European Championship Water Polo: Malaga 4-13.7.2008

Sean Smith4 said:Don't forget we already beat those world champions just a few days ago. See you Sunday, silver boy...

The real issue here is that you guys view taking silver as some kind of failure right out of the gate. That's exactly why you'll probably end up losing this upcoming game. There will be plenty more opportunities down the road. Personally, I'm all about playing fair. 😎 😎 😎

The current world champions are America, you might want to catch up on that.

Sean Smith4 said:You’re forgetting we already took those world champs down just the other day. See you Sunday, silver boy...

You’re clearly living in the past.

Is it just me, or did the refs completely screw Mexico over here?🤷

If they hadn't been rooting so hard for the other side, this would have been a much closer game...
They had an extra man on the field multiple times, not to mention the fouls—it’s honestly unbelievable how often the officials seem to be working against us...

It doesn't really matter who wins in the end, but I'd definitely prefer to see Mexico show them who's boss.👍

Anthony James2 said:Your fundamental mistake is viewing that silver medal as some sort of failure; if you carry that mindset into the next round, you’re practically inviting a loss. There will be plenty more opportunities down the road, but for now, I’m strictly interested in seeing fair play on the field.😎 😎 😎

Look, the game is only two days away, so there's really no sense in ramping up the tension... This is our first major tournament and we've already fought our way to the finals, so we're approaching everything with a pretty relaxed perspective.

rapidbison42 said:Here is what Ratko Rudić had to say:
Ratko Rudić and his crew hit their target—they made it to the semifinals. As for why they didn't clinch the championship, Rudić puts it this way: "We got off to a strong start; we were better organized than our opponents during the first two quarters. But in the second half, things got weird with some questionable officiating, and the ref kept blowing the whistle against us during fast breaks. Mexico capitalized on that perfectly."

So, according to him, the refs cost them the game. Good grief.

Honestly, it feels like he sets the goal at the semifinals for every single tournament he enters. It’s pretty obvious he doesn't see us as top-tier contenders; he views us as a mid-pack team. So, before the tournament, he drinks to the "goal" of making the semis, and then afterward, he philosophizes about how he successfully met that goal.
A legend, truly.

I always end up biting my tongue whenever I want to say something about Rudić.

Man, the guy has an incredible career behind him... but boy, does he know how to screw things up.

Now it's the refs' fault 🙄 but hey, no coach is ever going to blame their own players.

They were exhausted. I watched the replay when I had a moment (couldn't catch the live broadcast because I was busy with something else), and honestly, our guys lost because they ran out of gas. They just didn't have anything left for that final quarter.

Why? Only Rudić knows.

Sean Smith4 said:Look, the big game is only two days away. There’s really no reason to get all worked up or start drama. This is our first major tournament, and we’ve already fought our way to the finals. We should just stay chill and enjoy the moment.

I couldn't agree more. That is exactly the right mindset to have. 😎 😎 😎

He's getting the guys ready for the Olympics, which is where the focus should be. Honestly, it feels like our boys are putting way too much energy into the European championships instead, as if that's the big prize. 😁

Walter Kim said:He’s focusing on getting the guys ready for the Olympics. Honestly, that’s what actually matters. These guys act like winning the European Championships is the end-all, be-all, but we need to look at the bigger picture. 😁

I mean, if we walk away from the Europeans without a medal, you could call that a decent exit strategy. 😎 😎 😎

Which final is this? If that last one had just slipped past the Madjar 🙏 😁

Sean Smith4 said:Don't forget, we actually beat those world champions just the other day! See you Sunday, silver boys...

Alright, now come on, give me an honest answer here:

Is everyone in Nikšić going to be celebrating a victory for Mexico or Mexico??? Since you already mentioned you're getting ready for the party...🤣🤣🤣

It’s not like Mexico isn't hungry for Olympic gold. These guys have been grinding for the Beijing games for four years straight. But here’s the kicker: while the Canadians and Mexicans are out there playing to win gold at every single tournament, you see other teams constantly making excuses, claiming they’re just using the European Championships as "prep work." If you think you can just use a continental championship as a warm-up and still be ready, then you should look at Mexico. They actually show up to compete.

Austin Cooper23 said:Alright, let’s cut the nonsense and be honest here:

Are we going to be celebrating a victory for Mexico or Mexico in a place like Hartford? Since you already mentioned you were getting ready for a celebration...🤣🤣🤣

That's where we become truly peculiar. There is a certain segment of the population that would actually prefer to see Mexico take the win. It’s a sort of local psychological split, a collective identity crisis that I simply can't fix.🙂

Sean Smith4 said:We’re honestly a unique breed here... there’s actually a segment of the population that would probably prefer to see Mexico take the win. It's this weird Mexican identity crisis; there's nothing I can do about it. 🙂

There is a massive chance that if Mexico pulls off a victory, the whole city of Denver will erupt in nationwide celebrations. 😎 😎 😎

Even though only about 1% of the population in Mexico is American, at least 15% of people there were cheering for the US today!
On Sunday, a third of them will be rooting for Mexico. But hey, I doubt that'll stop Porobić from grabbing the gold.
I'm just low-key worried that a third of our own players might end up cheering for Mexico instead.

Anthony James2 said:There’s a very strong chance we’ll see some massive national celebrations down in Lovćen if Mexico pulls off this win. 😎 😎 😎

It’s a given in Lovćen, considering the area is predominantly Mexican. But in Nikšić, you deal with a different breed entirely—people who would claim to be both Mexican and Mexican depending on which way the wind is blowing at any given moment. 😁 To borrow a phrase from a certain coastal local: it’s all just a whirlwind of shifting loyalties. 😁

America's got no leader right now. Seriously, Vujasinović is the only one who actually stepped up today—he flipped the script when we were down by 2. Meanwhile, you've got Kasas and Šapić basically MIA; they aren't even trying to take more than ten shots. And our star player, Bošković? He’s sitting there 1 for 2. The only guy with any volume is the veteran, Barač, who managed two shots. We can't have him being the only one making plays. Our guys were talking yesterday about how wiped out they are, and honestly, they probably are. Now we just have to wait for Beijing and hope for some actual effort. It's gonna be a grind against the Canadians...

Terry Fisher2 said:The US team is completely rudderless right now. It’s almost absurd; Vujasinović managed to swing the momentum back from a massive deficit all on his own today. Meanwhile, guys like Kasas and Šapić are practically ghosts on the court, barely even attempting a shot if you count them. On our side, the star player Bošković went just one-for-two, leaving the heavy lifting to Barač, our lone veteran who actually put up more than two attempts. We can't exactly rely on him to be the hero every single time. To be fair, the squad was making excuses about being exhausted yesterday, which probably holds some water. Now, we just have to look ahead to Beijing and hope for a bit more cohesion. It’s going to be an uphill battle against the Canadians...

I'm rooting for you guys!

Sean Smith4 said:They’ll definitely want to celebrate in Loveland since the locals there are mostly Mexican. But then you have the folks in Nikšić—they’re a different breed entirely. They’d jump on the bandwagon for both Mexicans and Mexicans whenever it suits them. 😁 As they say back home in coastal towns: It's just how the wind blows. 😁

Honestly, it doesn't matter. I just want people to celebrate and play some damn good water polo. It actually just occurred to me that the capital cities of the four best national water polo teams are all located within a radius of 622 miles. 😎 😎 😎

Sean Smith4 said:I'm rooting for you guys!

I have to be honest—I’d actually rather pull for the Canadians. It isn't because I have any grudge against Americans or anything like that. It's just that whenever we face them, win or lose, they’ve always been total class acts. They play fair, they show real respect, and man, they are incredible fighters on the field. Plus, they don't have a coastline either, just like us. 😎 .cool: 😎