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

Come on, Roger Allen3, push that crook all the way up into the mountains; let him deal with the consequences.

Fine, but it’s another damn dark day.
Everything was decided in one game.
The only thing that stings is losing to a team that isn't even in our league quality-wise.
Too many issues piled up; honestly, it's a decent result considering the mess we're dealing with.
If we had the real lineup—Pre, Blaze, Joel, and Solo—we’d be strolling toward the title. Instead, it’s just a matter of when the whole thing finally implodes.

But man, he completely lost his mind... For some reason I can't wrap my head around, instead of just making the play, Damon kept committing offensive fouls... That's the kind of mess I used to see all the time back when I watched the Buckeyes 🙂

rapidbison42 said:Congrats to the boys on making the semifinals.
Let’s be realistic here—we aren't going to make the finals every single time. Reaching the semis for the fifth straight year is a massive win in its own right. Considering Lacković, Metličić, and Džomba missed the entire preseason due to injuries, this is actually an incredible result.
We’ve already locked in our spots for the next EP and the next SP.
So, what's the move?
If we can get Alilović in goal and Terzić back in the wing and defense positions, plus bring Zrnić and Valčić back into the fold... then—and only then—will we finally have the depth we need.

Tomorrow we go for the medal, and in two years, we go for the gold.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm skeptical.

I'm definitely not sold on the idea that Alilović is actually coming back.

And Terzić won't even be ready to play until the Beijing games.

Give it a year—then all these same old problems will start up again.

meddo said:Come on, Roger Allen3, push that crook all the way out to the middle of nowhere! Let him deal with his own mess.

I'm going to absolutely destroy him.🤣

The bottom line is that Cervar just isn't the right fit for the head coach role anymore. He leaned way too hard on his starting lineup, and frankly, everyone has seen enough of them.

We need fresh blood—someone who’s going to bring a completely different tactical approach to the table. But instead, they go out and hire Smajlagica.
The entire system of play needs a complete overhaul. I'm not even saying this because of this recent loss; it's just obvious we've hit our absolute ceiling. We can't keep going like this. You can see it in Metličić—he's running on fumes, the tank is empty, and it's over.

It's time to let some players go and start building a roster for the future. It's pretty clear these guys have nothing left in the tank.

I want to thank them for everything. They were easily the greatest American team in history.

Ink, Yugoslavia ended up exactly where they deserved to end up, while America made it to the semifinals.

rapidbison42 said:What’s an Alpine Mexican?
Is the jealousy finally bubbling up?

Why aren't we hearing that old line, "Let them suffer if they're bothered... right, Bolton?"
And hey, isn't the fact that you used "WHAT" instead of "WHICH" a dead giveaway that you're just trying too hard?

Roger Allen3 said:but man, he’s just lost his mind... for some reason I can't wrap my head around, instead of just passing the ball to Džomba, he keeps picking up offensive fouls... honestly, it reminds me of those old college hoops games I used to watch back in the day 🙂

Yeah... like a few times Džomba was wide open, but this guy just tries to muscle through two defenders instead...

The US national team is basically just a bunch of selfish players...

And that's how Džomba plays too, I guess... once he gets the ball, he just refuses to pass it to anyone else...

Feuerfuchs said:The only thing eating at me is that we choked against a squad that isn't even in our league when you look at actual talent.

It’s driving me insane too.😢
Whether it's the Danes, the Icelanders, the Russians, or even the Norwegians—they're all a tier above us right now. We just played our absolute worst game of the tournament.
That's pure damage right there.😢

What a mess.

loneheron78 said:Not a chance, you North American extremist.

And what exactly?
You show up to lecture people about their losses when your own side already lost everything.
Just get lost...

Why aren't we hearing that usual line: "Let them suffer if it bothers you... right, Bolton?"
And how can you claim to be an American when you're questioning the grammar? Is it not just basic English??

Don't be dense... America actually was a world champion.
Come back once your guys win some gold.
Beat it...

Are we still playing anything over there, or is that basically it?

Roger Allen3 said:but he completely lost his mind... for some reason I can't wrap my head around, instead of just passing the ball, he kept committing offensive fouls... honestly, that's the kind of nonsense I've come to expect from those guys🙂

And here we are, acting like we have the greatest national team on the planet

The reality? We don't have a single decent backup for anyone on this starting lineup—no wonder we always hit a wall in the semifinals.

It’s the second year in a row we've been convincingly crushed like this.

Michael Adams2, come on, give me a break. 😉 Do you even follow handball? Are you going to sit there and tell me you know the scores from Portugal, Canada, or Tunisia? You clearly don't realize that whenever we face the heavy hitters—teams like Denmark or Iceland—we always walk away with a win by a goal or two.

frozentiger6 said:The only thing that's true is that Cervar isn't the guy for the head coach job anymore. He leaned way too hard on that starting lineup, and honestly, we've seen all they had to give.

We seriously need some fresh blood, you know? Someone who can actually shake up the tactics... but nope, instead they go and bring in Smajlagica.
The whole system needs a total overhaul. And I'm not even saying this just because of this loss, it's just... it's obvious we hit the absolute ceiling here. We can't keep going like this. You can see it in Metlicic—the guys are just spent, totally burned out, it's done.

It's time to say thanks to certain players and start building for the future. Because, let's be real, these guys have nothing left in the tank.

Huge thanks to them for everything. Seriously, the greatest American team in history.

Ink, look, SCG ended up where they ended up, but the US made it to the semifinals!

We really should be thanking them... I mean, World Gold, Olympic Gold, and World Silver? That's an insane legacy to leave behind.

But what they were playing during this European Championship was just... 👎

The issue isn't the roster; it’s the game plan. We’re basically just running everything through our primary ball handlers, and if they aren't clicking, we just dump it to the wings and pray. That’s it. Our defensive positioning is all over the place too. It’s lazy.
I honestly think the coach is just as much to blame here, especially with how thin this bench is...

But why is the rotation so shallow? You have to ask the head coach about that. Why on earth did he send Losert home only to call him right back? It makes zero sense.
And why has Sprem been sitting out for so long?
If Peri isn't performing, put him on the bench and let's actually try utilizing the wings for once.

driftingnomad68 said:Are we actually playing anything else there, or is this it?

Honestly—maybe it’d be better if we didn't—but we’re playing tomorrow for third place anyway.

Jonathan Booth5 said:Come on Roger Allen3, send that jerk off to some remote ranch in Montana, let him deal with the sheep out there.

Man, Jonathan Booth5, I’d love to, but I think your whole extended family already beat us to it and cornered them in their hotel rooms.🤣 🤣

loneheron78 said:Why aren't we hearing that old line, "Let them suffer if they're bothered... isn't that right, Boltone?"
And since you're using "what" instead of "which," does that make you an outsider? If it were American, wouldn't you say "which"?

I am politely asking you to please stop posting in this thread.

🙂

edit: Your IP address is pretty easy to recognize, so you might as well just say goodbye to the burner accounts too and just walk away. 😳

Aaron Gonzalez6 said:It’s not about the cards we were dealt, it’s the strategy. We just play through the interior—it's all about the big guys in the middle—and if that fails, we dump it to the wings and call it a day. Our defense is positioned way too shallow. That’s it.
I think Lino’s responsible for this too, along with having such a thin bench...

But why is the bench so short? You gotta ask Lino. Why on earth did he send Losert home only to call him right back?
And why hasn't Sprem been playing lately?
If Peri isn't clicking, just bench him and let's try running the offense through the wings.

That’s the issue with this whole season. We've been playing without any wing presence. The only time we actually used the wings was against the Americans, and even then, we only managed to score 12 points from out there.

Aaron Gonzalez6 said:The issue isn't the roster—it's the tactics. We just run everything through the bigs, or we go to the wings if that fails. That’s it. Our defense is positioned way too wide, period.
I think Lino shares the blame here—the bench is way too thin...

But why is the bench so short? You have to ask Lino. Why on earth did he send Losert home only to call him right back?
And why hasn't Sprem been playing lately?
If Peri isn't clicking, put him on the bench and let's actually try using the wings.

Well, the French played us perfectly today.

They shut down Balić, and our entire offense collapsed because everything flows through him.

That’s exactly how future opponents are going to play us—and then we're screwed.

Something fundamentally has to change in our game plan.