Handball World Championship: USA vs. Poland 22-24

Look, you guys are getting worked up over something absolutely ridiculous. In America, sports are constantly being weaponized by politics, usually driven by one specific party. They’ll jump at any excuse to blame failure on anything else just because their only real priority is staying in power.

Man, Zlaja Horvat’s actually got some balls. I heard a rumor that everyone else can basically hide in the showers—he's like the smallest guy there, but somehow ends up being the biggest presence in the room!

Just bad luck, exhaustion, zero fortune, and corrupt refs.🐔

Why is everyone acting surprised? American team sports have been run by mobsters and incompetent cronies for years 😲. They call up players who aren't even good enough for the national team just to line their own pockets, while freezing out anyone who won't play ball
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There’s no grit left in these squads. No hunger, no drive, no giving 110%. Every single top-tier player—the ones playing in the best leagues in the world—performs way below their club level whenever they put on the national jersey. It’s definitely not a coincidence
. Basketball is a joke, football is tanking, and handball is only hanging on by a thread because of a few decent rosters, but even that’s doomed
. In three or four years, actually qualifying for a World Cup or an Euro in football, or making the tournament in basketball, or even just getting out of the group stage in handball will be considered a "massive success." Since 2003, none of these teams have pulled off a single upset or exceeded expectations... and looking at how things are going, that isn't changing anytime soon
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Kenneth Clark18 said:Back in ep 2012, they absolutely folded against those Mexicans—who, let's be honest, aren't even a factor anymore.
Then there's that thing Vori said about them being terrified of Dinart.
By 2013, Denmark just steamrolled them right after we sent those Frenchmen into retirement.
In 2014, we were actually leading against Denmark at halftime, but then we basically ate a massive pile of garbage in the second half.
Then 2015 happened... total collapse. We started getting hammered by teams from the second tier of world handball.

KETA, the absolute legend.

Keta hit his target, though—the quarterfinals. So, I guess you could call this a success.

Whatever, man... if you want to be a jerk and talk trash, go ahead.

Edward Allen36 said:It is truly remarkable how many incompetent coaches we seem to have across almost every sport. 🙏

It comes as little surprise when one considers who actually runs these national federations.

This is looking pretty good! Around here, we’re all cheering for the shot and hoping for an even tougher matchup against the Germans next. There's still this lingering hope that we won't end up being just "Team USA number two," even though the reality on the ground is a totally different story—but hey, what can you do?

Frank Turner72 said:Goluža basically nuked American handball

It wasn't even him. It was the guys who put him there and won't let him go.

George Robinson43 said:The main thing is that the loser Chuck is lecturing China.
A world and Olympic champ who scored the clutch goals in finals that actually decided games.

Chokeiiiić 🙏 🙏

Amen, I was just thinking about him today.

Worst part is, I wouldn't be surprised if we finish eighth and our Olympic spot gets called into question. Luckily Canada is there; even mediocre teams could pull that off.

Gary Smith66 said:Honestly, this whole thing is a total disaster, but it’ll just be swept under the rug like always. People will forget because there isn't enough public outrage to actually move the needle—not that there ever is. They’ll just keep running their well-oiled machine. I don't get why anyone thinks Goluža or Gobac care about the fallout. The party won't ditch them, and they aren't ditching the party. They’re just loyal soldiers staying the course. 👍

There is zero chance this affects Gobac. He couldn't care less. As long as the money keeps flowing, he's staying put.
He's a loyal soldier for a party that keeps him in power even when they're out of office. Just wait until they're back in control.

Honestly, we could have built a squad out of nothing but castoffs and still would’ve walked away with a double-digit win against these amateurs. I guess it's just frustrating because Gobac has been single-handedly tanking the national team for fifteen years now, all because he can't swallow his pride.

Jesse Thompson94 said:There is just something fundamentally broken within our handball system, and everyone knows exactly where the rot starts: right at the top with Gopac.
Look at how we treated our absolute legends when they were finished...
I don't follow every single detail closely, but I can certainly list them: Caleb, Džomba, Metličić, Balić, Sulić... and now it feels like things are turning sour with Lacković too.
From what I can remember, every one of them was tossed aside like yesterday's trash. If I'm being honest, I think Dominiković and Valčić would belong on that list too... though anyone who follows the sport more closely than I do could probably correct me if I've missed someone.
It’s the exact same story you see with the LA Lakers or the USSF; there is absolutely no point in swapping out coaches or players when the entire foundation is crumbling because of the leadership at the federation level.

We spent all this time tearing Lino Červar down, claiming he wasn't a real strategist and was nothing more than a glorified cheerleader, yet the man is doing an incredible job over in North Mexico.

Červar secured gold just like Ćiro did with that bronze in soccer, so if we just brought Červar back, all our problems would be solved...

Jesse Thompson94 said:There is absolutely no way this situation touches Gobac... he really doesn't care about any of this drama, because as long as the money keeps flowing, he’s going to be right where he is.
He is a loyal soldier for his party, and they keep him in that high-ranking position even while they aren't running the show, so just imagine what happens when they actually win an election again...

What party are you even talking about? Honestly, their only true loyalty is to the cash flow... if he actually cared about political ideology, he would have been able to shake everyone out of their positions back when the Democratic Party held power four years ago.

We’ve had such an incredibly easy run to the finals this time around. In several of these matches, the top-tier players were basically sitting on the bench resting, giving us an extra day of recovery that the Polish team just didn't get. Meanwhile, Golac keeps coming up with these endless excuses that have absolutely nothing to do with his own performance... what a complete joke. 🙏🤦
I honestly find myself wondering from time to time what makes Duvnjak considered one of the best players in the world... if we had actually called up Balić, he probably would have been much more useful.

When you look at this roster and the coaching staff, you’re seeing the reality of what we have here.
Anyone who was banking on a massive upset or a huge result from this group was being pretty naive, if I'm being honest. In my opinion, what they achieved in previous tournaments was really their absolute ceiling.

The truth is, this squad just doesn't have the kind of players capable of shifting the momentum in a high-stakes game like this one. We don't have a Duvnjak or a Kopljar to step up and change the game—and regardless of how people feel about them, those two are currently our best players on the floor.

Bringing back Červar isn't going to fix a damn thing.
The vibe is toxic. It’s not even that the players lack talent; they just don't give a rip about this national team. They know the second they start fading, they'll be tossed aside like yesterday's trash.
Some guys are even bitter because their playing time is being manipulated just to keep certain players in the shop window for scouts. Same exact nonsense happening with the national team.

As for Gobac and his political party, I already said it: if he's this powerful while his people are out of office, what happens when they actually take control?

That loss against Poland really stings, especially since they're easily my second favorite team in handball right after the US... Szmal is hands down my number one goalkeeper 🙏, just incredible... it’s such a shame he only hit his stride right at the finish line :/
The bottom line is that our tactical execution was just sloppy... but I guess that's typical for the US, all that hype building up only for us to fall short of even a medal...
Poland is looking incredibly strong moving forward 👍 I'm actually rooting for them to make the finals... they definitely earned it, considering they're playing without their two biggest stars, Jaszka and Lijewski...

It is what it is.

Jesse Thompson94 said:Bringing back Červar wouldn't fix a single thing about this mess.
The vibe in the locker room is just toxic right now. It isn't even that the players lack talent, it's more that they've completely checked out from the national team... They know deep down that once their peak passes, they'll be tossed aside like yesterday's trash.
Some of them are even bitter because they aren't getting enough playing time, or they're intentionally limiting their minutes just to stay visible for scouts so they can land a big transfer... and honestly, that same selfish mentality is poisoning the whole national squad too.

Regarding Gobac and the political situation, I was just pointing out that if he's this influential while his party is out of power, imagine how much control he'll wield once they actually win an election...

Forget talking about political parties; it's obvious why Mamić holds so much sway, because he operates just like the Republican Party or those factions in Belgrade—it’s really more of a shady syndicate than anything else, almost like a mafia setup.

Jesse Thompson94 said:Bringing back Červar wouldn't actually fix anything.
The vibe is just off. It’s not even that the players aren't talented—it’s more that they just don't seem to care when they suit up for the national team. They probably realize that once their performance dips even slightly, they'll be tossed aside like yesterday's news.
Some of them are even bitter because they're sitting on the bench, or getting limited minutes, simply because someone else needs to stay in the spotlight to keep their market value high. I guess that logic applies to the national team, too.

As for Gobac and his political party—like I mentioned before, if he’s this much of a powerhouse while the opposition is running things, I can't help but wonder what happens when his side actually takes control.

just hire vujović as the coach and call it a day—problem solved regarding the coaching situation. though, obviously, that doesn't deal with Gobac; those guys are a bit harder to shake loose.

No one has actually answered how many saves Isaac made. If my memory serves me right, I don't think he managed more than five in a thirty-minute stretch. There is plenty of noise being made here, yet the reality remains that we simply lack elite goalkeepers compared to the rest of the league.

tapatalk/good old 4.9.5