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

I usually can't be bothered to log in when things get heavy, but for the handball fans, I’ll make an exception and type out a few thoughts.
Huge congrats to Coach Babić—he's a great guy. Kudos to all the players too, especially those guys from the West Coast.
My nerves were absolutely shot, but hey, I survived. Still breathing!
It's the first time this squad has played together, so let's just hope we don't end up with a completely different roster by the next tournament.
Shoutout to Saračević, too. I know what it's like trying to call a game live. It's definitely not as easy as it looks.
And a little pre-emptive congrats to the Germans! Love watching them play.

I've actually been saving old posts from people on this forum for years. One of these days, I'm going to post a massive collection. You guys are hilarious.

Anyone know where I can catch a game?

Look, we aren't exactly at the top of the food chain anymore, but honestly, bronze is a pretty solid result.

I just really hope handball and water polo don't end up following the same path as our basketball program. We went from being a legitimate powerhouse to being mediocre at best, and that would suck.

Michael Morales4 said:I've actually been saving all sorts of old forum posts for years during every tournament season. Maybe one day I'll just post the whole collection—you guys are pretty funny.

I guess the only things that are actually funny are our coaches and maybe a couple of players, but we're definitely a witty bunch here.☕

I still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that we actually walked away with a medal.

Adam Williams2 said:And why wouldn't they? You think someone more qualified is just going to step up? Look at all our sports—one expert replaces another, and then even bigger "experts" show up right after. 🙏 🙏

You're right.
It’s a shame, because we’re going to have world-class talent on the field, yet we'll still be stuck with mediocrity in leadership, exactly for the reasons you mentioned.

Sent from my G630-U20 using Reddit

The secret sauce to clinching that bronze medal:

23-21
Gojun picks up his third penalty, which leads straight to a seven-meter shot.
And somehow, Stevanovic pulls off another massive penalty save!
24:21 Horvat nails the penalty—only nine minutes left on the clock!
Stevanovic is absolutely on fire again!
25:21 Slišković delivers!!
Stevanovic isn't even giving Sagosen a chance!
26:21 Karačić makes it happen!

Adam Williams2 said:And why wouldn't they? You think someone more qualified is just going to walk in? Look at all our sports—every single expert we hire gets replaced by someone even more "expert" right after they leave. 🙏 🙏

I’d find these kinds of comments a lot easier to swallow if you hadn't spent the whole time leading up to the tournament claiming we were destined for gold or total dominance because of our star players. But no, you were all saying we'd barely scrape through the group stage, that we had no chance, and complaining about who made the roster. Now, suddenly, it's the coach's fault because we walked away with nothing but bronze.

Typical American fan. 🙏

"—Honestly, I’m just happy with the medal. That’s the nature of the job—one day you’re the hero, and the next, everything goes sideways. It’s a hell of a feeling, sure, but man, the stress is something else too. Being the head coach is great, but honestly? Not having that weight on your shoulders is pretty sweet, too. Life is meant to be lived, through the highs and the lows alike."

Babc—Head Coach of the US National Handball Team

Betty Anderson65 said:Yes, yes, YES! Finally, we actually know what it feels like to have a real goalkeeper on the pitch. 👏
I feel for Mirko, I really do. But let’s be real—we clearly have much better keepers than him available right now. 😁

I’m honestly gutted. I mean, look, if we were actually leagues below the Americans, I could live with it. But a performance like that? We should have walked away with a win if Steve was the one guarding the net. It’s just frustrating. After what the boys went through against the Poles, they deserved at least a silver medal. They earned it. 🍿

I don't feel even a shred of sympathy for him. Look, losing one or two games? Fine. That's part of the sport. But failing tournament after tournament like this? It’s pathetic. And the fact that he still has the nerve to act like he’s done nothing wrong is what really gets me. I sincerely hope he keeps his word so we don't have to deal with him representing the national team ever again.

Gustavo said:So Goluža just shows up and puts Alilović in the net.

Alilović joined the national team right when he was the starting keeper for Ademar Leon and statistically the top goalie in La Liga. But hey, your lack of insight isn't exactly news, even in other sports. 👍

Gustavo said:So basically, Goluža just stepped in and put Alilović in the starting lineup.

Alilović has been part of the US national team since the 2007 World Cup.
It’s like having a massive sack of cement standing in front of the goal for nine straight years!

Dennis Doyle3 said:I don't feel a shred of sympathy. Fine, maybe one or two games... but his track record across different tournaments is abysmal. And he still has the nerve to be disrespectful. I just hope he keeps his word so we don't have to see him wearing the national team jersey anymore.

When was he being disrespectful? 😕

Carl Garcia22 said:I’d find those kinds of comments much easier to swallow if you hadn't all been preaching about winning gold and total dominance right before the tournament started. You were all saying we just needed to survive the group stage, claiming we had no shot, complaining about who was left off the roster—and now, suddenly, it's entirely the coach's fault because we walked away with nothing but bronze.

Typical American fan behavior. 🙏

I don't know who specifically wrote that, but saying "let's just get through the group stage" is a classic move for people who check out mentally the moment things get tough. They want to blame the coach and call it a day.
Most of these Spanish players aren't even starters at their clubs, let alone top-three talents.

Nicole Wright said:When was he being rude? 😕

I have plenty of defending to do. I defend my honor at the club where they actually love me, whether I save two shots or twenty. This is just his typical statement after being the absolute worst player on the field yet again.

Carl Garcia22 said:Alilović joined the national team right when he was the starting keeper for Ademar Leon—statistically the best goalie in the Spanish league at the time. But hey, your lack of sports knowledge is pretty much legendary in other arenas too. 👍

Why the relentless defense of this player trash? Is he truly the worst goalkeeper among all the top teams in Europe? YES! Has his presence cost us 3 or 4 gold medals since he took the #1 spot? YES! Did he cost us the gold in this tournament (defending during those losses against Norway and Spain)? YES!

Covik has been a cancer to this team for years—that is a straight FACT. I don't know, Carl Garcia22, why you're defending this garbage, or why anyone keeps trying to save him. We have the best center in the world with an insane vision of the game, we have ELITE wingers, great pivots, an excellent left wing, and even though our right wing is a bit shaky, we're still solid there.

It’s true that without Dule, our offense hits some dead zones occasionally—but every team has holes! And you fix those holes with a GOALIE! Today, our goalie patched those holes. The Germans were carried to gold today; Omeyer led the French to gold countless times.

Alilović, if you have even a shred of athletic or human conscience left, just get out and never come back. And Babic made one of the biggest blunders in history by putting Mirko in goal instead of Steve. Truly one of the greatest coaching mistakes ever—especially alongside that famous 5-1 defense that left the Spaniards with zero scoring from the wings.

All in all, congrats to the players (except for that piece of work Mirko)—just the players. Thanks to Peri for encouraging them against the Americans and giving us one of the greatest victories in American sports history.

Raymond Anderson4 said:I don't know who wrote that, but blaming the group stage is just a convenient excuse for people who automatically check out early... claiming we aren't in the finals is all on the coach and nothing else.
Most Spanish players at their clubs (with a few exceptions) aren't even starters, let alone top three.

I wasn't really talking about the group stage, because getting knocked out there is actually harder than advancing since three teams move on. But look at the comments after Norway? After France? After Poland?
When is it the coach's fault? When is it the goalie? The defense? The wingers?
Is it when we lose by one or when we get blown out by eleven?

Everyone thinks they're an expert. Everyone has an opinion. In reality, nobody actually understands handball—not even most of these people, and honestly, not me either—except for a handful of specialists. It’s pure chaos. People try to predict the entire tournament after every single match. That's normal for any fan base when their national team is playing, sure, but with handball, every single fan acts like a world-class strategist. Suddenly, everyone knows exactly how the coach should set up the defense, how the offense should run, and how he should handle rotations. You don't see this kind of hysteria in water polo, soccer, or basketball. Only in this damn sport.

Man, I miss the days when tournaments were held every single year and we actually got to watch more games. 🙂

Carl Garcia22 said:When is the coach actually at fault?

It happens every single time he puts Alilović in the net and slots Ćupić into Horvatov's position.
Furthermore, it occurs whenever he fails to implement a zone defense against a national team that dominates through their pivots and wingers.

Kudos to the players who stepped up and held their heads high despite the coaching situation, especially Steve.
I honestly cannot wrap my head around how someone could be foolish enough to publicly doubt his own player right in the middle of a tournament. It’s baffling, especially when you consider that the substitute stepping in for him is completely out of commission. He was kind enough to offer an explanation, though he likely didn't mean it—he doesn't deserve a single percent of the credit here. He’ll probably just hand all those merits over to his wife. ☕

Samuel Walker7 said:Why is there such a constant defense of this garbage player? Is he the worst keeper among all the top national teams in the US? Yes. Did he cost us three or four gold medals by preventing us from having a number one goalie? Yes. Did he cost us the gold in this tournament (defending during those losses against Norway and Spain)? Yes.

This guy has been a cancer in this squad for years, and that’s just a fact. I don't know why Carl Garcia22 is defending this mess, or why anyone is still trying to make excuses for him. We have the best playmaker in the world with an incredible vision of the game, we have elite wingers, great pivots, a solid left wing, and while the right wing is a bit shaky, he's still very good.

It's true that without Dule, our offense stalls sometimes. But every team has holes. And you plug those holes with a GOALKEEPER! Today, our holes were plugged by the keeper. The Germans were a step away from gold because of their keeper, and the French were led to multiple golds by Omeyer.

Alilovic, if you have any shred of professional or human decency left, just get out and never come back. And Babic made one of the biggest mistakes in the history of championship finishes by putting Mirko in the net instead of Steve. It was one of the greatest coaching blunders ever, paired with that famous 5-1 defense that left the Spaniards with zero opportunities from the wings.

All in all, congrats to the players (except for that trash Mirko), but only the players. Thanks to Peri for encouraging them against the Americans and giving us one of the biggest wins in US sports history.

Who's defending him? I've barely even posted five times during this whole championship.
I'm mostly wondering how you can blame the goalie when they let in 18 goals in the first half—and only one of those was from the 8-meter line via Canellas on a fast break, if I remember correctly. Everyone except the "friendship" group was blaming the keeper. To me, it's ridiculous. Then someone tries to act like an expert or a genius. Constructive criticism is fine; Mirko had a bad tournament, sure, but a little reality wouldn't hurt.

As for saying Mirko cost us two or three gold medals, I won't even go there because we both know that's pure nonsense. 🙂