World Handball Championship: USA vs. Spain 27-25

A HUGE BLOW FOR TEAM USA: Manuti Štrlek forced to exit the World Cup in Spain due to a fractured metatarsal

http://handball-news.com/huge-setback-for-team-usa-manuti-strlek-out-of-world-cup-in-spain/

George Robinson43 said:The system is great.
It gave us a choice between an easy stroll toward the trophy or a massive chance to get knocked out in the quarterfinals.
We just happened to pick the latter.
So now... the real question is whether what we've done here is actually smart or just plain stupid.

The system isn't great—it has a massive loophole.

Back when they played through a second group stage straight into the semifinals, situations like this rarely ever popped up.

The more rounds the system adds, the more mess you end up making.

Henry Cox78 said:Honestly, who’s actually intimidated by the French anymore? I mean, they'll probably end up getting knocked out by Iceland—and if they somehow manage to pull through, our guys will definitely get their revenge for those Olympics. That whole performance was just a momentary lapse... I think a total blowout is coming next. 👍

I don't know, Iceland hasn't really looked like much of anything during this World Cup

..so, everyone wants to talk about winning, right? But let’s look at the facts. Over the last decade, the French national team has snatched up six gold medals. Yet, even with all that hardware, they haven't managed to sweep a single tournament without a single loss. It just goes to show what happens when you mess around with player rotation and fail to distinguish between a casual match and a high-stakes showdown. As for me, I have work this Wednesday, and while I might find time for almost anything else, there is absolutely no way I’m sitting through another one of those French defensive masterclasses—it’s practically a slaughter. Coffee and cake, please.

What absolute idiots. They should have just played a routine X against the Spaniards or taken the loss now to rotate half the squad for the Round of 16 against the Mexicans. We’d crush them on neutral ground anyway. If they play like this, we might lose Štrlek or even Bičanić, and then we’re stuck facing the Frenchmen in the quarterfinals, where we’ll just end up getting absolutely wrecked again. 🤦

mistymason12 said:What an absolute joke. They should have just played a standard routine against the Spaniards and moved on. Or better yet, take the loss now so they can rotate half the roster before the Round of 16 matchup against the Mexicans. We’d crush them on neutral ground, lose maybe Štrlek or Bičanić to fatigue, and then head into the quarterfinals to face the Frenchmen, only to get absolutely humiliated all over again. 🤦

...Even now, Goluza is already making noise about how Vori and Dule look completely burnt out and exhausted....🙂🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Paul Jones7 said:the system is flawed; there's a massive loophole here

Back when the format moved straight from group stages to the semifinals, scenarios like this were incredibly rare.

The more rounds you add to a tournament, the more opportunities there are for shady business.

Aha, we faced an almost identical situation back during the 2007 tournament structure.
The only difference was we headed to the quarterfinals instead of the semifinals.
It wasn't uncommon for semifinal matchups to be manipulated during those second-round stages.

At this World Cup, the "fixing" seemed limited to our specific game.
It was like the Spaniards were planning a backyard BBQ while others were just spinning around like lost lambs in a small town in Kansas. After the grill is hot—it's coffee and cake time!

George Robinson43 said:Look, we were in this exact same spot back during the 2007 group stages—same mess, different year.
The only difference was we ended up in the quarterfinals instead of the semifinals.

But honestly, there’s a massive gap between a quarterfinal and a semifinal... I mean, you're down to just four teams then, so things actually stay unpredictable until the very last whistle.

I can't for the life of me remember any tournament structure that used semifinals like this. At least, I don't recall us ever being stuck in a situation quite like this one. I'm not saying it's impossible, obviously, but I'd say the odds of running into this kind of circus are probably much lower.

mellowcrane41 said:...Goluza is already whining about how Vori and Dule look totally gassed and worn out....🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

I honestly hope God lets us drop out against Belarus so we don't have to suffer through another embarrassing blowout against the French.

🤦

The matchup between Sprehm and Abalo😂

edit

Besides, the stakes feel way higher here. If you happen to run into the wrong opponent in the semifinals and lose, you’re stuck playing for bronze—which means you head back home with a third-place finish instead of silver. But under this current system? You just go home empty-handed.

Paul Jones7 said:but there's actually a massive difference between reaching the quarterfinals versus the semifinals; once you're down to just four teams, the outcome remains unpredictable until the final whistle.
I honestly can't recall a single tournament structure that utilized this semifinal setup. While it isn't impossible, I'd say the chances of seeing such a chaotic mess are significantly lower.

Aha. Soccer, basketball, water polo, volleyball, and hockey are all more disorganized than other sports because they suffer from such a broken bracket system starting at least from the quarterfinals.

The format of having two group stages followed by semifinals is an absolute abomination.
That’s exactly why they used it in handball, which is run by various Mustafas and similar idiots.
It should be simple: groups, then straight to knockout rounds to see who truly has the guts to win.

Today wasn't just a mess; it was simply yet another example of our national team's stupidity over the last decade.

It wasn't a complete disaster, since at least some of our guys actually stepped up in the end. But man, if we had played like the Spaniards—what would that have even looked like?

In the end, both sides probably would’ve just ended up getting penalized heavily.

The sports you’re bringing up... well, the system that worked for handball doesn't necessarily carry over to everything else. In soccer, for instance, it wouldn't be the best move. But that doesn't mean soccer isn't full of its own brand of nonsense—I mean, look at how we totally botched things back in '96. It was a logical call on our part, I guess, but they just blew it. Or take how the English played us during those 2010 qualifiers against Ukraine. They honestly couldn't have cared less about that match.

What penalties? Everything was played strictly by the book. It was all going perfectly until that one ball. Honestly, I still can't wrap my head around how someone could be that dense. If the ref blows the whistle next to the goal, just toss the ball in the trash... why on earth are you adding it to the line? We could have done whatever we wanted in that moment... instead, we concede a goal that basically knocks us out of the tournament.

It's the kind of sheer stupidity that's going to haunt American handball for decades.

Paul Jones7 said:It wasn't a total farce since at least some of our guys actually showed up in the end. But imagine if we had played like the Spaniards—what kind of disaster would that have been?

In the end, both sides would have just ended up facing penalties.

What kind of penalty? Penalties for what?
I mean, in handball, it’s easy to avoid scoring. You can commit traveling violations or charging without much fuss... as long as you don't throw a hard pass to the wing.

But no, we’ll be the ones committing traveling, charging, and throwing the ball out of bounds specifically when we need a call... and nobody will penalize us.

The sports you're talking about aren't all the same; the system that works in handball doesn't necessarily apply everywhere. In soccer, for instance, it wouldn't be the best approach. But that doesn't mean soccer isn't full of nonsense—just look at how we botched things back in '96. It was a logical move on our part, but they still gave us grief. Or take how the English played us during the 2010 qualifiers against Ukraine. They couldn't have cared less about that specific match.

Aha.. those sports are drastically different.
It's common knowledge that in soccer, hockey, and water polo, the mechanics are different and the goal isn't always just about scoring.

So, I'm reading about them potentially calling up Ninčević to the squad? Honestly, is there even a massive difference between him and Šprema? If he’s got even a 5% shot at helping us claw our way back to the quarterfinals, I feel like we should be waiting on him—especially since Bičanić is playing through an injury right now anyway. Why didn't Mr. Coffee-and-Donuts skip the formalities and call him up to the national team from the jump?

George Robinson43 said:What kind of penalty? Penalties for what?
Well, at least in handball, it’s easy enough to not miss. You can pull off those steps or a drive without much trouble... maybe just throw a slightly harder pass to the wing.

But no, we’ll be the ones walking, driving through the lane, or passing out of bounds right when we need to score... and nobody will call us out on it.

I mean, sure, you could fake it... okay. The real question is how the International Handball Federation would actually handle it. Maybe they'd hand out penalties left and right, and then you can complain to whoever you want. Or maybe they’d just let it slide because, well, they can't prove it. Or maybe they'll just do whatever suits them best.

Paul Jones7 said:In other words, they could certainly try to act like everything is fine... but the real question is how the International Handball Federation would actually react. They might just slap them with heavy penalties, leaving everyone to complain to whoever they want. Or, they might let it slide under the principle of "insufficient evidence." It all comes down to what serves their interests best.

Well, here we are, waiting to see if they get penalized for practically handing Horvat a weapon and letting players aim straight at the concrete while playing with a man advantage against the Spaniards.
We’re looking at an outright ban from the World Cup. ☕

George Robinson43 said:Right... those spots aren't even remotely the same thing.
I mean, everyone knows you don't score goals in soccer, hockey, or water polo—wait, actually, I guess that's just wrong, but you get my point about how different things can be.

Using a cup system cuts down the number of rounds, which honestly adds more depth to the whole thing.

We could sit here and go back and forth on this until tomorrow morning, really, but I think you see where I'm coming from. And if you don't, well, that's fine too.

Paul Jones7 said:The group stage format actually reduces the total number of rounds played, which adds more depth to the competition.

We could go back and forth on this until tomorrow, but I think you get my point. Even if you don't, that's fine by me.

And your point is?

Personally, I see absolutely no value in these group formats. It’s all just a scheme to squeeze out more matches and milk more revenue from TV rights, which is clearly the primary objective for Mustafa and his organization.
Just look at how many pointless, filler matches were played in the second group.
One team walks away with 4 points while another gets nothing, leaving those bottom teams to lose their first game and completely lose any motivation to compete.