USA vs. Spain: 29-28

I’m honestly getting a little anxious about the final... it looks like it'll be Spain vs. the US, assuming neither side trips up during these next two games.
And here's the thing... the Spaniards are going to be absolutely fired up after today's loss, while we'll probably still be riding that emotional high from our 2005 championship run...
The only silver lining is that their path seems a bit easier, for sure.
Looking at France and Germany... if we play with the same grit and intensity we've been showing lately, the title is ours!

Sarah King25 said:Turbulence, turbulence... 😁 fine by me, as long as I'm not the one flying the plane. 🤣
Just dropped in to see what my old "comrades" are up to on here. 😬
Checking in on you? 😉

As long as you've got a brain in your head. You got one?🤣
Same turbulence over here, but at least I'm still on course. Assuming there even is one.😁

frozentiger6 said:What exactly do you mean by that?

Look, Vanja, we're all just sitting here completely lost watching this game.🤣

Personally, I think the Poles might actually be more dangerous than the French. You just never know what they’re capable of. They have this unpredictable edge, and those three shooters on their roster are absolute killers right now—all of them are in peak form.

It doesn't look quite the same way against the Canadians, though. Their lineup seems pretty middle-of-the-road...

Anonymous said:The finals have me worried... probably Spain vs. USA, assuming neither side chokes in the next two games.
And then... Spain’s gonna be fired up after today's loss, while we'll still be hung up on that 2005 heartbreak...
Only thing is, they definitely have an easier path ahead.
The French and Germans... if we play as hard as we've been playing—just pure grit—we're taking the title for sure.

How do you know? Spain plays Germany in the quarterfinals.😁

Anonymous said:The championship matchup is what’s actually weighing on my mind... it’ll likely be Spain versus the US, assuming neither side trips up during the next two games.
And here is the kicker... the Spanish squad will be playing with a massive chip on their shoulder after today's loss, whereas we'll just be reminiscing about our 2005 heartbreak...
I suppose they have a slightly smoother path ahead, if you ask me.
Between the French and the Germans... if we play with the kind of grit we've shown lately, I honestly think the title is ours for the taking.

... looking at the bracket, it seems like Spain is headed for a total dogfight in the quarterfinals; it's going to be war. As for us and the French? We're basically cruising straight to the finals.👍

feralbison62 said:How exactly are the Spaniards supposed to take down the Germans in the quarterfinals? I mean, really. How does that even work?😁

Just spent forty minutes arguing with a friend about this. Forty minutes. Can you believe that? Just wasted all that time going in circles.
I know the Germans have basically claimed Cologne for themselves, but who’s actually playing them there? If they were just following the standard rotation, they’d be playing in Hamburg—and we’d be right there with them—but apparently, they’ve decided they need the biggest arena available for their own sake, blah blah blah... anyway, are we moving to Cologne to face the Germans, or are we sticking with Hamburg?

I’m a complete mess, believe me. 🙂

I honestly don’t get where these Poles suddenly came from—acting like they're some unstoppable powerhouse all of a sudden. I had no idea they even had a squad capable of taking anyone down... and I’ve been following handball since back when guys like Miller, Thompson, and the rest of that old crew were just starting out... basically since the mid-90s.
It’s clearly some kind of new wave... the Swedes aren't a factor anymore, the Russians are playing around, the Canadians are just mediocre, and yet everyone seems terrified of the Poles.😲 🤣

Brian Foster said:Personally, I’d say the Poles are actually more dangerous than the French. You just never know what they’re capable of—they have this unpredictable edge—and those three shooters? They’re absolute monsters right now, all of them in peak condition.

When you look at the matchup against the Canadians, it doesn't feel the same—just a bunch of average players across the board...

I'm with you there; the Canadians are a total mess right now, yet they just keep stuffing them into the lineup.

...

Honestly—I would absolutely LOVE those license plates! 🙂

So we’re playing the French, Germans, and Spaniards in Cologne. If we take out the French, we face the Germans in the semis—back in Cologne again. Then it's the Danes in the finals, still in Cologne. Basically, everything happens in Cologne.😬

Brian Foster said:Personally, I think the Poles are actually more dangerous than the French. You just never know what they’re capable of. They look intimidating on paper, and those three shooters they have are absolute monsters right now—all three are in peak form.

To me, they don't look nearly that threatening against the Canadians—just a bunch of average players across the board...

And yet, those "average" players are currently outperforming the French.

Do yourself a favor and watch some more Polish games instead of jumping to conclusions based on a single match.

Take a look at the French, too; they aren't even close to being as strong as they were back when they played in Switzerland. That's always been their Achilles' heel—if you actually follow handball, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Almost there—USA vs. Mexico ends 38-27

🙏 I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy! 😍

Honestly, someone needs to shut down Boza Susec for those comments he made today—seriously, just totally shut him down! 👎 👎

Nathan Vaughn20 said:Man, I just spent 40 minutes bickering with a buddy about this.
I know the Germans basically reserved Cologne for themselves, but who are they actually playing in Cologne? If we just followed the standard schedule, the Germans would be playing in Hamburg (along with us), but they insisted on grabbing the biggest arena, blah blah blah... anyway, are we moving to Cologne to play the Germans? Or are we staying put in Hamburg?

I’m totally lost here, believe me. 🙂

Me too, 😬

From what I can gather, we’re heading to Cologne to face the Germans, and since the Spaniards will likely take third place in our group, it'll end up being us, the Frenchmen, and those Swabian-Spaniards in Cologne. On the other side of the bracket, there isn't anyone particularly relevant. 😬

Bottom line is, we won't run into the Spaniards in the finals; the only way we catch them again is if we knock them out in the semifinals after they beat the Swabians. 😬

Edward Hernandez332 said:Almost there—Poland beats Canada 38-27

So close😁

Jeremy Phillips54 said:I also 😬

From what I can gather, we’re heading to Cologne alongside the Germans, and the Spaniards will likely end up as the third group in our bracket. That would essentially make us a mix of Americans and Swabian-Spaniards once we hit Cologne. As for the other side of the bracket, there isn't anyone particularly noteworthy 😬

In any case, we won't be able to face the Spaniards in the finals; our only shot at playing them is if we catch them in the semifinals after they knock out the Germans 😬

... though Iceland or Poland would have been interesting too

darkbear51 said:🙏 Not a chance in hell! 😍

Need to shut down Susec for those comments today. 👎 👎

Boza Susec is alright, if he could just stay sober, he'd be unstoppable.😬

boldhound8 said:Pretty😁

"Pretty" is a massive understatement when there's a 10-point gap. 😁

feralbison62 said:Boza Susec is pretty damn good—honestly, if he could just stay sober, there wouldn't be any stopping him.😬

Man, he wasn't even drinking—dead sober—but he managed to "convince" me within the first minute that our team was headed for a total blowout. He kept it up the entire game, too. Honestly, he just completely ruined the whole experience for me. 👎