Bronze Medal Match: USA vs. Norway (31-24)

That happened back home when we were playing in the finals—everyone was basically counting on us winning the title... right on game day. But for any other tournament? I’m pretty sure that never happened.

To build on what Dustin said—look, we’ve got plenty of scoring power (we literally have the two most clinical finishers in the tournament plus the top playmaker, so the offense is lethal)—but there is absolutely nobody on the other side capable of stepping up defensively to hold this squad together. 🙂

I am praying to God that we eventually land a legitimate, rock-solid, gritty goalkeeper who can stabilize our defense and inject some much-needed energy into the lineup—much like how Steve performed throughout this tournament or how Sol steps up during those high-stakes games—because then, you'll see just how far we can actually go. Our matchups against Poland and Norway are essentially our blueprint: get a keeper who can patch up those defensive holes, pair them with a sharp attack (counterattacks, wing play, and pivots), and we're golden.

Not a single politician in this country could ever earn enough through their actual skills or hard work to afford throwing around this kind of cash for such a massive welcome.
It’d be way better if they just used that money to fund scholarships for some underprivileged kid, but I guess then the big shots wouldn't get their moment to show off.
I was grinding away at my job from 8 to 5 today, and honestly, it just sucks seeing our tax dollars wasted on such mindless nonsense.

http://www.telegram.com/sports/us-handball-news-wing-player

The offense was absolutely electric this tournament—averaging 31 goals per game and boasting an incredible 64% shooting accuracy! 🙏 However, Ali Dule remains a major issue and basically gets a free pass every time. 😂

Ivan Stevanović really asserted himself as our top choice in the net. He wrapped up the tournament with 14 saves against the Norwegians, maintaining a 34% save rate after stopping 49 out of 143 shots. (I mean—apparently a 34% save rate is "good enough" for us, though that seems way too low for anyone else in the league.)

Mirko Alilović didn't make the cut for the best goalkeepers list. Right before that final bronze medal match against Norway, he announced he’s stepping away from the national team. (Please, just go already!)

It’s pretty obvious the guys play much tighter defense when Steve is guarding the goal. 😂

mellowotter36 said:Is it actually possible that Sarajevo doesn't have a single arena? Even a small town like Des Moines has three.

There's one arena out near Boise, but it feels more like a high school gym than a city facility.
There's a plan for a major downtown arena, but politics and local stubbornness—you know, the usual partisan bickering 🤦—have stalled everything. I honestly worry it'll never happen. Nobody seems to be making a real push to get it off the ground.