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

Roger Allen3 said:nothing’s gonna happen to you because you can just ban anyone who talks trash😈 😁

but you aren't gonna be some moral champion alongside Lina and the rest of the Americans

😁😁😁
Not happening.😳

dammit, somebody's gotta take the risk.🙂

frozentiger6 said:Why the hell are we letting Spanish refs judge us??? For God's sake, man, they're completely nuts.

Can we get Spanish refs to judge the Spaniards for once?

this is hilarious🙄

Adam Wright56 said:If you happen to read this as sperm…😂

Is it actually possible they are saving Spoljaric for the semifinals—much like they are saving certain defensive plays??? 😕

I honestly can't wrap my head around why his playing time is so limited... unless he's nursing an injury or perhaps there's some sort of friction involving Lina. 🤔

😂

Brilliant! 🙏

Ijopet…🤣

On another note... when exactly is that game scheduled for tomorrow? I recall seeing earlier today that it was set for 5:00, yet now everyone is insisting it's at 2:00. Personally, I find the 2:00 slot much more convenient—right after a morning of skiing 😈—and it allows me more time to celebrate our victory over France. 👋

BTW, I suspect the Americans will make it to the Final.

France versus USA
Playing time: Saturday 4 February at 14.15, Madison Square Garden
from the Euro 06 website
I agree, a USA-Denmark Final would be great👍

I’m thinking U14🙂

Anyway, I was just watching Lina on TV, and she’s basically saying they need to drill defense 24/7 because right now, it's a total disaster. She thinks the only way we actually stand a chance is if we lock things down on defense—if we try to outscore them with offense, we’re dead in the water...

I’m with her on this one.👍
Against Iceland and the Norwegians (and even against Yugoslavia, even if that wasn't exactly a walk in the park), our offense was just dragging us down. It's high time we focus on defense.👍

Alright, let's get serious about tightening up this defense of ours.

We just need more movement; our guys know how to play, they just need to stay active. Get Spoljaric inside. Put Ivano on the left to cover their right wing, Mirza on the right, Davor in the middle, either Pero or Denis as the right half, Sulic on the left, and Vori or Sprem up front. More constant motion and less standing around watching, and we'll be fine.

Mr.Ex.President said:I think he meant at 14 minutes🙂

Anyway, Linus was just on TV, and he’s basically saying they need to focus entirely on defense because everything else is a mess right now. He thinks if we try to win by playing aggressively on offense, we're just going to blow it...

I guess I agree.👍
Against teams like Iceland or the Norwegians (not to mention how rough things were against Yugoslavia), relying on pure offense has always been a losing game. It's time to dig in and defend.👍

And honestly, the guy looked like a total psycho while saying it. 😂

Yeah, but I have this gut feeling that they were just "saving" their defensive intensity for the semifinals. Tomorrow, I bet they come out swinging with a defensive setup so tight that we'll hit that crazy stretch where nobody on the planet can score for ten straight minutes. 🙂

As for the offense, I'm sure Linus has some wild plays cooked up that nobody has ever seen before in their lives.

Tomorrow is going to be ABSOLUTE CHAOS! 😈, just you wait. 👋

The defense is missing Caleb. If we had that lightning bolt Walsh on the court too, I’d be all in right now. As it stands, we're trailing the Spanish slightly... though we need to see how the Americans hold up first.

The French aren't even close to what they used to be... 😬

We’re getting the win, sure, but I’m looking at the Danes in the final and wondering how we handle them. The Danes will probably knock out the Spaniards tomorrow just to spite us and kill our rematch chances. I actually hit my bet yesterday that the Russians would fold, but then Iceland completely screwed me over on the parlay (WTF?)

Seriously, I know Caleb had surgery, but what is going on with Valcic?

Nipple Twister said:We're getting the win, but I don't know how we handle the Danes in the finals. They'll probably knock out the Spanish team tomorrow just to mess with our rematch chances. Yesterday I had money on the Russians losing, but then Iceland pulled a fast one on my parlay... WTF?

Seriously, I know Caleb had surgery, but what's going on with Valcic?

Everyone keeps talking about how Scandinavians look out for each other, and yesterday Iceland needed it, but the Norwegians shut them down. I couldn't believe there were only 2,3 odds on the Dance; I was certain the Russians would crumble. As for Valcic, it's weird. They keep calling him, but he’s just not responding. Like, what is the coaching staff even negotiating with him? People need to realize the issue is all in his head... he's just mentally checked out. If we lose him, we really lose him. He'd be the perfect replacement for Lackovic up front, except he actually puts in work on defense too.

Nipple Twister said:but what about Valcic?

Look—if you want answers, just scroll through any handball thread on this forum. It’s all right there.

Valcic refuses to play for the national team!!

Kenneth Kelly5 said:The big thing everyone keeps harping on is how much those Scandinavians help each other out. Even yesterday, when Iceland needed a win, the Norwegians just stepped up and took them down. I honestly couldn't believe it was only a two-goal lead at the Dance tournament; I was dead certain they were going to absolutely wreck the Russians. And regarding Valcic, this whole situation is just bizarre—they keep calling him, and he’s just totally MIA. It’s like the coaching staff is constantly trying to negotiate with him just to figure out what the hell is wrong. They just won't accept that the issue is all in his head; the guy is just mentally broken. But look, if we actually had him, we’d be set. He’d be the perfect upgrade for Lackovic in the offense, except the difference is he actually plays elite defense too.

Like anyone gives a damn...
Even if they won, they wouldn't have stood a chance, if I recall correctly.🤔

Besides, it's not just talk, it's facts... just think back to those 2-2 ties. It’s crazy how a result like that is basically the only way to knock Italy out, and it happened right at the very end...
But whatever, let's not talk about them. We'll see what happens in due time, hopefully...

I honestly wish Ivano Balić would take one of these watches and gift it to Tonči Valčić. I’d love to see how much that traitorous piece of trash is actually worth.

The perfect defense? Džomba, Sulić, Metličić, Balić, Vori, Dominiković!

Four bruisers, one guy playing thief, one stuck in transition... and that’s the whole damn show.

fadedorca said:Perfect defense? Džomba, Sulić, Metličić, Balić, Vori, Dominiković!

Four bruisers, one guy who steals everything, one guy always caught out of position... and that's the whole squad!

Sure, looks great on paper, but...

Džomba’s getting wrecked by injuries, plus his headspace is off. He hasn't actually shown much in defense yet, though let's be real, attackers haven't even pushed him hard in his zone.
Sulić is alright.
Metličić is totally screwed... aside from that one game against the Danes (if I remember right), he’s shown absolutely nothing this whole tournament. And don't even get me started on those 2 or 3 goals per game...
The defense is a complete disaster... we're constantly getting blown past the guys he's supposed to be guarding.
Balić is really solid; honestly, I think he's the biggest defensive surprise for Team USA.
Vori is a train wreck defensively, which is weird because at Barca he's strictly a defensive specialist... he's too slow and plays sloppy, forcing blocks just like Metličić does.
Dominiković is actually pretty good, except he's a bit sluggish and also forces those blocks way too much.

That's my take—not being objective or pessimistic, just calling it like I see it after these last few games.🙂
We seriously need to step it up tomorrow...

So, what’s the deal with Valcic? Did he just decide not to play or something? I guess I'm a bit out of the loop here.😁

Seriously though, what is going on with Valcic? 😁

On another note, guys, it looks like Alilović won't be able to suit up for Team USA anytime soon. There's this new rule being rolled out that says if a player wants to switch their citizenship, they have to play for a club in that country for at least a full year, and then they still have to sit out for another three years after that.

frozentiger6 said:But seriously, what's the deal with Valcic??? 😁

Anyway, looks like Alilovic won't be suiting up for Team USA anytime soon...

What the hell are you talking about😕 regarding some Alilovic?

Alilović, the keeper for Ademar Leon, is officially being hailed as one of the most promising young goalies in all of Europe.

Whatever, it doesn't change anything for us—we’ve still got Martinovica and Blazick in the mix.🤣

I am Tonči Valčić, the absolute best friend and soul mate of Hasan Duin. I am currently sitting around waiting for my visa to be processed because my big dream is to head over to Qatar and work as Hasan’s official lackey.
There you have it; now you finally know the real me.

Kenneth Kelly5 said:What are you even talking about?😕 What the hell are you talking about with this Alilović guy?

You seriously don't know him? Are you kidding me?
You seriously haven't heard of him? Are you kidding me?

😲
😬

Valcic, you're finished.

You're getting ignored. 😁 😁