Handball World Championship: USA vs. Poland 22-24

Kenneth Clark18 said:However, one thing must be stated clearly. This national team does not possess even a fraction of the quality seen back in Atena.

The quality isn't even hinted at in the previews, unfortunately. But then again, perhaps this is simply karma at work.

Last year, news outlets were still comparing a man in his mid-30s to the best handball player in the world; he was gone nearly seven years ago. The same applies to all those players from the golden generation who were exploited and then discarded like old rags. It surprises me that Balić would ever return to any level of American handball while this current administration is in power, though I suppose there are pragmatic reasons for that. Regardless, I feel for the guy; innocent bystanders caught in the web of these crooks. Yet, none of this is undeserved. It is a sad state of affairs, but frankly, I wouldn't mind if we missed out on the Olympics entirely.

Let’s be realistic here: we achieved exactly what was expected given the actual quality of this roster.
I honestly don't get this sensationalist obsession with slapping headlines like "Total Disaster" on everything. We managed to secure a spot in the semifinals despite playing with a backup goalie and being completely shorthanded at pivot. That is a legitimate success in my book.
Kudos to Slavko Goluža.
...

🙏 🙏

Lock this thread down, boss!

Well, unfortunately, it just wasn't our day this time, but I'm staying positive because there's always next time...🙄

From what I can see, most people are calling for Slavko Goluža to be fired, but you can't blame the guy—he simply doesn't have the knowledge.
I remember a similar pattern where, through guys like Radić and Joka Vranković—who never coached a serious club in his life—someone ended up as the national basketball coach.

The next one in this line of succession in soccer was Slaven Bilić, who actually turned out to be a decent coach (it was a total fluke), followed by Štimac, who had previously managed Cibali and New York City, and then Niko Kovač, a former Red Bull assistant and coach for the USA U-21.

Then we get to Slavko Goluža, who led Siscia and a struggling RK Chicago right before taking over one of the strongest national teams in the world.

None of the people I just mentioned should have even been considered candidates for any of these national coaching positions based on their actual qualifications.

You can't hand the keys of a Porsche to someone who hasn't even learned how to drive a Fićo.

The real problem in our sports isn't Slavko Goluža; it's the Mamićs, Radićs, Gobacs, and Markovićs/Šukers.

All those sponsors backing the national handball team... what a complete waste of money! 😁

Benjamin Thomas6 said:From what I can see, everyone wants Slavko Goluža out, but honestly? It’s not his fault. The guy just doesn't know what he's doing.
I remember when they did this exact same thing with basketball—hiring Joka Vranković through Radić, even though the guy had never coached a serious pro club in his life.

In soccer, the pattern kept going. First, you had Slaven Bilić, who actually turned out to be a decent coach (lucky shot, I guess), then Štimac after he coached Cibali and New York City, and then Niko Kovač, who was basically a Red Bull assistant and coached the USA U-21.

Now we're at Slavko Goluža, who coached Siscia and a struggling RK Chicago right before taking over one of the strongest rosters in the world.

None of these guys should have even been on the shortlist for these national team jobs based on their actual credentials.

You don't hand the keys to a Porsche to someone who hasn't even mastered driving a Fićo.

The real cancer in our sports isn't Slavko Goluža—it's the Mamićs, Radićs, Gobacs, and Marković/Šukers.

Does anyone else remember how Červar got canned just because he couldn't beat the French in the finals? Well, since then, across six major tournaments (Europe, World Cup, Olympics), we haven't even made a final once (though we hit the semis three times).
Our "golden generation" basically retired by the time they were 30 on average...
Needless to say, guys like Szmal and B. Jurecki are already older than Balić and Laco now...
We barely have two players left who aren't over 30...
I really wish we didn't have a roster looking like those Chinese table tennis players...
Around here, they treat Červar like some little nothing while others (Kete, Dominiković, Balić...) run the show, but under him, we reached the finals in 6 out of 10 big tournaments (and 9 semifinals). Then we just chase him away like a stray dog just to hand the team over to some incompetent idiot...
Gobac needs to go!!!!

Honestly, after all the nonsense that’s been posted since my last update (including that little "intervention" regarding my previous post 🙄), it’s much easier for me to just highlight the rare moments of actual intelligence I can agree with rather than trying to argue against every single stupid thing being said:

Joseph Clark37 said:I think it’s fair to say we tend to see ourselves as much better at handball than we actually are. That doesn't mean we wouldn't be significantly better if we actually had a real coach on the bench.

Jesse Thompson94 said:There is zero chance this affects Gobac. He couldn't care less; as long as the money keeps flowing, he'll stay right where he is.
He's a loyal soldier for the party, which keeps him in that high-ranking spot even while they aren't in power. Just imagine what happens when they actually take control again.

Thomas Brown25 said:It's pretty rare for us to score 22 goals or fewer—it's only happened 9 times in the last 7 years.

Out of those, 5 were against the French, once against the Mexicans, once against the Danes, once against the Spaniards, and now here we are against Poland.🙏

I'm on board with these points and the implications behind them. Most of the rest of this conversation is just pure noise. 🙂

Here’s the excuse:

Gobac:

The fact is, we hit our first goal.
Our best player showed up to this World Cup completely burnt out from being sick.
The officiating changed too; yesterday they let you wrestle, now they don't.
We have to realize that everyone here plays handball (Index messed up there, but I guess they meant everyone actually plays handball today).
Nothing changes. The coach is going to pay the price.
There's no secret—we’re coming for that 2018 Europe title. That's not a secret. About 80 percent of the players will be at peak strength.

So, sure, it's a success, but the coach is still taking the fall.
Of course, he’s safely entrenched in his position.

So, I guess we're officially charging toward 2018 now.

They just keep dragging out this final push forever. It feels like they were always talking about building a squad specifically for the Rio Olympics, but nothing ever changes. 🤣

electricorca112 said:Honestly, looking at the pile of nonsense that's been dumped here since my last post (including that little "intervention" regarding what I wrote 🙄), it’s actually much easier for me to just pluck out the occasional smart comment I can get behind rather than trying to fix all the stupidity:

I agree with these points and their implications—most of everything else being said is just pure filler. 🙂

electricorca112, we played poorly. I mean, given our actual capabilities, it was bad. It’s obvious to everyone that we don't have that perimeter lineup we used to have back when it was Laco-Balić-Metla, but even so, this is still a solid group of players who played the entire tournament well below their potential. Just look at the defense—the mistakes are everywhere, they're over-relying on the block and avoiding early fouls. And the set offense? They just force that one specific crossing play over and over, playing way too statically outside of it. We knew our transition game was our only real weapon, and we knew things would fall apart if the fast break got shut down. Honestly, give these guys a top-tier coach and with an open bracket like this, they’d be a lock for the finals.

All I'll say is, karma is a bitch.
My only real concern is that this failure won't even be enough to finally get Gobac and Goluža out of their positions.
Honestly, I can't even stomach the thought of looking at Goluža. That face of his is just hard to look at.🤦

graniteotter6 said:I’m calling out Karačić directly on this one. How on earth do you concede a goal like that when you've got a two-man advantage? That’s it. There's no other way to put it.

Let’s be real about this: every single one of those missed shots by Karačić only happened because he somehow managed to beat his man one-on-one right at the edge of the defender's reach—or maybe just after they went up with their hands. And let's not forget how many times Kopljar completely killed our momentum with those idiotic feints and dropping the ball to the floor. If Karačić hadn't been there to clean up those plays, we would've been giving up fast breaks to the Polish team all night. Honestly, the kid is the only one out there showing any real guts, and you have to respect him for that. Blaming him for those misses is just plain irrational.

The kid’s got an incredible handle—his footwork is seriously deceptive—and his ability to hold his ground against big men in the post is just top-tier. 🙏 🙏

It feels a bit misguided to just point fingers at individuals when it’s pretty obvious the whole system isn't even operating at a high level to begin with

Honestly, Goluža is just a total amateur. He’s the kind of guy who acts like he’s already won the championship before the whistle even blows, then has the nerve to show up after a loss acting like he’s got something useful to say. 👎

The latest excuse

🤣🤣🤣

Donna Adams54 said:The latest excuse

http://www.nytimes.com/sports/handball/toxic-atmosphere-in-the-locker-room-403992

🤣🤣🤣

It’s almost like they went looking through this thread to find their excuses. 🤣Maybe.

I’m not even going to get into Gopac and Goluža—it’s pretty obvious what the deal is there, even if they basically account for 90% of our issues.
Just a few thoughts on the roster:
Duvnjak was absolute trash in the first half, then suddenly plays like a king at the start of the second—pairing up with Ivić to pull off a run—and then, for some inexplicable reason, just completely falls off a cliff 🤷 (could be low energy, poor conditioning, or who knows what else)
Čupić proved once again that he’s strictly a bench player for easy matchups; when the stakes are actually high, he tends to choke routinely.
Horvat really needs to step up and dominate in games like this, though he did have that silly missed shot from the line—even if his drive to the basket was great—but honestly, we aren't feeding the wings enough anyway, so it probably wouldn't have mattered much.
Alilović shouldn't even be on the national team, period. Ivić isn't quite elite, but compared to the guys over at ExxonMobil, he's an absolute superstar.
Vori was rough. It sucks when Sulić isn't even allowed anywhere near the national squad.
Karačić—just wasn't having a good day, and he’s still not putting Bičanić in.🙄
Kopljar—he’s got all the traits to be a top-tier right wing, yet he isn't even in the top 10.

Robert Doyle8 said:Nobody answered how many saves Ivic actually made. From what I recall, I don't think he had more than five in thirty minutes. People hype him up way too much here, but the reality is we just don't have world-class keepers like the other teams do.

tapatalk/good old 4.9.5

Look, it's true we lack elite goalkeepers, but Ivić is definitely a tier above the guys at ExxonMobil.
By the way, those saves by Ivić were exactly what gave us the comeback.

No, give me a break:



😍

Whose is that anyway? 🍿

Paul Jones7 said:electricorca112, we just played poorly, relative to our actual potential. It’s obvious to everyone that we don't have that perimeter threat we used to have back when we had guys like Lac and Balic, but this is still a solid group of players who performed way below their level throughout this whole tournament. Just look at the defense—all that messy play, forcing blocks instead of just preventing early fouls. And look at the half-court offense; they just keep forcing that same old crossover action and playing so statically outside of it. We knew our transition game was our only real weapon, and we knew things would fall apart once they shut down the fast break. Honestly, if you gave these players a top-tier coach, they’d be cruising to the finals with an open bracket like this.

How is that any different from the posts I agreed with, or even my own take from yesterday?

Eric Fox7 said:Smith proved once again that he's a player for small games; he pretty much routinely chokes when the stakes actually matter.
Miller really needs to have the edge in matchups like this, even though he had that silly miss at the line (despite a great drive to the rim)—but then again, we don't have any set plays for the wings, so I doubt it would have helped much anyway.

Johnson is basically Golužin zemo (even though he's from Stoc, people treat him like he's from Metkovac) and because of that, he's had an undeserved advantage on the national team over the last two or three years.

That should finally end once we get a new head coach.