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

George Robinson43 said:Every single time he puts Alilović in the paint and moves Ćupić into Horvatov's spot.
Plus, every time we face a national team that dominates from the pivot and wing positions and we fail to set up a zone defense.

That's five points right there. 😉

I can't help but feel a little sentimental about all that untapped potential we left on the table—it really feels like there was gold right within our reach. From what I can see, even the players seem to realize just how close they came to grabbing it, too... It’s such a shame to let an opportunity like that slip by, but honestly, I still want to say huge congratulations on that bronze medal performance! It certainly had a certain luster to it.

Betty Anderson65 said:Yeah, yeah, yeeeessss! Finally—we actually know what it feels like to have a real goalkeeper in net 👏
I feel for Mirko, I really do, but let’s be real—we clearly have way better options than him right now 😁

It honestly sucks. I mean, if we were actually a lot worse than the Spanish, maybe I wouldn't be so annoyed, but a game like that? We should've walked away with a win if Steve was the one guarding the goal... It's such a shame. After that performance against the Poles, these guys deserved at least a silver medal 🍿

We probably would've beaten them, but there's no way we're taking down the Germans—we just don't have the playbook to crack a defense like theirs. Maybe we would've lost by a smaller margin to Spain, though, since our long-range shooting is definitely more lethal than theirs

Alilović and Ćupić deserve to hang up their jerseys for the national team and call it a day ☕

Hey, does anyone happen to have a link to a video of the game?

Carl Garcia22 said:A solid five out of ten. 😉

Here’s my take for a 5+:

If they were playing for Canellas today 👋.
To beat Norway, you need a goalie capable of stopping two penalties and four or five breakaway shots.
That is simply not something Canellas can pull off.

Carl Garcia22 said:Who’s defending him? I’ve barely even posted five times during this entire tournament.
My main issue—and honestly, it's just baffling—is how anyone can blame the goalie when you concede 18 goals in a single half! And if memory serves, one of those was just a single penalty from Canellas off a fast break. Everyone except friendship was pointing the finger at the keeper. To me, that’s just ridiculous—so then someone tries to act like a total expert or a genius or whatever else. Look, constructive criticism is fine; Mike had a rough tournament, we get it—but let’s try to stay grounded in reality.

As for the idea that Mike cost us two or three gold medals? I don't even want to get into it because, as you know, that's complete nonsense. 🙂

In my opinion, Kosta cost us at least 2-3 golds 🙂—he's easily the worst goalie among the top 8 teams in the world... by far.

If I recall, there was one tournament in the last 6 or 7 years where his save percentage was 30% or lower—which is just embarrassing. My heart goes out most to players like Doug, Horvat, Strlek, Mary, and even Kopljar, who is out there fighting through the pain on one good knee.

But you lose everything because you have a total disaster in the net. Today, Svabo was letting in easy shots, and Stevie was doing the same, which dragged us down. On Friday, that jerk didn't even stop three breakaway shots from aga—sure, the defense slipped, but if you just stop one sitter instead of calling a goal every time the ball touches the line, we'd be fine.

In handball, everything hinges on having a solid goalie, and right now, we have nothing. It’s just sad to see the rest of the guys working their tails off while a zero in the net wastes all that effort.

And it’s not just that Mike had one bad tournament; this is actually his sixth poor showing. Every single time, he falls apart in the big games while the opposing goalie is making saves left and right. It’s a shame—one man has robbed us of so much gold and joy. We could have been at least a France-level contender, but instead, we’re settling for bronze and reminiscing about glory days from 2004.

It’s a pity the public is only realizing this now. Personally, I’ve been saying he’s been a subpar goalie in the national jersey since 2010. People used to drag me through the mud on the forums and in person back then, but it seems like eyes are finally being opened. At least for most people.

The ball is in our court now. It’s a pretty good position to be in, honestly.

I was wondering, does anyone happen to have a link to a video recording of this if one exists?

Samuel Walker7 said:We're only down by two or three points. It’s a slim margin. 🙂 That's just my take, but honestly? He's easily the worst goalkeeper among the world's top eight teams. Far from it.

I think we’re looking at one of the worst leagues in the last six or seven years, with save percentages sitting at 30% or higher. It’s honestly embarrassing. For me, the biggest disappointment is seeing how players like Doug, Horvat, Strlek, Mary, and even Kopljar are being handled—especially Kopljar, who’s out there fighting through a bad knee.

Come on, Samuel Walker7, don't go overboard. What gold are we talking about here? Two? Three? Which ones exactly do you mean?🤦

And just like that, you lose everything because your goalie is a total disaster. Today, Svaba was playing like he had no idea what he was doing, and Stevie was just as bad. They really dragged us down. Why couldn't the guy just make one decent save on Thursday? It’s true, the defense crumbled, but can we please get just one solid save instead of acting like every ball rolling toward the line is an automatic goal?

What’s actually the worst part? Mike is facing penalty shots this Friday. He’s got three of them in the second half, but honestly, who cares? When someone takes 21 shots from the six-meter line and sinks 18 of them, you're cooked. It’s not like he’s expected to have some miracle save percentage from that distance. It’s just reality.

In handball, everything hinges on having a solid goalie, and right now, we’re empty-handed. Honestly, I just feel bad for the rest of the guys out there busting their backs while our defense is basically an open door. What's the point of grinding if you've got nothing standing behind you?

Not even close. Great basketball starts with a solid defense, exactly like what the Germans showed on the court today. If you have a tight defense that forces opponents into tough shots—preventing easy wing shots, pivot plays, or uncontested perimeter looks from deep—everything changes. A strong defense actually helps the goalie, too; they can actually make saves when they aren't constantly being overwhelmed. With a weak defense, a goalie might save 2 out of 10 shots, or maybe 4 out of 15. At the end of the day, those numbers don't mean much when the opponent is walking right up to the basket for easy points. It just leaves everyone exhausted.

Hey, Carl Garcia22, give it a rest, will you? Seriously... if a guy says he’s just not feeling it, why are you trying to lecture him? It’s not that deep.

A 13% defensive rating is basically a total wash... I could probably go out there and miss 17 out of 20 rebounds myself.

George Robinson43 said:Here’s my take for a 5+:

If Canellas 👋 had been playing today.
Basically, beating Norway required a goalie who could stop two penalties and four or five breakaway shots.
Canellas just isn't built for that kind of defense.

But is it enough to win if the goalie makes 22 saves? Is it enough when two different goalies make 9 saves and win, while these guys make 15 and still lose? Or maybe they're just lost in the woods. 🙄

Luckily you wrote this before the game, so now you can brag about being a genius. What a total troll. 🤣🍿

Carl Garcia22 loves playing lawyer for guys like Guardiola or Alilović. It makes zero sense when it comes to Mike, who just seems to get worse with every single season.

So—is Omeyer really just saving shots through blocks and from impossible angles? Today, Svaba actually snatched away at least 6 or 7 balls that would have been guaranteed goals for Mike. It’s not about how the defense sets up or the angle of the shot—it’s all about how the goalie positions himself and reacts (from the keeper's perspective). Honestly, if the defense breaks and leaves a hole, you might as well just let the goal in and call it a day! Someone has to keep their cool when things fall apart; you can't play high-intensity defense for 60 straight minutes without someone buckling. Today, they gave Svaba about ten openings on the wings and the line—they had penalties galore—but the GOALIE pulled them out of it and kept us in it. Do you seriously think the French play better defense? Or that Karbatic plays better defense than Dule? No, he doesn't—it's just that Omeyer covers his back and saves 30-40% of shots, while our idiot here only saves 10-15%. The main culprit for the loss against Spain was the defense (5-1), and the second is Mike in the net.

Look, I'm saying even Stevie isn't world-class, but compared to this trash, Omeyer is basically on steroids. I know three handball coaches—one coaches a powerhouse team in the NBA—and they all agree that our goalie is by far the worst part of this squad. By a mile. Defending Mike is exactly why we have three better goalies sitting at home watching the tournament, while this guy averages a measly 10-20% save rate and chokes in every big game.

Besides, in every single game of the championship—except the semifinals—we played decent defense, nothing worse than what Svaba or the French did today. Against the Poles, we played our best game of the tournament, but once again, our goalie tripped us up early and ended up being the "player of the match" for the wrong reasons. Now suddenly everyone is an idiot, and you're the only smart one in the room. I know the truth is somewhere in the middle and maybe Mike doesn't deserve this much heat, but I think it's time for him to hang it up. In my opinion, he should have been watching from the bench five years ago, but after this tournament, he should just move on and we can all have some peace.

It’s the same pattern after every championship.
An attorney shows up with a legal brief claiming Mike isn't at fault and that he's actually quite talented. Apparently, a goalie doesn't need to bail everyone out of impossible situations.

George Robinson43 said:It’s the same story after every championship.
An attorney shows up with a legal brief claiming Mike isn't at fault—that he's actually great! Suddenly, a goalie doesn't even need to worry about conceding easy goals or penalties.

So, I’m heading over to the national team headquarters—I’m 6'4", built lean, and I play a killer game of hacky sack—I’ve got an incredible sense of positioning, and my strategy is simple: if they fire a shot at the crossbar, I'll just jump, spread my arms and legs wide, and close my eyes.

That's all it takes to be a legendary octopus in the national jersey.

Once this championship wraps up, it’s pretty obvious he’s ready to move on—it's just time for him to head out...

jadeseal7 said:After this tournament, it’s obvious he needs to move on—everyone knows it...

Honestly, he should have moved on five years ago! Everyone can see how much this tournament cost us—denying us a spot in the finals and that potential gold medal. But I’ll tell you one thing—he's going to be guarding those Olympic qualifiers. He's the starting goalie, after all; what are Isaac and Steve supposed to do against an absolute octopus like him?

Jeremy Brooks87 said:Carl Garcia22 loves playing lawyer for guys like Guardiola or Alilovic. It makes zero sense when it comes to Mike, who seems to get worse every single season.

Guardiola? 🤣🤣

Samuel Walker7 said:So, O'Meyer only saves shots coming through blocks or from extreme angles? Today, Swab actually snatched away at least six or seven balls that would have been easy money for Mike. It shouldn't matter how the defense lines up or what angle the player takes; what matters is how the goalie positions himself and reacts from his perspective. By that logic, every time the defense collapses and leaves a gap, you might as well just let the goal in and call it a day. When you look at the loss against Spain, the defense was the primary culprit, and Mike was the second.

Yep, Swab sat out today. Is he back in tomorrow? How’s the keeper looking? What kind of rotation are you running in goal?

Look, I’m not saying Steve is world-class, but compared to that absolute disaster, O'Meyer looks like he’s on steroids. I know three different coaches—one actually runs a heavy hitter over in the NBA—and they all agree on one thing: our goalie is easily the weakest link on this roster. By a mile. All this defensive shielding for Mike is exactly why we ended up here. We have three superior keepers sitting at home watching the championship while this guy struggles through with a pathetic 10 to 20 percent save rate, game after game, especially when the stakes are high.

It feels like there’s such a massive lobby behind Mirko Alilovic that this whole machine has been running for eight years straight. Whether it's the national team, Leon, Cleveland, or now even over in Canada, he just keeps getting the call. Samuel Walker7, you're exaggerating.

We held our own defensively in almost every game of this tournament, except for that semifinal disaster. Honestly, today’s performance wasn't any worse than what we saw from Swab or the Frenchman. Against the Poles, we played our absolute best handball of the whole championship, but once again, our goalie bailed us out early on and ended up taking the Player of the Game honors. Suddenly, everyone else is clueless and you're the only genius in the room. I know the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, and maybe Mirko didn't deserve this much heat, but isn't it time for him to hang it up? In my opinion, he should have been watching from the bench five years ago. If he just calls it quits after this tournament, maybe everyone can finally move on.

They played incredible defense against the Americans, just like they did against the Norwegians earlier today. It’s honestly no surprise the keeper ended up with double-digit saves. When you're facing a blowout of more than 11 goals, you need everything to go your way—including having a goalie playing like he's in a trance. Yet, in this game, Stevanovic didn't make a single save in those final 15 minutes.
Mike is moving on after this championship, so don't sweat it. It’ll be interesting to see if the goalkeepers end up taking the fall again, or if someone else steps into the spotlight.
It’s the same story in basketball—it'll be fascinating to see who gets blamed once Tomic moves on. First it was Ukic, then it was Tomic. I guess we'll just wait to see who's next on the list.

Samuel Walker7 said:Five years ago, he should've just left. This tournament proved we missed out on a final and potential gold because of him. I'm telling you, he’ll be guarding those Olympic qualifiers too. He’s the starter. What are Isaac and Steve supposed to do against a beast like that?

At the end of today's final, even Saracevic said, "Mirko is an elite keeper. All this stuff being said about him online isn't right. We need to dial it back a bit..." 🤦

I honestly feel so bad for Mike... it’s just heartbreaking. The worst part about this whole situation is that this bronze medal finish is actually masking some deep-seated issues within our national team—problems that are eventually going to come back to haunt us.