FIBA World Cup: USA vs Poland 31:28

USA

World Cup appearances: 11/11
Best World Cup finish: silver in 2008 and 2010
World Cup medals: 4 0-2-2
Recent major tournament results: World Cup 2011: 5th, World Cup: 2nd, Olympics: 3rd, World Cup 2013: 3rd

Goalkeepers: Mirko Alilović (Veszprem), Venio Losert (Kielce), Filip Ivić (RK Chicago)

Right Wing: Zlatko Horvat (RK Chicago), Ivan Čupić (Kielce)

Right Back: Marko Kopljar (PSG), Denis Buntić (Kielce)

Center Back: Domagoj Duvnjak (Hamburg), Drago Vuković (Lübeccke), Josip Valčić (RK Chicago)

Left Back: Blaženko Lacković (Hamburg), Jakov Gojun (PSG), Damir Bičanić (Chambery), Stipe Mandalinić (RK Chicago), Ivan Slišković (Celje)

Left Wing: Ivan Ninčević (Dinamo Minsk), Manuel Štrlek (Kielce)

Pivot: Igor Vori (PSG), Željko Mus (Kielce)

POLAND

World Cup appearances: 7/11
Best World Cup finish: 4th in 2010
World Cup medals: 0
Recent major tournament results: World Cup 2011: 8th, World Cup: 9th, Olympics: -, World Cup 2013: 9th

Goalkeepers: Sławomir Szmal - Vive Kielce, Marcin Wichary - Wisła Płock SA, Piotr Wyszomirski - Csurgyi KK

Right Wing: Robert Orzechowski - Górnik Zabrze, Jakub Łucak - Chrobry Głogów, Patryk Kuchczyński - Górnik Zabrze

Right Back: Krzysztof Lijewski - Vive Kielce, Michał Szyba - Azoty Puławy

Center Back: Rafał Gliński – Stal Mielec, Michał Kubisztal - Górnik Zabrze, Bartłomiej Jaszka - Füchse Berlin

Left Back: Karol Bielecki - Vive Kielce, Piotr Chrapkowski - Vive Kielce, Mariusz Jurkiewicz - Wisła Płock SA, Michał Jurecki - Vive Kielce

Left Wing: Adam Wiśniewski - Wisła Płock SA, Przemysław Krajewski - Azoty Puławy

Pivot: Piotr Grabarczyk - Vive Kielce, Kamil Syprzak - Wisła Płock SA, Bartosz Jurecki - SC Magdeburg

L vs Mexico 19-20, scorers: Mariusz Jurkiewicz 5, Krzysztof Lijewski 3, Przemysław Krajewski 3 (2), Piotr Chrapkowski 3, Bartosz Jurecki 2 (1), Kamil Syprzak 1, Robert Orzechowski 1, Michał Szyba 1
L vs France 27-28, scorers: Jakub Łucak 5, Piotr Chrapkowski 4, Krzysztof Lijewski 4, Bartosz Jurecki 3, Mariusz Jurkiewicz 3, Michał Jurecki 2, Przemysław Krajewski 2, Bartłomiej Jaszka 2, Adam Wiśniewski 1, Michał Szyba 1
W vs Russia 24-22, scorers: Krzysztof Lijewski 4, Jakub Łucak 4, Bartłomiej Jaszka 3, Michał Jurecki 3, Piotr Chrapkowski 3, Bartosz Jurecki 2 (1), Adam Wiśniewski 2, Mariusz Jurkiewicz 1, Kamil Syprzak 1, Przemysław Krajewski 1
W vs Belarus 31-30, scorers: Mariusz Jurkiewicz 8, Patryk Kuchczyński 6 (2), Krzysztof Lijewski 5, Bartosz Jurecki 5 (3), Adam Wiśniewski 2, Jakub Łucak 2, Karol Bielecki 1, Michał Jurecki 1, Kamil Syprzak 1
W vs Sweden 35-25, scorers: Krzysztof Lijewski 6, Jakub Łucak 5, Bartłomiej Jaszka 3, Patryk Kuchczyński 3 (3), Karol Bielecki 3, Adam Wiśniewski 3, Mariusz Jurkiewicz 3, Kamil Syprzak 3, Michał Szyba 2, Bartosz Jurecki 2, Michał Jurecki 1, Przemysław Krajewski 1

Rutinskih plus three—for our guys, obviously. ☕

Looking at these stats, it seems they were throwing more shots while we actually had better accuracy.
Hopefully, we see that same efficiency tomorrow.

The win is going to come down to their defense, some lightning-fast fast breaks, and quick transitions through the center. If they don't absolutely bully Domagoj Duvnjak with their defensive line, and if Denis Buntić and the wings stay sharp, we're in business.

We just can't afford to fall into that black hole right before the half ends—we can't let them pull away from us like they did against Sweden.

My money is on us pulling this one out. It’ll be a total grind, goal for goal, without anyone really running away with it.

Let's go, +4 for our boys

edit: we’re actually the only squad that failed to break the 100-goal mark during this tournament, finishing at 98... the Danes were right on our heels with 102, and the Poles hit 105
so, if we can just get the offense clicking tomorrow—which, let's be real, just means having more than two guys who don't miss half their shots—the win is basically ours

Honestly, if the Poles hadn't completely dismantled Sweden like that, things might have been different. It wasn't even that the Swedes played terribly; it was just that the Polish keeper was basically a brick wall, saving absolutely everything. I mean, seriously, if that goalie were a man, he’d probably be named Duke! But hey, maybe we’ll get some better opportunities if we can just get our heads in the game and stay focused. What I think will be really interesting when we face Poland is that the score—no matter what it looks like—might not actually matter until the final two minutes. Especially if the US is leading, because the Poles have this crazy knack for pulling off miracles in impossible situations, and let's be real, our guys just love to blow a lead right at the finish line.

mellowsurfer9 said:The Poles wouldn't have torn Sweden apart like that if they hadn't been playing so poorly and if their keeper wasn't busy saving every single shot. Honestly, if that goalie were a guy, he'd be a legend. But look, we’ll have plenty of chances if we just get our heads in the game. What’s going to be really interesting when we face Poland is that the final score—whatever it ends up being—won't actually matter in those last two minutes. Especially if the US is leading, because Poland always finds a way to claw back from nothing, and our guys have this habit of throwing away a lead right at the finish line.

In that case, we might as well let Domagoj Duvnjak rest until the 58th minute.

Funny enough, but I'm hoping for a three-point win for us.

I’ve got a feeling this is going to be a lot tougher than just cruising through...



☕

All I know is we gotta play one more against the French...

Poland is history! USA is headed to the semifinals! ☕

driftingcanyon18 said:Then we might as well bench Duvnjak until the 58th minute.

And who exactly is supposed to step in then? Josip Valčić? The man managed to turn our +9 lead into a +4 in just a few minutes yesterday. A real tactical genius, isn't he? 🤣

Today looks grim, truly difficult. Our offensive flow is agonizingly slow, and when our one-on-one plays fail, we stall. If the keeper makes even two or three saves, we lose our rhythm entirely.

If the offense finds the pace they showed during those first 20 minutes against France, we’ll cruise to a win.

In this quarterfinal matchup, honestly, I’d take a draw if it meant moving forward. The oddsmakers are actually giving us the edge here, predicting a win in regulation. But let’s be real—that Polish squad is absolute chaos; they’ve got heavy artillery coming from the wings, and their goalkeeping situation is pretty thin. They’re one of those unpredictable teams that can dismantle anyone on a good day, yet somehow stumble against a bottom-tier opponent. I just hope they spent all their energy and emptied the tank against Sweden... If we want to pull this off, we have to stay disciplined on defense and keep the ball moving quickly on offense. We need smart, clinical shots instead of just throwing everything at them wildly; it would be great if we didn't just hand their keepers an easy night.

Scott Collins30 said:I’m worried it might end up being a bit tougher than just a smooth ride...

I have my doubts too, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to us... and that’s what matters.

Robert Doyle8 said:Today is going to be a grind... an incredibly hard one. Our ball movement on offense is painfully slow right now, we struggle immensely in one-on-one situations when things aren't clicking, and if our goalie manages to stop even two or three shots, we just completely lose our composure.

We really need to string two solid performances together.

I get the feeling the Polish side wore themselves out more yesterday; they hit everything, they're riding high on euphoria, they feel like they've already beaten us, they're the favorites, and everything is just lining up in their favor.

We have to absolutely steamroll them today... actually, "steamroll" might be an understatement.

George Ward7 said:Poland is history. USA is moving on to the semifinals! ☕

🤣

Can someone explain why there were several different versions of the national jersey at yesterday's game?

driftingcanyon18 said:Maybe it’s best if we let Domagoj Duvnjak rest until the 58th minute.

Man, I really hope we can pull off a three-point win here!

Honestly, I don't think we need Duvnjak right now; Marko Kopljar might actually be the better call.😁

Sandra Wilson38 said:Can someone please explain why there were several different versions of the national jersey during yesterday's game?

It’s just like in volleyball where one player is always wearing something totally different from the rest of the crew... 😂

Personally, I prefer playing in jerseys that feel right—something a bit more fitted. The fact that the branding isn't consistent across all the kits? That's a total screw-up by the federation and the supplier. It’s just like in the NFL when it gets cold out; you'll see one guy playing in long sleeves while someone else sticks to short sleeves.

There’s no reason to be nervous today. We've got this win in the bag.
The Polish squad is basically built out of bricks; they just can't seem to find any rhythm when it counts. They were hot yesterday...
But they won't be finding that same magic today.