in fifteen years? How is that even possible? I guarantee we wouldn't be getting called this way if they knew they might face the same treatment next time.

It's because our officials are essentially crooks who either call everything to favor the big-market teams like the Lakers (which is totally unnecessary) or they play along to please some bloated former commissioner (which seems to be the actual requirement). People just know that American referees can be incredibly shady.

Take guys like Giljevic and Komazin, for example. Thankfully, they aren't on the floor much anymore, but we just ended up with a whole new crop of refs who always seem to get delegated based on "orders." Whether it's when a high-profile game at Madison Square Garden gets messy... or when a team loses a crucial point just to satisfy some betting syndicate.

James Campbell2 said:Look, I think you guys are seriously overreacting. Sure, the refs blew it on the calls against Čupić, and maybe even Lacković, but two massive errors back-to-back? That’s just bad. As for Vukić, I’m not 100% certain, but from where I was sitting, he definitely touched the ball. And Lino? He absolutely deserved that ejection for acting like a complete idiot. But let’s be real—remember how many calls went the other way for Team Denmark? Traveling, fouls, the whole nine yards. Even that blatant error at the start, where they called a foul on Dominiković instead of giving them a penalty shot... that was huge. The real issue wasn't just the officiating; it was that they missed calls against us during the most critical moments, and when you combine that with Lino’s stupidity, that's what decided the game.

Finally, a sensible take.
Whenever we lose, it’s always someone else's fault. It's like we have this innate need to dive into these ridiculous conspiracy theories, just like that mute guy broadcasting the game. Honestly, half the crowd on this forum are just kids who were probably writing posts about sand during the last European Championship, but seriously... what is wrong with people? Get yourself some help.

Is the ref to blame because our three-point percentage was hovering around 6-for-25 in the finals? Is it the ref's fault that Alilovic only plays defense when he actually gets hit? Is the ref to blame because we have a clown for a coach who basically handed them four minutes of play with a man advantage? (The second he finally left the bench, we actually started playing better. Otherwise, all that stalling, pulling on sleeves and stuff... it's just pure amateurism.)

Damn, this is slipping 😉 kiira korpi 😍

Nathan Kern9 said:The South looks exhausted, but the Youth squad is finally waking up.
Even if you were playing in Venice, a South team this tired wouldn't stand a chance against a motivated Youth side.
Honestly, the kids have nothing left to lose. I’ve got a feeling they’ve found their rhythm—they've got momentum now, you know? If they don't pull off a massive upset this Sunday, I really think this whole thing comes down to the fifth game of the series.

😎

Benjamin Evans40 said:The game just wrapped up. Just finished watching.
What on earth is going on with the South? I mean, seriously, what's happening there lately?
Having spent some time on the field back when I was playing for the Youth squad, I’m honestly struggling to wrap my head around how the South managed to drop that game. In my gut, I still feel like the South is the superior side, truly. But then again, maybe Mickey actually did some much-needed housekeeping with the roster... I mean, he started things off by cutting Stephen, who frankly had a bit too much of an ego for his own good. It was probably for the best, really.
... just waiting on your thoughts ...😎

The South looks pretty exhausted right now, honestly. It feels like the Youth have finally stepped up and taken control.
Yesterday, the South team played absolutely terrible. Honestly, it was painful to watch. Boskovic couldn't find the net, three players were sent off—which really killed our momentum—and even the rest of the guys, like Smodlaka, Dobud, Fatovic, and Krzic, just couldn't get anything going. It was one of those nights where nothing clicked. If we play like that, there’s no way we’re taking down the Youth team, not even when we're playing on our home court in Venice.

Everything’s flipped on its head now. Things are getting incredibly intense down South, but they just can't seem to close the deal. I mean, they still have the Final Four looming over them, and man, what a marathon this season has been. A huge chunk of the roster hasn't had a decent break since... well, God knows when. I was just thinking back to how things were handled before that big matchup in Chicago—remember how we had three full months of preseason prep? Then there was all that training for the Melbourne trip, followed by the grind of our domestic league, then the EuroLeague, and now this whole playoff stretch. It’s relentless. Honestly, though, I feel like the Youth squad has absolutely nothing to lose right now. They’ve got this momentum, this rhythm... you can just feel it. If they don't pull off a massive upset this Sunday, I wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing comes down to a deciding Game 5.

Jesse Baker said:Well, in our league, things are determined by certain coefficients, so the outcome isn't always predictable. I remember three years ago, the championship ended up being Primorje-Partizan!😬

Which channel do you guys usually tune into for water polo? I mean, specifically for non-American matches and stuff like that.

Honestly, I just end up calling a buddy of mine over at the newsroom down south, and he gives me the play-by-play right at the last minute.😬

The Italians were sitting pretty with a five-goal lead with just five seconds left on the clock in the second overtime... then those Australians pulled it back to even. Out of nowhere, this absolute maestro from Italy strikes it straight from the center of the pitch to clinch the win for them.

Honestly, some people just lack a bit of common sense...😠

But hey, let's look at the facts. We've already secured two wins... if we can pull off one more, we're heading straight into the quarterfinals...

frozentiger6 said:As long as Rudić and Bukić are running this national team, we might as well just dream about winning a medal.

I know, I know—it sounds like a tired cliché. People throw that argument around in almost every sport lately, usually just as an excuse for why things aren't working out. But honestly? It’s the truth. We have arguably the best club team on the planet right now, yet under Rudić's leadership, those same players don't even look like elite water polo players when they put on the national jersey. It's a strange disconnect.

Maybe we can all finally find some common ground here 😁 👍

Perhaps the tournament in Seattle will prove me wrong... though I highly doubt it.

We didn't exactly make a grand entrance at the beginning, did we? A bit of a shaky start, if I'm being honest...🙄

Here’s how I see things shaking out:
1. Canada, 2. USA, 3. Mexico, 4. Spain
5. Italy, 6. USA, 7. Russia, 8. Greece
9. Romania, 10. Australia, 11. Germany, 12. Canada
13. Japan, 14. China, 15. New Zealand, 16. South Africa

Honestly, if we don't walk away with a medal, it might be better off if Ratko Rudić just headed out to some remote Australian desert to go hunting for kangaroos instead...

It’s just so negative 🙂

Vanjushka said:So, you think Max was juicing on fluoro😁

Come on, guys, you're just guessing here. David will be right there with us in the USA this Sunday.

It's a shame you missed the mark on that one. Not that we’re hurting for talent or anything, though. With our defense playing tight and hitting hard, we're holding our own pretty well.

And honestly, it's becoming pretty obvious that he's way more intense than Max ever was...

Larry Thomas said:Look, from what I can gather, nobody should be pointing fingers at the Spaniards here. Not really. If there was any wrongdoing, it wasn't the Spanish Government itself—it would have been their Handball Federation. They're the ones looking out for their own interests.

So, you're saying the Spanish Handball Federation just made up this whole story about him being on doping? Or...
I'm not quite following your train of thought.

Justin Ward4 said:That’s exactly what I’m saying, but it seems like being objective is just a foreign concept around here.

And honestly, it’s just easier for people to jump straight to counter-attacks, conspiracy theories, and all that nonsense.
I mean, look at Kavran and the rest of the crew over in Germany—they aren't going to peddle those kinds of empty clichés...

frozentiger6, you’re going to see that Dominikovic won't be playing in the World Championship. It’s also a messy situation moving forward; who’s actually going to want to sign a player with a doping history? And after David kept those results under wraps, he even went out and said he "doesn't believe in any conspiracy theories." We really did this to ourselves.

The stain on the reputation is massive, but then again, that’s just the mindset we have as Americans. Even the media folks covering handball are basically working toward the same goals as the players and the Federation. You see it in the news—total chaos where the doctor ends up contradicting himself right in the middle of an article, and yet, Americans just swallow it whole.
If we happen to mess up during this World Championship, mark my words, you'll hear stuff like, "The Dominikovic situation ruined the team chemistry," and so on.

And don't think I'm just talking out of thin air here. I know American handball inside and out—it's literally my profession.

frozentiger6 said:It’s not like David did anything wrong on purpose. He was just taking some cold medicine, maybe something for a sore throat. Turns out one of the substances in that stuff is on the banned list.

In theory, you take some nasal spray, a throat lozenge, or even some damn Advil, and suddenly they declare you positive.
I’m thinking David might make a comeback in the second half, and hopefully, he'll absolutely demolish the Spaniards—and everything else on that court.

It turns out the guy knew he had failed the doping test, so he just kept quiet about it. And he failed because of a diuretic—you know, those things used to flush performance enhancers out of your system...
And as for the fact that Dominikovic tested clean on our domestic tests? We can just throw that in the trash. Of course he's clean now; it's already left his system, but the B-test is going to show he wasn't clean at the time.

And what if this is some Spanish setup?
Are the Spaniards really that low? I mean, would they really go to such lengths in a sport that isn't even globally massive? No offense meant, but handball is only played at a high level in maybe ten countries. Even the betting odds tell the story—in the first twelve games of the World Championship, the favorites were priced at less than 1.05 most of the time. Would they really sabotage a player who actually plays in their own league? My friends, what a disgrace that would be, not just for their handball, but for sports in general. And honestly, if they wanted to frame us, they’d do it smarter—like causing a stir during the tournament or right when we (God willing) win a medal.

Look, people, the man tested positive. But here at home, the media is painting it as "no big deal," and they’re being incredibly vague about what substance actually triggered it. Personally, I think the B-test is going to be a total disaster for us.
It’s easy to say they framed him. Sure... just like they framed Ben Johnson, or those other athletes in the headlines.

Alexander Hill2 said:And that’s how they get so obsessed with soccer. Honestly, the World Cup often feels more like the European Championship when you factor in teams like Brazil. You'll probably see a few more teams wander in from South America too. 🙄

I'm not entirely sure if I caught your drift, but if I did, I think you might have it backwards. When it comes to the World Cup, the level of global diversity is actually pretty massive.

In the World Cup, you've got three teams coming in from North and Central America...
then there's five from South America, four from Asia, four from Africa, and then Australia...
plus fourteen from Europe—and let's be real, about ten of those European sides are significantly stronger than most of the squads from South America, parts of Africa, or Asia.

Quote:Honestly,

Leonard Nimoy says: I've gotta hand it to him, 👋

it's just freaking
awesome 🙏

Jonathan Hall4 said:Exactly. We're talking about the European World Cup Qualifiers from back in 2007. The first round is already wrapped up.
Results and all the specifics can be found right here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Ru..._qualification

haha 🙂 thanks

That's cool. If we actually manage to pull through this group, I mean, theoretically speaking, we’d have a shot at moving on. If we can just somehow take down Italy and the rest of them, we might even land one of those top three spots for the World Cup via the qualifiers...

Do you play at all, or...
If you happen to have any pull, maybe send an email over to the editors at our major daily newspapers. Someone is bound to pick up the story and give it some media coverage...

Jonathan Hall4 said:Just wanted to give you all a quick heads-up that
America vs. Germany
on April 22, 2006, the game is going down at the stadium over on Kranjcevic.
Probably around 4 PM. I'll let you know once the exact kickoff time is confirmed.

Anyway, the last time America played Germany was back in 2000 at the Stadium at Old Square in Miami, and America pulled off the win. That match was something else—I actually attended it myself! It was such a blast. I even remember there being this one Black player right in the front line. If my memory serves me right, he was playing right prop.

Honestly, this matchup is looking dead even. I’d give both sides a 50/50 shot at winning.
We’ve got some incredible talent on our side, but I suspect they might have a few more seasoned pros on their roster, so we'll see how it plays out. Still, the heart our guys show usually makes up for everything else.

Alright, what kind of game is this?
A friendly? A qualifier? Who's playing who...

I remember being out in the suburbs near Washington, D.C. a few years back for an America vs. Austria match...