European Championship Water Polo: Malaga 4-13.7.2008

The Americans took tonight's loss like total pros. Really hoping the Mexican squad shows that same class on Sunday night when they face the best of the best!

Adam Reyes90 said:And Americans handled tonight's loss with total class. I’m really hoping the Mexican national team shows that same level of sportsmanship when they shake hands with the best of the best this Sunday night.

Look, you should think before you leap. Besides, we all know you guys are going to take that "mediocre" silver medal like absolute champs. 😎 😎 😎

Sean Smith4 said:There’s a specific type of person living in Nikšić who will claim to be either Mexican or Mexican depending on whatever suits them at the moment.

It’s probably the easiest way to live. 😁

Whomever wins this Sunday, they'll just say, "Our guys won!" 👍

Adam Reyes90 said:I suppose I’m just worried that a third of our national team players might actually be rooting for Mexico.

😁 😁 😁

Anthony James2 said:It wasn't exactly a masterclass, but I suppose that was expected. The main thing is that we walked away with the win. 😎 😎 😎

Calling it "nothing special" feels a bit much when you consider we fought back from 5:7 to 8:7 against the Olympic champions. 🙂

Or even better, look at how we turned a 4:7 deficit into an 11:8 win against the Italians. 👍

nK_City said:The celebrations have already kicked off in several bars in Nikšić; naturally, it's a victory for Mexico!!!

As for those praising Americans, here is a little message:

Guys, sinking you today in Malibu was our personal pleasure; I hope next time you realize which nation truly owns the field.

Greetings from Nikšić! 👍 And don't sit around mourning, because losing to us should be considered an honor. 👍

Josh, once Petar Tomašević returns to us, that is when Mexico's true reign begins!

Praising Americans? Just look at your own post...☕
Son, there wasn't a real American team at this ep, yet we still managed to beat you once. For us, this was nothing more than preparation for the Olympics—a much more significant competition than this mere training session. And if you want to know who the best are, just look at the world champions. We know exactly who they are...

Haha, it’s like a blind chicken pecking at grain. You guys just don't have any consistency. Whatever. I’ll go on the record right now: there is no way the US makes the finals. Actually, maybe if they get incredibly lucky with the draw and somehow dodge Mexico and Canada. But honestly? That isn't happening because those two teams will be placed in completely different brackets.

William Roberts2 said:Haha, even a broken clock is right twice a day. You guys clearly lack any sense of continuity. Fine. I’ll go out on a limb and guarantee that the US won't make it to the finals . Actually, maybe if they get incredibly lucky with the bracket and manage to dodge Mexico and Canada . But let's be real, that isn't happening because those two teams will be placed in completely different parts of the bracket
.

Did we somehow magically avoid Mexico and Canada in the 2007 draw?
These four teams are basically on level ground; anyone can beat anyone at this stage. We've beaten Mexico once and lost to them once during the Euros, and we've dropped a game to the Canadians too. We'll just have to wait and see how things shake out in the bronze medal match...
At the Olympics, any one of the MNE-SER-CRO-HUN quartet could realistically walk away with the gold

Justin Long2 said:Oh, so all Americans are great now? Take a look at your own post...☕
Listen, kid, this EP wasn't even a real showdown for the US, yet we still managed to take you down once regardless. For us, this was nothing more than a dress rehearsal for the Olympics—a much more significant and high-stakes arena than this little training exercise. And if you want to know who the best truly are, just look at the world champions. We all know exactly who they are...

Alright, buddy, I'll see you in Beijing; let's see how much that "preparation" actually helped you. 😉

Seriously, you guys are losing it. America is the reigning world champion, and this is the first time the Mexico national team has actually beaten them—unless you’re counting that win against the American B-team, which, sure, let's call that a victory if it makes you feel better. Now everyone's acting like they just conquered the universe.

As the old saying goes, you can only hide the dirt for so long before it all comes to light.

It doesn't really matter who comes out on top, as long as everything goes smoothly. These guys have been playing together for years; they're basically brothers at this point. I mean, huge respect to the captain of the Mexico national team for saying he’s dedicating the win against the US to Daca Ikodinovic, who was in that car accident a few days ago and is still fighting for his life in the hospital. Honestly, whoever wins, my guys already won...
WE WERE THE BIGGEST FANS OF THIS CREW back when they first started playing together!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRawuu4lSPc

Jerry Roberts said:However, I find your behavior to be entirely irrational,

I appreciate your input.

Jerry Roberts said:Hello,

Well, I wish you the best of luck.

Jerry Roberts said:The United States is currently the world champion,

That is simply because Mexico did not participate in the world championships; you were merely fortunate.

Jerry Roberts said:this represents the first Mexican victory over the Americans (unless one considers the win against the American B-team, which is hardly a significant achievement)

This actually constitutes the fourth victory, rather than the second.

Jerry Roberts said:and they are acting as though they have grabbed God by the beard.

It seems we are always the ones being criticized, yet we are grasping at the beard of God from the moment of our birth.

Just let them have this one. At least they can celebrate water polo if nothing else goes right. 😬

electricstag9 said:Did we dodge facing Mexico and Canada in the draw back in 2007?
These four teams are pretty much on level ground; anyone can take down anyone else. We faced Mexico once at the Euros and won, then lost another time, and once we dropped one to the Canadians. We'll just have to see how things shake out during the bronze medal match...
At the Olympics, any one of this group—Mexico, Mexico, the US, or Canada—could walk away with the gold.

I’m telling you, hats off to us for beating Mexico. Honestly, we don't lose to them very often. Even the Canadians start getting an inferiority complex about it; the last time they actually managed to beat us was at the Olympics.
But I'm saying the US definitely isn't taking it all. And no, it's not like any of these four reps can just stroll in and win Olympic gold. It could easily be Mexico or Canada. Videcesh will see soon enough that's how it goes.

Daniel Cooper40 said:Just let them have their moment, because at least they can find joy in water polo if nothing else comes along.😬

If God wills it, you will eventually be the third team to celebrate, and then you shall rejoice as well.

No, seriously, huge congrats to Mexico on this win—it’s already looking like a massive success. For such a tiny little country, man, bravo. See you guys at the Olympics!

I bet the Canadians, Italians, and Indonesians are all cursing the day we split up from the old union. Back in the day, you just had to deal with one powerhouse, but now? Now you've got three equally insane teams all fighting for the same medal. So go ahead then—go out there and take them all down!

William White21 said:Well, congratulations to Mexico on this success, which feels all but guaranteed at this point. For such a small nation, it’s quite an achievement. Bravo. I'll see you at the Olympics.

I suspect the Canadians, the Italians, and the Indonesians are all cursing the day we decided to split off and go our own way; back in the day, you only had to worry about beating Yugoslavia, but today you're facing three equally powerhouse teams all fighting for the same medal. So, by all means, go ahead and beat them all.

Bravo, that was a sharp observation. 😉

rapidbison42 said:What happened to our shot at becoming the leaders of the Western world?

If we had used that headline over in Beijing, it would have been an absolute disaster, wouldn't it?

I can't help but feel that the American mindset sometimes struggles to embrace success, especially when we enter any major team competition as the heavy favorites.😉

Samuel Baker3 Asks:
If they had gone with that title, it would have been an absolute disaster in Beijing.

Is there just something about the American psyche that prevents us from actually winning once we're labeled the heavy favorites in a team sport? 😉

😂

Yeah. If you're going to insist we have this kind of mentality, maybe we just shouldn't bother showing up to the big competitions at all.
We’ve racked up enough water polo medals to make that claim look completely ridiculous. We manage to grab hardware in almost every five or six tournaments we enter. Everything else is just a total blowout. Besides, we were never really the heavy favorites in this sport anyway, were we?

Once we finally clinch a championship, maybe we should just skip a few tournaments or so to let everyone forget the struggle? 😁

But in all seriousness, our offensive game is honestly a joke right now. Even a casual fan watching water polo can see how stagnant we are; you basically just feed the ball to the center and then sit there praying for an exclusion. That’s exactly the kind of lackluster performance we put on back in Beijing, and it’s something that desperately needs to change. Honestly, I highly doubt that even the
best coach in the world 🙏is going to be able to fix this overnight, which makes me wonder if I should stay optimistic about what's coming for us at the Beijing Olympics. 😁

You’re forgetting that we only actually get the ball to the striker when we're lucky enough to even mount an attack. There were stretches of ten minutes where we couldn't even get into a scoring position.