Handball Euro: USA vs. Spain - Final Score 22:24

frozentiger6 said:And does anyone want to ask where Lawrence was during the entire second half???????

Keta????

..I mean, what was he supposed to do? He played his heart out in the first half and was easily the best man on the pitch. Goluza is such an idiot; he’s actually arguing with his own players during the halftime break, as if they somehow forgot everything he told them in the locker room....🙂

The Spanish aren't even that good; we were just terrible in the second half. I honestly haven't seen that much technical incompetence in my life. We actually had a couple of decent chances to catch them on a fast break, but we kept slowing things down because it was obvious we had zero solutions on the floor. It was just bad, plain and simple. And man, Bailey was a disaster today—though honestly, his attitude was even worse than his actual performance.

Leaving Struck and Lacy out of the second half was a total nightmare of a decision. You've got to stop rotating players like an idiot...

rowdyowl said:I honestly don't think we can really count on Shane Valdes anymore... 👎

Well, if he's actually in the lineup, then I guess we pretty much don't have a choice, right? 🤷

Gregory Ramos3 said:I wouldn't write off Iceland or Canada that easily...

I mentioned this during the group stage discussion before things even kicked off... it’s totally possible we could see some major upsets in the final round of this group. It’s like watching a wild game of musical chairs where nobody knows when the music stops. ☕

Honestly, I'm crossing my fingers that the Spaniards can take both of them down. If they can knock them out, it would be like having a massive weight lifted off our shoulders... 🙂

Slavko is an idiot, plain and simple... that's my final takeaway after watching those two halves.

Steven Reed30 said:The absolute worst part about this is that the Frenchmen have clawed their way back into contention with today's win, and beating us just keeps them right in the thick of it... I’m genuinely worried they might actually play their best game of the tournament against us. 🙄

Fortunately, I have practice at that time on Tuesday.

What we saw today was a masterclass in how to absolutely blow it. Seriously, get that poser Shane Valdes off the national team already. He belongs back on a boardwalk in Miami with two packs of Marlboros. And don't even get me started on Kopljar... if he’s really that soft, that timid, and that bad with women... ugh! 😉

Steven Reed30 said:The most frustrating part of this entire situation is that the French have clawed their way back into contention following today's victory, and the fact that they managed to beat us only serves to keep them firmly in the hunt. It leaves me with a nagging sense of dread; what if they decide to save their absolute best performance of the tournament specifically for when they face us? 🙄

Forget those Frenchmen; I can't stand those blue-clad "Czech stallions" one bit. 🤣
Is it simply a matter of whether one views handball through the lens of water polo? One has to wonder: which discipline possesses the greater diplomatic leverage when it comes to influencing the officials on the floor?
I wouldn't be at all surprised if the EHF president—that Norwegian fellow—decided to appoint another duo like Pederson and his colleague to act as the arbiters of justice for the rest of Europe. Given how things are headed, they’d likely hand out assignments involving officials similar to those who presided over that final in the States, where everything seemed meticulously orchestrated just to ensure a victory for the French.

What kind of sport is this, where one side—the Frenchmen—is busy throwing heavy punches, while our guys just tap a player and suddenly there’s a two-minute penalty because apparently they "killed" someone?

Is it any wonder why Americans don't bother playing this sport? It seems only the most unrefined individuals would find any merit in it.

How much can a single official actually ruin a game before a person loses all desire to even follow the sport anymore? 🤣

Keta really pulled it off there ☕

It’s pretty wild how we get treated by the refs, though. Just like that MEP said, it’s like we’re some random underdog team showing up at a tournament every once in a while. A few subtle calls go the Spaniards' way and suddenly the whole game is decided. Still waiting to see what MCAucliffe has to say about it 🙂

I honestly can't wrap my head around it... one minute we were absolutely certain we were cruising straight into the semifinals—hell, maybe even the finals—and now suddenly everyone is writing off Shane Valdes and Vori. It feels like this constant, exhausting pendulum swing from pure euphoria to total despair... 🤷 Sure, we played like we had butterfingers today, and let's be real, the officiating definitely swung the momentum their way on those crucial calls, but it’s nowhere near over. We've seen how unpredictable this tournament has been; anyone can beat anyone on any given day. With two games left on the schedule for everyone, there's still plenty of drama left to unfold...

boldhound8 said:That's exactly why Duvnjak runs the offense so perfectly—just pure class.🙏🙏

Not sure what you mean by that comment—but honestly, Shane Valdes was definitely the weak link today.
If I were coaching—which, let's face it, I'm definitely not—I’d stick to the winning formula. As long as our lead keeps growing or at least staying steady, I wouldn't touch a thing—maybe swap players out once in a blue moon, but otherwise, keep the same lineup running.
Swapping out your playmaker and just throwing away a lead—then sticking to that call like it's some genius move? Honestly, it's just plain stupid.
We were just talking about Jesus—not Shane Valdes.

Larry Thompson85 said:Honestly, losing today was practically an art form. Maybe just get that poser Shane Valdes out of the national team already. He belongs hanging out on a pier in Miami with a couple of packs of Marlboros. And as for Kopljar... if he’s really that timid and soft when it comes to women... man, yikes. 😉

screw you all, seriously, you're all just being jerks now by jumping on his back immediately, you absolute peasants

Everything was just perfect back when he was actually winning games, I guess?

Besides, do we even have a coach? If he's truly as bad as even us amateurs can see, why isn't he subbing him out? Oh right, Keta is the goat, whatever, screw you guys again☕