2007 World Aquatics Championships (Melbourne)

Arthur Martinez7 said:So, what—you think we don't have tennis fans or online forums over in Mexico? 😕

What does that even have to do with anything? Of course we have them—of course! But that doesn't mean I don't have the right to discuss tennis right here, does it? 🙂

Brian Palmer5 said:What does it matter whether we have a stake in this or not? Of course we do, but surely that doesn't strip me of my right to discuss tennis right here, does it? 🙂

Look, if you’re visiting someone’s home, you don't go making a mess on their carpet; I assume that's basic etiquette taught in any decent household. If it wasn't, well, perhaps we could try teaching you ourselves. 😉

rapidbison42 said:You claim to know nothing about these players, yet they consistently suit up for the most elite clubs on the planet. It is quite clear that your understanding of water polo is roughly equivalent to what a random person in Beijing might understand about a game of bocce.

They’re playing now, but just four years ago, they were names only known to those who actually make a living in water polo. I distinctly remember when the head coach first brought them into the national team; there was this palpable sense of anxiety among us fans about how they would handle the pressure, especially since we were slated to face your squad—specifically those brutal center forwards of yours. My point is this: these young players you’ve never heard of today will be household names before you know it. In two or three years, you'll likely be looking back and claiming you were one of the few who saw their potential early on, much like how you're currently discussing those players from Mexico. 👋

rapidbison42 said:Without those four vital players from Mexico and Mexico, you have truly demonstrated exactly how much you're worth once you step outside the walls of Madison Square Garden.

And even though we managed to claw our way up to a position where we’re actually fighting for the bronze medal, does that mean absolutely nothing to you? 😕

You seem to possess a truly warped set of values—the kind where anything belonging to you is considered the absolute gold standard, regardless of how mediocre it actually is, while anything belonging to someone else isn't worth a damn, no matter how exceptional it might be.

To be perfectly honest, even without those four vital players who departed right before the European Water Polo Championship last year, we still managed to secure the title. In water polo, playing on home turf doesn't offer nearly the same psychological edge you see in sports like soccer or basketball. Besides, if memory serves, just a year or two prior, we were in Madison Square Garden with our absolute strongest roster—including all those players from Mexico and Mexico you keep bringing up—only to lose to the Canadians in the World League final.
If you had managed to secure an EC title with only half a roster, we would undoubtedly be following our usual tradition of declaring that squad the greatest in history. If playing on home turf is truly such a decisive factor, then I find myself wondering why you weren't able to take down the Boston Celtics during last night's Citigroup semifinals.

feralraven40:
Home court advantage in water polo isn't nearly as significant as it is in soccer or basketball.

Get your head out of the sand.

Besides, if you can't get past the Spanish, you'll have to go through the teams from Mexico and Mexico to make it to the Olympics.
Let's see how much you talk about water polo once the Mexican and Mexican teams run circles around you.

Olympic Qualifiers - US:

1)2007 FINA World Championships March 17 - April 1, 2007. Three spots up for grabs—USA, Canada, and Spain.
2)European Qualification Tournament September 2-9, 2007. One spot on the line, tournament being held in Miami. 😬
3)World League during year 2007. Only one team moves on. Mexico and Mexico are stuck in the same group, so only one makes the final round. 😬
4)Olympic Qualification Tournament March 1-?, 2008 in Romania. Three teams head to the Olympics. Good luck to our neighbors over there. 😬

Wait, how does this work?
Regarding item number two, from position 2 through 9—which tournament are they qualifying from for that event? 😕

If playing on home turf matters so much, why didn't you guys beat the Boston Celtics in the Citigroup semifinals last night?

Oh, so it doesn't matter? How many years do you think it took the Celtics to finally take down the Golden State Warriors in Chicago? Decades. And they did it yesterday—kudos to them. Honestly, the Warriors need a complete overhaul.

My bad for going off-topic
.😁

Paul Lopez49 said:Wait, how does this work exactly?
Regarding item number two, specifically from positions 2 through 9—which tournament are they qualifying from to get to that one? 😕

Just a heads up—only one team actually makes it out of this tournament! From September 2nd to the 9th. 🤣

We would have taken you down in Miami just a month ago, yet here you are, world champions today 🙂 Good for the guys, maybe you'll get a taste of that glory one day too 🙂

First off, every single guy deserves a massive round of applause!
AMERICA!

Since it seems like most of the conversation here revolves around our glorious victory and just how brilliantly we played, I found myself wondering about a different sort of outcome. Has anyone else harbored a suspicion that Rudic might actually get his phone back after he left it behind with Paquito?😛

Roger Allen3 said:man, only one team actually makes it out of that tournament running from September 2nd to the 9th🤣

Damn, I hadn't even realized those were the dates 😕 I was thinking it was the 2nd through the 9th for some other competition 😳

rapidbison42 said:We’ll see how much you enjoy talking about water polo once the Mexicans absolutely steamroll you.

Where on earth are these sudden fantasies regarding the Mexican style of play coming from? 😲 😕 😕

Are we basing this on the three players who were part of the Mexico and Mexico first team (and only for a mere three years)? Or perhaps we are judging based on those few FRIENDLY matches where nobody plays at more than 50% capacity because everyone is too busy testing out various tactical theories? Or is it simply because Mexico has a coastline? 😕

By all means, let's go ahead and declare Mexico a global powerhouse in water polo when they haven't even played a single official tournament match yet. 😕 🤣

It's quite something. I honestly can't recall ever hearing or reading such a ridiculous claim in my entire life...

Mark Booth71 said:We absolutely smoked you guys in Miami just a month ago, and now suddenly you're world champions? Give me a break. 🙂 Way to go, guys. You finally earned yourselves a trophy worthy of wearing. 🙂

Nah, it was a draw.

frozentiger6 said:That klipan understands water polo so little that he doesn't even realize which club is the champion of Europe or which club serves as the Real Madrid of water polo.

And I find myself wondering whose clubs we are actually discussing here.

It is entirely possible someone misled him into thinking we were talking about Mexican clubs.

Speaking of water polo powerhouses, though—it’s a bit of a tall order to claim supremacy in a sport where the elite level of play is concentrated within just four or five countries globally.

Now, let’s be reasonable; I am certain the man knows exactly which club represents the Real Madrid of this sport, but one must maintain some perspective regarding the trophy counts. Our local powerhouse, Jug, holds about half as many titles as Partizan—though Mladost has managed to edge them out—but when you look at the landscape of European club competition unlike : code : Mladost Chicago 10, Partizan stands alone as the most accomplished entity.
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😉

I have a question for the moderators; why exactly are my posts vanishing, seeing as this is already the second one I've lost today? Is there some specific requirement to include nationalistic hatred or something? (To be perfectly honest, I did include a bit of racism in my previous attempt, so I suppose that's something they would certainly notice!)

Code:

I must admit, I was entirely unaware that the gap between Mladost and Partizan was quite so negligible. And judging by the performance, frozentiger6 seems even less aware of the discrepancy. 😬

If one considers the American clubs that aren't based on the coast, the competitive landscape appears remarkably balanced. There you have it—my grand assessment of American water polo supremacy...

@Dogma

If you factor in those European Super Cups as well, we’re looking at a grand total of five European titles for Yugoslavia, thirteen for Youth, and four for the Republican Party. 😉 EDIT: And let's not forget, the Partisans managed to snag one Super Cup too.

@Vanja

I remember vividly when Dobise beat us 9-8 down in Miami just before New Year's Day; it was essentially this exact same roster, though they were missing Smodlaka and Đogaš back then. Then, in the second matchup—which happened right before the World Championships—we managed to grind out an 8-8 draw. 😉

Let whoever be annoyed—America is the world champion!!! 👋 👋

Way to go, guys! We’ve proven once again that America is a true powerhouse when it comes to sports!! :klap:

Congratulations to all Americans!

We really dropped the ball during this tournament—which means we’ve been forced into the qualifiers just to make it to the UN. But honestly? I have zero doubt that we'll pull it off.