2010 Handball Euro: Group I - America, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Australia, Russia

vividbadger182 said:Given the current spacing, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if the Mexicans had played instead. They would’ve just taken one point, lost their momentum, and their chances for the semifinals would have tanked. Plus, their fans wouldn't be quite as hyper as ours are, rushing to buy tickets early. We definitely have the home-court advantage here.
The Austrians must be feeling pretty good right now. They've pivoted their strategy; they have nothing to lose, so they'll play without pressure, trying to prove themselves. If things don't go their way from the jump...

Though I suspect we'll handle Austria easier than the three teams we've faced so far...

Lac and Valčić are coming back. With the first one, we finally get some LV action, and with the second, we might actually see a decent defense.
The play hasn't been top-tier so far, but here we are, staring down the doorstep of the semifinals again.

Iceland leads by 6 against Denmark... does that work in our favor?

Norway was looking pretty dead in the water just a few minutes ago, trailing Ukraine by three at the 40th minute.
They managed to turn it around though, now sitting at 23-22.

Emily Cooper42 said:Iceland is up by 6 against Denmark... is that actually helping us?

Honestly, we’d be better off if the Danes just crushed them. One win there and they're a lock for the semifinals. This way? It's gonna be a total headache.

Drew Edwards8 said:It would have been cleaner if Denmark had pulled it off. One win there and they'd be locked into the semifinals. Now? It's looking messy.

Actually, they aren't... it's 27-22 for Iceland.
Now it feels like we're the only ones sitting pretty with three wins under our belt.🤔

UPDATE 2 - looks like we're hitting Iceland first, then heading over to Austria, and finishing up in Denmark.

4 USA
3 Iceland
2 Norway
2 Denmark
1 Austria
0 Russia

It looks like the Scandinavians will be clashing. 🤣

We really need to get our act together and tackle Iceland right away; honestly, we’re capable of it and we seriously need to 👍

Terry Fisher2 said:EDIT 2 - The itinerary is Iceland first, then Austria, followed by Denmark.

4 America
3 Iceland
2 Norway
2 Denmark
1 Austria
0 Russia

Plus, we end up with one less day off compared to the other group. Actually, we don't get any downtime at all.🙄
We're playing against the Danes on Friday, and then it's the semifinals on Saturday.👎

So, if we beat Iceland, we're golden. Obviously, we'll need to take down Austria for math class too, and then it's just a chill game against Hamlet.

Otherwise, we’re gonna have to deal with Dance.

@ Emily Cooper42, those guys in the other group were pulling two goals a day during the first round.😉

Friday should really just be an exhibition game for us

That’s a bummer you said that...

We need to clear a path before Friday, then we’ll head out with the other crew on Friday itself...

Unless we go chasing every single win again and end up getting absolutely schooled by those Austrians...

Anyway, our schedule is Monday and Wednesday—since the other two groups played Tuesday and Thursday during the first round... so everything is basically flipped now...

Which means I really doubt we're playing on Friday instead of Thursday... you guys did the math wrong... at least, if you ask me...

Terry Fisher2 said:

So we beat Iceland and we can breathe easy. Of course, we'll need to take down Austria to make the math work, then face Hamlet in a relatively smooth run.

Otherwise, we’ll have to deal with Dance too.

@ Emily Cooper42, those guys in the other group already put up two goals a day in the first round.😉

That’s all assuming Russia surrenders and stops stealing points from everyone.
Russia is still in the mix, and they're going to be a problem for at least two more matches. Remember how the Poles fared in the last World Cup?
If Russia manages to snatch a point from someone, we could find ourselves in the semifinals right after the Iceland game.😁

Adam Collins4 said:We need to secure our spot before Friday, then we'll be playing alongside the other squad on Friday itself...

Unless we try to chase every single win again and let those Austrians absolutely run circles around us...

Otherwise, our schedule is Monday and Wednesday... since the other two groups played Tuesday through Thursday during the first round... so the rotation is shifting now...

So I actually doubt we're playing Friday instead of Thursday... I think your math might be a little off... at least, that's my take...

Yeah, we're set for Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
On Thursday, we face the Danes. They'll likely have already clinched their spot in the playoffs alongside us, so they'll probably rest their starters.

It looks like the US team has hit another slump, though at least Ilić hasn't overexerted himself too much, so he should be well-rested for the rest of the season, right?🙂

Oleg Velyky has passed away... RIP

The priority has to be taking down Iceland. If we pull off that win, we’ll be sitting pretty with all the momentum on our side.
That said, you have to give massive respect to the squad that absolutely demolished Denmark. They were completely dominating their opponents right up until the 57th minute, but then they just seemed to lose their focus out of nowhere.

We're doing our part to bring home the maximum points 🙏

If we can just beat Iceland and Austria, we'll lock in that semifinal spot and earn ourselves a trip to Denmark 😁

Iceland really just threw a wrench in the whole thing...