Handball World Cup Bronze Medal Match: USA vs. Canada 31-26

Gregory Ramos3 said:. Don't try to lecture me on psychology when I share a home with a therapist😉

👏

Steven Reed30 said:You can't even step onto the court for a quarterfinals match if you're treating the preparation like it's the championship game and acting like there isn't a gold medal on the line right after. It’s like they just don't get that winning a quarterfinal doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, even if you're playing against France... we ran into that exact same wall last year when those underdogs from Mexico knocked us out, and it happened again this year... and honestly, it'll happen again the moment we face the Danes...

Look, I hear you. When you're lining up against France, you have to prepare like it's the biggest game of your life.
It really shouldn't matter which stage of the tournament you're in.

I don't blame them one bit for losing to those thugs in Mexico. I mean, who can focus on the game when literal bottles are being hurled at the home team's heads? If Šešum almost got hit, imagine what our players were actually dealing with. It was pure chaos.

The real mystery is why we choked in those two massive games, both in New York City and now in Spain. The worst part is that in those specific moments, we were basically our own worst enemies.

When we're playing at our level, we walk all over teams like France and Dance with just half our strength. If we can just figure out how to break through that mental block, we could easily pull off five golds in a row. 😁

Gary Smith66 said:Right, because some bearded guy up in heaven is just sitting in his chair, with nothing better to do than watch a live stream of golužin's casualties, just waiting for the right moment to reward our integrity and honesty.

🤣🤣🤣

Jonathan Barnes5 said:We’ve basically turned into a version of Mexico—just picking up bronze medals... or maybe we're more like that Spanish team from back in the day, always hovering around but never actually making it to the finals.😁..

Well, I suppose winning a medal is technically a success,but it would be nice if luck finally decided to swing our way for once...

If we weren't even favored for a single second when the Germans beat the Franguze, then I guess I don't really know how much luck we'd need to get a break, or if it'll ever actually happen.🤷

Susan Miller79 said:Man, I hope both our basketball and soccer teams walk away with bronze at the next big tournament.

Basketball and soccer are global sports—winning bronze in those is actually a massive deal.

Handball? Only about ten countries really take that seriously...

Jeremy Brown43 said:It’s interesting, I wonder what the Germans, Russians, Norwegians, or Poles would say to that. Why are they playing 🤷☕

And why are you acting offended when you know I'm right? I don't get it. Have you actually watched these last few tournaments or the games we keep dropping? It's just this total lack of identity, this lethargy... shaky hands the second things go south, rushing everything, and that constant "criss-crossing left, aimlessly poking at the middle" style of play. I guess for the last four years, we've basically been labeled the "young squad," always getting worn down regardless of how everyone else is maintaining the same tempo through the tournament.
One thing is losing a game while at least showing some fight. It's another thing entirely to fold like a cheap lawn chair every single damn time, which is exactly what we're doing. When was the last time we were knocked out after actually putting up a fantastic performance? Something where you could say, "Alright, respect." But yesterday? How many fast breaks did we mess up? How many loose balls did we fail to control on defense? How many easy goals did we score versus how many the Danes put up? We play these matches like cowards; there's no composure, and by the fifth minute, we're already panicking and forcing plays, forcing them, forcing them. And don't even get me started on the guys who have been playing for years and should be the core leaders—they either push too hard or they just straight-up choke.

Gregory Ramos3 said:Damn rhetoric. 🤦

So if we win three golds in a row, it won't mean anything to you because there hasn't been any progress? ☕

First, we actually need to win three golds in a row. ☕
There is progress, technically. A few tournaments ago, we actually started running decent fast breaks, and I guess this was probably Alilović's best tournament yet. But there's no progress in terms of mindset or how we approach these games.

casualfox112 said:I'm really hoping Duvnjak and Čupić end up on the best possible roster for the championship. 😉

Some guy named Lindberg would probably disagree

dustypanther6 said:I mean, some guy like Lindberg probably wouldn't see eye to eye with that idea either.

honestly, besides him and Čupić, I can't really think of anyone else who could actually pull this off...

Congrats on the win, neighbors!

casualfox112 said:I trust that Duvnjak and Čupić will find themselves among the championship's elite roster. 😉

Duvnjak has the ability—and frankly, he should be playing. He put together a solid tournament performance. As for Čupić? In my opinion, he hasn't earned it; there are far better right wingers competing in the championship right now.

Steven Reed30 said:Aside from him and Čupić—honestly, who else could even possibly step up?

Victor Tomas

Edward Allen36 said:Duvnjak could make the cut, and honestly, he probably should. He played a solid tournament. As for Čupić, I don't think he really earned his spot; there are just better right wingers out there during this championship

Like, who specifically??! Aside from Lindberg, obviously..

Edward Allen36 said:Victor Tomas

If you ask me, he’s nothing out of the ordinary... I mean, sure, he’s a solid player, but he’s just not quite at that level where he cracks my top seven...

Nicholas Ward59 said:We really need to pull off three gold medals in a row first ☕
There’s actually progress happening, honestly; we started running these killer fast breaks a few tournaments ago, and this was probably Alilović’s best tournament yet. It's just that things haven't quite clicked mentally or in terms of how we approach the games.

Oh, come on now...

I actually mentioned this in another thread, but if you look at the last ten years, out of 39 possible medals, the big four—Denmark, Spain, France, and America—have snatched up 27 of them... By tomorrow, that number will be 30 out of 42. And this marks the ninth medal for America.

For a country that basically only has one serious handball club playing maybe six or seven high-stakes games a year, and where there's almost zero investment poured into the sport, this isn't just a massive win—it's practically Science Fiction. ☕

Is it just me, or are those three medals from the Olympics, the World Cup, and the Euros our only major achievements on the world stage?

The Americans have one, the Spaniards have one, and the Danes have two.

👋

Steven Reed30 said:In my view, he isn't anything special—decent enough, perhaps, but certainly not worthy of the top seven...

Maybe not to you, but clearly to the IHF.😉
Even Rocas—his backup—is playing quite well lately. Meanwhile, Čupić failed to show any real spark against the Frenchmen or the Danes. Sure, he can hold his own against Egypt or Australia, but when it actually matters in a high-stakes game? He just isn't the guy.

Jamie Gomez2 said:Are we really the only ones who have managed to snag three medals at the UN, the World Cup, and the Euro?

Euro: Denmark, Mexico, USA
OI: France, Sweden, USA
SP: Denmark, Spain, USA

🙂

Gregory Ramos3 said:Euro: Denmark, Mexico, USA
UN: France, Sweden, USA
World Cup: Denmark, Spain, USA

🙂

Bronca is the absolute GOAT 😁

Gregory Ramos3 said:Give me a break...

I posted this on another thread once: over the last decade, out of 39 possible medals, the quartet of Denmark, Spain, France, and America has snatched up 27... Tomorrow, that number hits 30 out of 42. And for America, this marks our ninth medal.

For a nation that basically has one decent handball club playing maybe six or seven high-stakes games a year, and virtually zero actual investment in the sport, calling this a huge success feels like an understatement. It’s borderline Science Fiction. ☕

Okay, so?
What does that have to do with the fact that every single time we have a fantastic tournament, we follow it up by playing completely aimless, panicked handball and ultimately choking? What, does having money mean we can just play well enough to hit the semifinals or finals and call it a day? 🤷
At this rate, people will start claiming we don't even know how to play handball and that we're only winning through sheer luck and some weird fluke. Is that you, Lino?

Steven Reed30 said:who exactly comes to mind? I mean, aside from Lindberg, of course...

True, though decisions aren't usually made quite that simply; if you think back to how Balić used to be left out of the best seven even when he was clearly the tournament's MVP, you see how unpredictable things can get.
Looking at the Spanish squad, they have legitimate contenders like Entrerrios, Tomas, and Aguinagalde, maybe Maqueda too. For the Danes, it’s Hansen, Landin, Eggert, and potentially Lindberg. On our side, Dule will likely make the cut, and there should probably be room for Rutenka, but then I'm left wondering who else gets the nod among the likes of Hansen, Duvnjak, or Entrerrios.

Gregory Ramos3 said:Euro: Denmark, Mexico, USA
UN: France, Sweden, USA
World Cup: Denmark, Spain, USA

🙂

It’s just proof of the one constant we have. There’s no debating it—we are at the top of this sport, and we’re staying there.

The real issues are an association riddled with nepotism and the leadership within the players and coaching staffs. Reaching the quarterfinals shouldn't even be our goal; we should be chasing medals at every single tournament.

Especially after this latest run, where we basically grabbed a World Cup bronze with our fourth-string squad. Without Balić and Buntić, our second unit showed up. Then, once Laco and Štrlek went down, it was really our third string out there. And since we were playing against the Frenchmen, Danes, and Canadians without Vuković for most of it, we were effectively running on our fourth choice.

Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but we pulled off a medal while being completely gutted. To me, that shows we're two classes above almost everyone else. Setting "quarterfinals" as a target is nothing more than making excuses for mediocrity, and frankly, I'm tired of seeing it.

Honestly, I’ve always had a soft spot for bronze. There’s just something about it. And hey, after choking through three straight losses, grabbing three bronze medals in the consolation rounds feels like a decent way to salvage some dignity. But man, we seriously need to sit down and figure out why we keep blowing it. We’ve lost three semifinals in a single year, and none of them were even close—we weren't even in it during those final ten minutes. It's pathetic.