Handball Euro Finals: USA vs. Denmark – Final Score 19:21

rapidstag51 said:That guy with the mustache, Jurin, was actually a player...

Yeah, right. Like he passed away just last month.

Nicholas Morales48 said:The Poles have always been a powerhouse in handball, so they were just having an off night? Well, I certainly didn't realize that, since I don't follow the sport closely enough to know... but honestly, how are we ever supposed to catch up when guys like Djolo and Tipsa are out there playing five-hour marathons🙂

It is truly Fascinantan how a group can just drop in from nowhere and act completely shocked that the Poles are considered a "slightly" more established name in handball than the Mexicans🙄

Look, those Poles aren't all that, man; all they've managed to snag in the last five years are some silver, some bronze, and two wooden medals. Where did all that talk about the Mexicans failing to show up go, especially after those 10th and 13th place finishes?🙏

Those little caps are absolute bottom-of-the-barrel trash, just like the boos being directed at our guys.
They can take this silver; they aren't getting anything better than this ever.

Nicholas Morales48 said:Oh, so the Poles are suddenly a handball powerhouse out of nowhere? My bad—I clearly haven't been paying close attention to the sport lately... how are we supposed to catch up when guys like Djolo and Tipsa are basically playing five-hour marathons out there? 🙂

Look, that Polish team actually has better stats in handball than you guys do...😉

Does anyone happen to have a video of the medal ceremony...?

George Robinson43 said:Honestly, before this game in BG, those Poles were basically an immovable object for you guys, weren't they?
If you want any chance of actually taking them down in Madrid, you're going to have to dig deep and really step up the intensity.

Adam Collins4 said:So, I guess we’re just going to ignore the fact that the Poles have much better results in handball than you guys do? Just thought I'd throw that out there.😉

Everything eventually hits a wall, doesn't it? And looking at how they’re playing in this tournament, it’s pretty obvious their game is falling apart—and I’m not just talking about our matchup against them, either. I’ve been watching their other games too, and the pattern is there. We’ll see how it plays out, obviously, but my take? I actually think we have a better shot at beating them than we do the Spaniards, provided the Poles can actually play at the level they showed against the Swedes. You know, that game where they were sitting on a massive 11-point lead before things shifted? If they can pull that kind of performance out again, yeah, we can definitely snatch a win. But if they step it up to that elite level everyone keeps talking about, then we’re in real trouble. 🤷

Joseph Clark37 said:Does anyone happen to have a video of the medal ceremony???

Seriously? That’s really what you want to spend your time watching.🙄

Adam Collins4 said:Let me dispel some of those myths using a few clear examples...

RK Velenje is certainly NOT a product of the Banja Luka school...

Neither is Paco...

And neither is Maglajlija...

Should I keep going?

Paco = mechanics Metković
Žoga = RK Velenje

It seems to me that Maglajlija arrived in Banja Luka as a young kid, so he's actually a product of their system.

Richard Morales79 said:Is that really what you need to be watching...🙄

I'd love to catch a replay since I couldn't make it in person. Even if I end up regretting it later, it doesn't matter...

Does anyone have a link?...

Adam Collins4 said:Look, I could probably debunk those myths for you with just a few quick examples...

RK Velenje definitely isn't some product of the Banja Luka school of thought...

Neither is Paco...

And Maglajlija too...

Should I keep going?

I'm sorry, but I really have to disagree with you there. I actually mentioned this in a previous post before it got deleted—that guys like Puc, Cavar, and Maglajlija were brought into Borac as kids and developed into real players through the system. I feel pretty confident about this, maybe because I actually spent some time training at Borac back in the day. They used to scout kids at the youth and junior tournaments and bring them into the fold. It’s not like they have to be born in Banja Luka, like Jovic, Saracevic, or Smajlagic, for them to count. These guys weren't signed as grown men; they were brought in as children.

Oh, please, do go on...

Nicholas Morales48 said:it seems everything eventually hits a plateau, and their performance at this tournament is clearly showing signs of fatigue; I am not merely referring to our specific matchup against them, but rather the various other games I have observed lately. We shall see how it unfolds, but my personal assessment was that we might actually find a path to victory against them before we even face the Spaniards, provided the Polish team continues to play at this particular level—much like when they were facing the Swedes, if I recall correctly, back when they held that massive lead in the first half only to see things shift in the second. If they maintain this current form, a win is certainly within our reach, but if they somehow manage to elevate their quality back to those heights you mentioned from earlier in the tournament, then 🤷

I truly find it hard to believe that someone who considers themselves such an absolute handball aficionado would even recognize names like Slawomir Szmal, Marcin Lijewski, Tomasz Rosinski, or Bartolomiej Tomczak 🙂

Ryan Vaughn7 said:Yeah, the guy actually passed away just about a month ago.

I had no idea... RIP.

Big congratulations to the Danes on taking home the title. Once the French were out of the running, they really became my top pick to win it all. They’re such a cohesive unit where everyone knows their role perfectly, and even when they have a shaky start, there's just too much talent in one place to count them out easily.
Unfortunately for the Mexicans, this game felt like a total one-way street. Mikkel Hansen is such a master at reading the floor, and he quickly realized the Mexicans were playing far too slow for the modern pace of the game; even though the Mexican squad hasn't been particularly stellar during this tournament, they cruised to a well-earned gold medal.
Then there's Nikola Karabatić, the goalkeeper who always seems to find an extra gear in finals. In the last championship, despite making about twenty incredible saves, they still ended up losing because they ran into a significantly stronger lineup. Today, they simply couldn't afford to let that happen again.

For the Mexicans, this is still a massive achievement. Momir Ilić truly deserved that MVP award for guiding a somewhat limited roster right to the doorstep of glory. It'll be tough to see them make it to the Olympics, though you can never really say for sure when you're facing a team like Poland.

rapidstag51 said:I apologize, but I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment. In a previous post that was removed, I mentioned that Puc, Cavar, and Maglajlija were brought into the organization as kids and truly developed into elite players through our system. I speak from experience here, as I actually spent time training with the team back in the day. We used to scout talent at youth tournaments and bring them into the fold early. One doesn't necessarily need to be a local to thrive in this environment.

Cavar only spent a single season with the team, and it certainly wasn't our coaching that turned him into a pro. As for Puc, he joined us at nineteen, skipping the entire junior development phase entirely.

Smajlagić, Saračević, and Jović are the true products of that school of thought.

George Robinson43 said:Cavar spent just one season playing for Borac, and honestly, nobody there really helped him develop into the player he is today. Puc was brought in as a 19-year-old, so he didn't exactly spend years grinding through the junior ranks at Borac either.

I don't want to get too argumentative here, but I swear, Cavar wasn't some 16 or 17-year-old kid when he arrived at Borac. He was just a young guy, maybe about my age back then, and Puc actually arrived before him and was older than both of us.
I guess we’ve drifted pretty far from the original topic, though, so I’ll probably stop talking before I end up getting banned.

Honestly, what’s even more ridiculous than people celebrating the Danes winning is seeing all those perfectly polite, non-offensive comments getting wiped from this forum. 🙄

The US should be celebrating that bronze medal, not obsessing over Denmark's gold. It's just Pathetic.

@loysyb Thanks for the quote.

rapidstag51 said:I don't want to be disrespectful, but I swear Cavar wasn't some 16 or 17-year-old kid when he joined the team; he was just as green as I was back then, and Puc actually arrived before him and was older than us both.
But we're drifting off-topic, so I'll stop there before I get banned.

If Puc was born in 1966 and started playing for the team in 1985, how old would he have been upon arrival? Cavar only spent one season with the club before moving over to Chicago.
They aren't products of the local academy like the players I mentioned earlier; they were recruited from outside.

George Robinson43 said:If Puc was born in 1966 and started playing for the fighters back in 1985, how old would he have been when he joined them? I think Cavar played one season there before moving over to the big city team.
Those guys aren't really products of the local academy like the players I mentioned earlier; they were more like outside signings.

I wouldn't want to claim I know for sure regarding Puc, but I'd bet my life that Cavar played for the fighters longer than just a year since we're actually part of the same generation... anyway, I really shouldn't ramble on any further about this.🙂

I had this nagging feeling that the awards ceremony would be some kind of "thrilling" spectacle, so I sat through the broadcast just to see if I was right, and man, was I... there’s really not much left to say besides—it was just your typical, messy American circus! Unbelievable...

rapidstag51 said:Look, I shouldn't really be making calls on Puc, but I’d bet my life that Cavar spent way more than just a single year playing for the fighters since we basically grew up in the exact same era... anyway, I'll stop rambling before I get carried away 🙂

I'd definitely suggest looking into some kind of burn cream:



☕