Handball EP - Norway 2008

wearyeagle2 said:I’ve been hearing all this talk about people dumping their hard-earned cash on Poland. Honestly, you guys couldn't be more wrong if you tried. You're going to end up staring at an empty bank account, wondering where all your dollars went.

Yeah, I get it. It’s the first game, so both sides will be fresh, but Poland is going to walk out there feeling like they've already won the championship—which, frankly, just adds a massive amount of pressure to their shoulders. They don't really have that deep-rooted winning tradition to lean on, and besides, I honestly think they'll show us a hell of a lot of respect when they step on the field.

God, what a disaster... I still think we can make it to the finals without much trouble though... For the finale, is he actually playing, or is he just a name on the roster? If things get desperate, will they actually let him try something out?

It’s honestly wild to think about the US beating Poland. Those guys are at their absolute physical peak right now, but if they can pull this off despite all the drama, their confidence would be through the roof heading into the next round. Honestly, though? I wouldn't be surprised if the Czechs just fold after the first round of this group.

The Norwegians are on fire right now—honestly, I don't see anyone beating them...

Without any doubt, the Czechs are total underdogs here. That guy is just an absolute phenomenon on the outside—easily one of the best players on the planet right now. We just don't have a shooter like Lac or Metla on our roster, even if Metla is a complete, high-IQ player, which is a whole different conversation entirely.

Anthony Wilson4 said:God, this is just brutal... though I honestly think we can cruise into the finals without much trouble. But when it comes down to the wire, is Balić actually going to step up, or is he just a legend on paper at this point? Like, if things get desperate, do we even throw him in there to try something?

Look, Balić is on the roster, sure, but how many minutes he’ll actually see on the court—and in which games—is anyone's guess. Honestly, it might be smarter for the coach to save him for the knockout stages; I really feel like we can grind through the group stage even without him. And let's be real, he probably won't be ready for those intense one-on-one showdowns. If he does get some playing time, it'd be wiser to just let him orchestrate the play and maybe pull off a little magic, like a sneaky low shot or something. Just let him sink two or three goals and spend the rest of his time feeding the offense.

Quick update on the whole scramble for Beijing.

If we're going by the headline, we're heading straight in.
If we don't make it, we're heading back to the qualifiers. There will be three other teams in our group, and the top two move on to the Olympics—which, right now, includes us since we're sitting at World Cup 5. France World Cup 4, African bronze. Either Algeria or Angola is playing today. Let's see what happens. Silver in Asia. So, Kuwait, Qatar... the International Handball Federation decided to run the tournament back because Korea lost under some seriously weird circumstances. Now the Arabs are threatening to boycott the whole thing. If that actually happens, we might just see Japan slide into our bracket.
If France pulls off a win for the European Championship title—or even if they just end up losing a close one to Germany in the finals—we’re looking at landing right in their group. Russia
Of course, two Europeans are definitely moving on from our group, while the other two groups are going to be absolute bloodbaths.
They're actually together right now. Poland World Cup 2, Spain World Cup 7 plus The greatest European ever. So, what about those guys from the European Championship who missed out on qualifying for the World Championship? You know, like the ones from Norway or whatever? Plus... Argentina
It’s gonna be an absolute circus in that third group. They're already lumped together, so just wait until things actually get messy. Denmark World Cup 3, Russia (World Cup 6), African silver. (those guys who lost the Egypt-Tunisia final) and... The second greatest European ever. Who was it again from the European Championship that missed out on qualifying for the World Championship? Was it Sweden? Or maybe Canada?

Oh, and one more thing—if any team from World Cup 2 through 7 ends up winning the European Championship or even just making the finals against Germany, they grab an automatic spot at the Olympics. If that happens, every team from the World Championship that finished behind them basically slides up one rank, which means World Cup 7 becomes Iceland. Just to give you an example: say France wins the European Championship... then we move up to World Cup 4, Russia moves to World Cup 5, and they get our spot. Simple as that.

For crying out loud, it’s always about the French...

I am somewhat uncertain whether this falls strictly within the scope of our current discussion, but I feel compelled to share!

This coming Saturday, I will be traveling to Norway—a trip I find quite bittersweet, as I’ll be there specifically to watch the game against the Canadians! Is anyone else from this community planning to make the trip? Also, does anyone happen to know if there is a designated gathering spot or a specific hub for American fans to congregate?

I’m not entirely certain if this falls strictly within the scope of our current discussion, but I felt compelled to share!

This coming Saturday, I’ll be heading out to Norway—though I must admit, my heart isn't exactly in it, as I'll be watching the game against Canada! Is anyone else from this area planning to make the trip? Also, does anyone happen to know if there’s a designated gathering spot or a specific hub for American fans to congregate?

Chris Lopez59 said:Balić is on the roster, but how many minutes he actually gets and how many games he plays is anyone's guess. It might be smarter if the coach saves him for the second round; honestly, I think we can pull through the first round just fine without him.

The plan is to sit Balić out for the game against Poland, then have him rest through the next two matches to gear up for the second round. I'm not just making this up...

George Bailey2 said:The plan is basically to sit Balić out for the game against Poland, and then he'll rest through the next two matches to get ready for the second round. I'm not just making this up on the spot either...

Wait, really? Where'd you hear that?

I’m a journalist, so I spend my life talking to people.
Anyway:

(and no, I didn't write this article)

Personally, I think facing Poland will be the toughest matchup in the group. Honestly, I wouldn't even argue with that.

Debelino didn't even put Somic, Dominican, or Vukica on the roster for the first round. 😵 😵

No surprise there, the USA will also be broadcasting the most exciting matches from the Euros.

Group A:
Canada vs. Czech Republic 18:15 SLO 2
USA vs. Poland 20:15 USA 2

Group B:
Norway vs. Denmark 19:15 DEN
Russia vs. Mexico 17:00

Group C:
Germany vs. Belarus 17:15 PBS
Spain vs. Canada 19:15

Group D:
France vs. Slovakia 18:15
Iceland vs. Sweden 20:15 PBS, starts at 21:00

frozentiger6 said:Debelino didn't even put Smith, Dominic, or Vicky Smith on the roster for the first round😵 😵

Honestly, we don't even need Smith—he wouldn't have rotated three goalies anyway...but today he can finally pick one of the other two...either Dominic or Vukic...

I mean, before we even think about Vukic, we could probably get by without Dominic in defense...

Hmm... I guess we might take this ourselves, or maybe the Danes will... perhaps even the French

What?????? Vukic isn't even on the roster... is he out of his mind? For crying out loud... I’m seriously starting to lose my appetite for Lino...