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

rustystag7 said:Joining the fray here to spam along with you guys...
I haven't had the energy to read through everything—someone mentioned Dzomba finally got those braces off his muscles—so now I'm wondering: is he actually 100% recovered or what???

As if it were 100%

He’s maybe 60% healed at best.

Jonathan Booth5 said:He looked decent today, though you could tell he was totally intimidated by Šterbik, since he was basically staring him down the whole time. But hey, his wing jumps were actually pretty smooth.

I don't know, man... I wasn't really feeling it personally....

It’s pretty obvious he’s playing it safe, just tiptoeing around like a deer in headlights. I’m not even mad at him, though—you gotta give it to the guy, he's trying, it’s just clearly not working out for him right now....

The penalty shots today were clutch, and we definitely need him for that, but honestly? I don't think he executed a single clean entry. I was watching closely until the 52nd minute...

One time he went for it and just slammed hard onto his back and his good leg, which actually earned us a penalty. Then the second time he tried, he just kind of spun out and missed completely. I don't know if he was trying to pull some weird pirouette mid-air or what, but there definitely wasn't a foul called.

I still lean towards thinking we shouldn't push him too hard; he should probably just stick to the wings. Honestly, props to Lackovic—he was the only one actually feeding Šprem the ball properly.

It was such a contrast from those previous games where Lac was forcing everything because he couldn't find an opening. This time he actually played smart, kept passing to Šprem, and made things a whole lot easier for the rest of the squad.

He mentioned during the sports segment today that he doesn't really need those athletic tapes anymore—which honestly worked better for him than the compression sleeves anyway. Now, it's really just a matter of breaking through that mental block regarding those impossible leaps. He’s likely just terrified of landing hard on that leg again, but if he can nail those jumps a few times, even someone as elite as Šprem won't stand a chance against him.

Jonathan Booth5 said:He mentioned on the sports news today that he doesn't even need those athletic tapes anymore—which honestly worked better than the braces anyway. Now it’s just about breaking through that mental wall regarding those impossible jumps. He’s probably just terrified of landing hard on that leg again, but if he nails those a few times, nobody stands a chance against him and someone like Šprem.

It all comes down to how much coverage they get on the wings. The Spaniards aren't exactly lighting it up defensively for me—even those slow Canadians had plenty of openings because the team kept coughing up turnovers. From what I saw, the Spaniards aren't actually any better than us, especially considering they struggled against a non-threatening Canadian squad.

Though, I suspect the Danes are basically penicillin for the Spaniards (and for us against Dance)—if I recall correctly, they absolutely crushed them at the last EP.

Besides, our first real test is France, and the finals? We'll worry about that when we get there.
The main thing is not to panic—they've already hit their target by avoiding a total embarrassment. Once that's out of the way, the guys can actually enjoy themselves and play some real handball, which is usually when the magic happens.

Honestly, our main job right now is just focusing on the next matchup against the French team, and that's really it. We’ve gotta take this one game at a time, you know? If we start trying to look too far down the road, we might end up spinning our wheels and doing absolutely nothing. And man, if that happens, we're totally screwed—because if we actually make it that far, we better be ready to go all in and make it count.

If we can get more than one player firing on all cylinders at the same time—and if we actually play our game—there isn't a single team out there that can touch us. That’s just the sheer power of this roster...

We'll get there eventually...🙂

14.15? Is this some kind of intentional mistake? 🤣

absolute legend 😍 😘

I'll fix it first thing in the morning... I don't want to mess anything up right now, and we definitely don't want that 😳 especially since I'd be the one taking the fall 😳 AGAIN 😬

Why on earth did we set our defense so shallow, just at the 7-meter mark? I was watching the Spanish national team play yesterday, and they had their defense sitting way deeper—hitting that 9-meter line easily...

Serse_Cosmi Carol Harris64 said:14.15? Is this some kind of joke? 🤣

It’s basically designed to be a deliberate collection of curses.
Turns out I wasn't crazy after all. It wasn't a mistake. 😢

http://www.euro06.com/CMS_Files/711_...84&roundType=F

New York Feb 04 2006 11:45 USA vs. Russia at Madison Square Garden
New York Feb 04 2006 14:15 1/2 USA - America Madison Square Garden
New York Feb 04 2006 17:00 1/2 USA - Madison Square Garden

By the way, a daytime slot works perfectly for me.

Vincent Vega said:Why are we setting our defense so shallow, right at the 7-meter line? I was watching the Spanish team yesterday, and they had their defense set much deeper, back around the 9-meter mark...

I don't get it either. We have—or at least we used to, just look back at that game against Portugal—the best 3-2-1 defense in the world, yet we rarely actually use it.

Mind you, it’s true that without Walsh, that defense isn't what it used to be. If we had Terzic or someone similar playing that front position, it might work, but unfortunately, we don't. In this current squad over in Switzerland, there isn't a single player who can effectively play the front of a 3-2-1 setup. Maybe that's why Lin is forcing this 5-1 with Vory, but even then, it's nowhere near the 5-1 defense we saw in Athens. It doesn't click here, and Vory is just too slow for this style of play. Honestly, Walsh is a massive hole in the American defense.

On top of that, Spoljaric is only getting about a minute and a half of playing time in the game against Iceland. I don't get Cervar; how does our best defender not even see two minutes of action in a high-stakes game?

Drive99 said:give me a break, there's no way it's 100%

it's more like 60% recovered at best

Yeah...
There is zero chance he's 100% ready for this championship, he's definitely not up to it.

meddo said:, now it’s just about him breaking through that mental block so he can pull off those impossible jumps again. He's probably terrified of landing wrong on that leg,

It's all in his head...
Man, he used to just send it without giving a damn where or how he landed...
But now his own mind is screwing him over. It'll get better eventually, though.🙂

Vincent van Gogh said:Why the hell is our defense set up so shallow, like at the 7-meter line? I was watching the Spanish team yesterday and they had their defense pushed way back, like at least 9 meters out...

Because we're idiots...
We play block defense like we're some high school volleyball squad🙂

We don't step out to pressure the guy, so everything just sails right in. Seriously, if a player gets a running start from 7 meters and nobody is even bothering him, that’s basically a guaranteed goal. It's a joke.🙂

And on offense, we're playing it too safe because everyone plays this 4-2 defense against us specifically to shut down guys like Paul Bunyan and Lacković/Metličić.
I don't know if you guys noticed, but it's rare for one of our players to actually get a clean look to shoot without getting hammered. There's constant contact and fouls. That's just how handball works.

Look, they’re forced to run a 4-2 defense against us, which is basically suicide in handball because there isn't any other way to stop us.

Everyone saw what happens when you try a standard 6-0 against a player like Ali Balic—just look at that game against Norway. There’s no saving it, even if they tried some crazy 12-0 setup.😁 The Russians even attempted a 5-1 against Ali Balic with Koksharov, while Ivan was out there playing chess on the court at the same time. We ended up dropping that one simply because Lake and Peter were completely checked out mentally. You can't just man-mark Ivan; he forces the opposition to take risks by sending two players forward, leaving four guys on the line to pummel our pivot. Those two advanced defenders have to stick to Ali Balic and one of the shooters, which kills our ball movement entirely. Plus, our wings were practically invisible until Sprem started preparing yesterday.
The Icelanders even tried a 3-3 defense, sending three players out to pressure our perimeter, but honestly, that’s just asking for trouble.

Now, I want to see who’s brave enough to try a 4-2 once Sprem finds his rhythm and Mirza gets back into top form. It’s going to be a total blowout in Switzerland.😁

frozentiger6 said:They’re basically forced to run a 4-2 defense with us, which is hands down the riskiest setup you can pull in handball. There isn't any other way to play it. Period.

Our defense is a complete joke. There isn't a single unit out there capable of stopping us.🙂

Running a 4-2 or a 3-3 is just asking for trouble. You’re basically handing them everything on a silver platter by opening up massive gaps for their wings and pivots to exploit. Honestly, you only even see that kind of desperate tactical shift when the game is already a total wash and everyone knows it's over.
A 6-0 blowout is basically suicide. Honestly, you only see a 5-1 scoreline if Bailey is having a total off day.

Look, the French know how to run a 3-2-1 defense, and they’re damn good at it. They use it perfectly to shut down our perimeter players.
We need to attack through the wings to force them to stretch their defense, and once they've opened up those gaps, we let Billy take control of the game.

I’d venture to say playing against the Spaniards will actually be easier offensively because they pretty much only know how to play a 6-0. Sure, they execute it brilliantly, but if our shooters get hot, they won't have an answer.

The French can be incredibly aggressive on offense, which is actually our biggest opportunity since their defense is always rock solid. We have to step up our defensive intensity; if we can neutralize Karabatic, we effectively kill their entire attack. Everything runs through him—he’s the engine—but even he isn't anywhere near having the tactical brain that Billy has, so he's definitely beatable.

frozentiger6 said:Look, the French guys actually know how to run a 3-2-1 defense, and they do it damn well. That setup is enough for them to shut down our perimeter players.
We need to hammer them through the wings, force them to stretch their defense wide, and then let Bailey do his thing.

Against the Spaniards, I’d bet money it’ll be easier offensively because they pretty much only know how to play a 6-0. Sure, they play it perfectly, but if our shooters start heating up, they won't stand a chance.

The French can get aggressive on offense, which is our big opening, since their defense is always at least decent. We have to step up the defensive intensity. If we shut down Karabatic, we shut down the whole French attack. Everything runs through him—he's the brain—but he isn't even close to being on Bailey's level, so he's definitely stoppable.

It's true, a 3-2-1 won't stop us if we actually execute properly. We proved we could tear through stuff like that back in Portland and Athens.🙏
But man, Bailey is in such insane form right now that I seriously doubt anyone can stop him...

We just need to walk onto that court playing the way we actually know how to play.🙂
And stop screwing around.🙂
And for the love of God, finally play some actual defense... it's a freaking pipe dream at this point.😠

God, our defense basically boils down to:

1. Will Shola somehow manage to defend?
2. Will the striker miss his shot?
3. Will our guys actually set a block?
4. Will Bailey steal the ball?

You can't play like that and expect to win gold.🙄

Look, I think we’re being way too hard on our defense. 😉 Between the influence of Bozin constantly whining about how they managed to score a single goal and Susec getting all worked up, everyone is just on edge.

Believe me, I watched the replay of the game against Iceland, and when you strip away Bozin’s dramatic outbursts and the general nervousness, you can see our backline actually holds up pretty well. 😉 It’s not legendary, sure, but for most of the match, they were solid. Other teams are dealing with much bigger issues; at least our guys are consistently reliable. Again, I’m not saying they were flawless, 😁

Vanessa said:Look, maybe we’re being way too hard on our defense😉 especially when you factor in how much Bo's constant "how the hell did they score?" freakouts and Sutherland's nerves mess with everything.

Trust me, I went back and watched the replay of the game against Iceland, and once you strip away Bo's over-the-top dramatics and all the anxiety, you can see our defense actually looks pretty solid😉 I mean, it's not legendary every single minute, but for most of the match, they were totally fine. Other teams have way bigger issues; at least ours are consistently decent. Not flawless, let me be clear about that,😁

Maybe I am being too critical, damn it. I've been conditioned to expect perfection, so this stuff just drives me crazy.😢

Forget about Sutherland... that's a whole different disaster.😬

I watch all our games, and honestly, I'm sick of hearing other people complain because a lot of teams out there play defense way better than we do... For us, it feels like every single shot ends up in the net. It's rare to actually finish an offensive play without getting burned.

We can mostly thank Scholl and the offense for these good results.