America vs. France: Semifinals - Feb 4, 2006 @ 2:15 PM

crotomy said:I've never used the ignore button on anyone, and I don't plan to...

Personally, I think that feature is there just to keep things tidy, but it doesn't really do much for me.

Actually, I mean if someone (like Albundy over there) is getting under your skin that much, just hit ignore and move on. Everyone wins—you get peace, and they can just entertain themselves. 😉

Sandra Hernandez13 said:Don't quote me on this,
but word on the street is he’s incredibly disrespectful—he basically ducks out whenever two big clubs are competing,
especially if you've got guys like Džomba, Balić, or someone else in the mix...
I'm not just making this up; it's what people are saying, and there was plenty of drama surrounding that Valčić situation too, right?
🙂Peace

I think Kaleb mentioned back in Canada or maybe Tunisia that they were blowing up his phone with messages, but he just ignored them.

Well, screw a player like that—he would have absolutely gutted the chemistry we've built with this American national team.

Does anyone know what kind of shape Dragan Jerković is in lately?

James Vaughn3 said:I think Kaleb mentioned back when he was in Canada or maybe Tunisia that people were blowing up his phone with messages, but he just didn't bother replying.

Honestly, we have no room for that kind of attitude. A player like that would just tear apart the great chemistry we’ve built within this national team.

Exactly, we don't need ego-driven players cluttering things up...
I mean, I heard he wouldn't even give a teammate a nod during a game...
To be honest, I'm not losing any sleep over Valčić. When did he actually see any playing time? Was he even on the roster for the tournament in Portugal? 😕

We need to put Kljaic back on the bench—he’d slap sense into every single one of them during a timeout and you'd see them actually start playing properly.😁

But I honestly don't believe anyone could step up and manage this national team right now. After all, Lino built this whole thing from the ground up; changing coaches would just make a bad situation even worse.

James Vaughn3 said:We really need to put Kljajić back on the bench. He’d probably spend half the game slapping sense into them during timeouts, and honestly, that might be exactly what they need to actually start playing cohesive basketball. 😁

Exactly. We just need to replicate the same kind of momentum we saw with Yugoslavia a few days ago. 🙄

Sandra Hernandez13 said:Yeah, we don't need those arrogant jerks...
I mean, the guy couldn't even bother to say hello to someone at a game...
Honestly, I couldn't care less about Valčić. When did he even play? Was he ever even playing in Portugal? 😕

He played in Portugal—and he was damn good—but then he lost his mind and just refused to play anymore.

James Vaughn3 said:He had an incredible run playing over in Portugal, but after that, he just lost his spark and decided he was done with the game.

Nothing is truly irreplaceable, no matter how impossible it might seem at the time.😉

James Vaughn3 said:I think Kaleb mentioned back when he was in Canada or Tunisia that people were texting his phone, but he just didn't reply.

Well, you can't have a player like that. He would have just poisoned the chemistry we’ve built in this national team.

The tension is really between Ćervar and Valčić. It started getting heated leading up to Athens when Valčić was seeing Peharec for therapy, and Ćervar claimed he was just faking it.
Now, we're looking at a fallout between Zrnić-Ćervar.

Let’s be real... we owe this success (making the semifinals) to individual talent. Ćervar’s tactical system has completely fallen apart.
We need a coach who builds a system around the players, rather than sacrificing the players to fit his own ideas... which is exactly what Ćervar did.

rapidbison42 said:The friction is really between Ćervar-Valčić. It all started getting heated during the prep for Athens—back when Valčić was seeing Peharec for therapy and Ćeravr was busy claiming he was just faking it.
Now we’re looking at a fallout between Zrnić-Ćervar too.

Let's be real—this success (making the semifinals) is strictly down to individual player talent. Ćervar's entire tactical approach has completely imploded.
We need a coach who builds a system around the players, rather than sacrificing the players to fit some rigid idea... which is exactly what Ćervar did.

Honestly, I don't even think he showed up for the training sessions before Athens—he wasn't even there in Canada.

James Vaughn3 said:I don't think he even made the training camp for Athens, let alone showed up for the tournament in Canada.

Valčić actually played in the European Championship in Canada.

rapidbison42 said:Smith played in the EP held in Canada.

I'm not entirely certain—but I'll take your word for it.

• Madison Square Garden
USA vs. Canada 27-25 (15-13)
CANADA: Johnson, Bishop, Miller (14), Baker 2, Williams 6 (2), Anderson 1, Davis 5, Brown, Taylor 4, Wilson 2 (2), Moore 1, Ficko 3, Thompson 1, White 2.
USA: Harris (8), Clark (6), Kaleb 3, Lewis, Balić 5, Walker 2, Hall 1, Young, King, Džomba 12 (4), Smith 2, Scott, Green, Adams.
OFFICIALS: Vakula and Louis (both from Ukraine). ATTENDANCE: 7,000.
PENALTIES: Canada 4 (4), USA 5 (4).
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Canada 16 minutes (Brown 2+2+2, Anderson 2+2, Moore 2+2, Ficko), USA 8 minutes (Lewis 2+2, Scott, King).
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Mirza Džomba.

It looks like Barrufet might be our version of O'Meyer for the dance floor—it’s early days, but this guy already has 3 stops under his belt

rapidbison42 said:• Madison Square Garden
USA vs CANADA 27-25 (15-13)
CANADA: Johnson, Bishop, Miller (14), Baker 2, Williams 6 (2), Anderson 1, Davis 5, Brown, Taylor 4, Wilson 2 (2), Moore 1, Ficko 3, Thompson 1, White 2.
USA: Harris (8), Clark (6), Kaleb 3, Lewis, Balić 5, Walker 2, Hall 1, Young, King, Džomba 12 (4), Smith 2, Scott, Green, Adams.
REFS: Vakula and Louis (both from Ukraine). ATTENDANCE: 7000.
PENALTIES: Canada 4 (4), USA 5 (4).
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Canada 16 minutes (Brown 2+2+2, Anderson 2+2, Moore 2+2, Ficko), USA 8 minutes (Lewis 2+2, Scott, King).
MVP: Mirza Džomba.

thanks for the breakdown

God damn it—even he managed to sink two goals.

Honestly, I think this whole thing was a total bust. It’s not even just about the final score, it's more about how Cervar brought this massive group of young kids along thinking he was prepping them for the 2008 Summer Olympics, but then he didn't give a single one of them any real playing time. He just stuck with the same old veterans who failed to deliver the results we actually came here for, and since he didn't give anyone else—except maybe Horvat—a chance to step up, we're basically heading into the next World Cup and the Olympics with zero new talent we can actually rely on...
As for the game itself... the French were just better, either their goalie was having a career night or our pivots just absolutely tore him apart at the end, honestly it doesn't even matter much now
balić-worst game of the tournament, when one French player basically ran right over another guy, I don't even know if it was just pure exhaustion or if that French tactical setup was just that damn good
Cervar spent way too much time messing around with experiments during the tournament

I just sat down and went through the game footage, scrubbing through the tape on high speed.

Honestly? This is a textbook example of a head coach being outclassed by his own rigid tactics. Cervar has been forcing this exact same playbook on us throughout the entire EP.
The French coach completely saw right through him today; he had him figured out from the jump.

At the end of the day, this loss falls squarely on Lin Cervar. He’s clearly a manager, not a handball player.

RuzanDirtyStupid said:I honestly think this was a failure. It’s not even about the final score—it’s the fact that Cervar brought a massive group of kids along under the guise of preparing them for the 2008 Summer Olympics, yet he didn't give a single one of them meaningful minutes. We just ran the same old veterans who failed to deliver the results we came for, while not one kid (aside from Horvat) got a chance to prove themselves. As a result, heading into the next World Cup and the Olympics, we have zero new players we can actually rely on.
As for the game itself... the French were simply better. Either their keeper was on fire, or our pivots just completely tore him apart—honestly, it doesn't matter.
balić-worst game of the tournament. One French player collided with another—was it exhaustion or just brilliant French tactics? Who knows.
Cervar experimented way too much during this tournament.

He should have put Ljubo Vukić in when Sprehm was struggling. That would've been a far better move than sticking with two pivots.

James Vaughn3 said:thanks for clearing that up

Unbelievable. He actually managed to score two goals, too.

Smith's main job is focusing on defense and covering the left wing.

Vanessa said:I just sat through the game footage—watched the tape on fast-forward and rewinds.

You want the truth? This is a textbook failure of the head coach and his rigid strategy. Cervar has been forcing this exact same tactic throughout the entire EP.
The coach at Maxim was reading him perfectly—today, the French coach read him like an open book.

This isn't a loss for the players; it’s a loss for Lin Cervar, not a handballer.

I've recorded every single game of this championship. I've practically watched them all twice now, so I see things clearly. Our best performance was against Norway; everything else has been absolute garbage.

Obviously, this is on Lin Cervar—the players aren't to blame here.