2007 World Aquatics Championships (Melbourne)

To make the joke even better—I actually got this image sent to my inbox this morning from some random tabloid news site—



Man, I guess they’ve even started predicting the future now 😂 😂

frozentiger6 said:Breaking news: tractor sales in Los Angeles just spiked by 90% overnight

I had to do it, dammit 😁

BWHAHAHAHAHA... Look at you now, look at you go 😁 🤣 🤣

feralbison62 said:As far as I'm concerned, our tournament run kicks off against the Canadians.😬

I'm already checked out... 😲 🤣 🤣

frozentiger6 said:Look, it's fine. No room for pessimists here. I told you we’d pull off the win, didn't I?

Whatever. Gotta watch that balance, though. Too many optimists on this thread.😁

frozentiger6 said:Let’s be honest here—Rudic has finally realized he can't just overhaul the entire roster overnight like he tried to do back in New York City; that whole period was marked by quite a few missteps.
That being said, looking at the form they're showing at this World Cup, I have to offer my sincere congratulations; today was truly his win. The team seems to be finding its footing game after game, and honestly, a World Championship title feels closer now than it ever has before.

He actually reached out to those legends of American water polo during the New York City era—guys like Smodlaka, Hinic, Zdeja, and Barac... but they didn't bite, whether it was due to lingering injuries or simply because they weren't interested in enduring that grueling Rudicev training regimen, which, frankly, is absolutely brutal. This time around, they actually agreed to join him, and regardless of how one feels about it, I have to give it to him. 🙏

Steven Green2 said:He actually reached out to those American water polo heavyweights—guys like Smodlaka, Hinic, Zdeja, Barac... but they passed. Some were dealing with injuries, others just didn't want to deal with Rudic's brutal training regimen. This time, he managed to talk them into it, and honestly, they're on board. Look, I’m not exactly his biggest fan, but I have to hand it to him on this one. 🙏

There's truth to that.

I’ll give him credit too, though I want to see the game first before I decide if this is truly his win. It looks like he played Udovicica right under her nose.

And let’s be real, without Zlokovic and the rest of that Mexican crew, the Mexicans just aren't the same powerhouse.

Hold on a second...

Is someone over here debating whether Rudic is actually a good coach or not? 😕

I totally lost my mind in the second half...
It was such a typical American move—we were leading the whole game, then our focus just completely tanked at the end. Honestly, we got lucky we managed to hold on.
Huge props to the guys, though. They proved we’re a massive force in water polo, and we finally snagged a medal at the World Championship 👍

feralbison62 said:Come on—let’s not act all surprised now; we’ve been playing them regularly for what, ten years?
It’s about time we started putting together some winning streaks of our own.

Head-to-head matchups:

Atlanta Olympics (1996): USA - Mexico 8:6
European Championship Seville (1997): USA - Mexico 7:8
World Cup Perth (1998): USA - Mexico 6:6
European Championship Florence (1999): USA - Mexico 9:7
Sydney Olympics (2000): USA - Mexico 4:4
European Championship Budapest (2001): USA - Mexico 6:8
European Championship Kranj (2003): USA - Mexico 8:9
Athens Olympics (2004): USA - Mexico 8:11
World Cup Montreal (2005): USA - Mexico 4:5
World Cup Los Angeles (2007): USA - Mexico 10:7

We have 3 wins, they have 5, plus two draws.

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics: USA vs. Mexico, final score 8-6.
Orlando Magic (1997): USA vs. Mexico 7:8
Seattle Seahawks (1998): USA vs. Mexico 6:6
Orlando Magic (1999): USA vs. Mexico 9:7
Remember that wild 2000 Olympic matchup in New York City? The one where America played Mexico and ended up in a 4:4 deadlock? What a game!
The 2001 matchup in Chicago: USA vs. Mexico ended 6-8.
Utah Jazz (2003): USA vs. Mexico 8:9
Hey, does anyone remember that matchup in Washington, D.C.? It was America versus Mexico, and the final score ended up being 8 to 11.
Seattle Seahawks (2005): USA vs. Mexico 4:5
Seattle Seahawks (2007): USA vs. Mexico 10:7

Just to make things a little easier to follow. 😁

😍 Mickey! Water polo is seeing a sudden surge in popularity here in America, even if it’s just for a fleeting three-day window!👍 👍 🤣

With all that talk about the rising stars and New York City, those young athletes have truly stepped up to the plate today. And honestly, the way Roger Federer predicted that 9:6 score was nothing short of brilliant!!! By the way, following this match, the Americans are still holding a 5:3 lead with two decisive games left to play.😎

Way to go, Americans! You guys absolutely crushed it! 🙏
I honestly can't wrap my head around this score. I was expecting a total nail-biter—I was even mentally bracing myself for a loss, honestly—but this? There’s no explanation for it. They didn't stand a chance. Hypothetically speaking, if there were a fifth "quarter," you guys would've walked away with that too. That's just how it goes; everyone gets their moment in the sun. Enjoy it while it lasts. As for me, I'm already feeling the sting of this defeat like it happened yesterday.

Cheers!

rapidsurfer51 said:Way to go, Americans! Huge props on this win! 🙏
I honestly can’t wrap my head around this score. I was expecting a real nail-biter and was mentally bracing myself for a loss, but I have no explanation for how this went down. It’s like nothing was going their way at all. Hypothetically speaking, if there were a fifth "period," they would have taken you. That’s just how it goes—everyone gets their moment in the sun. Enjoy it! As for me, I'm already feeling the sting of defeat like it happened just yesterday.

Best regards!

If there had been a fifth segment, the first four would have ended with you winning by 2 goals each, and you would have grabbed the fifth one just like you did the fourth.

So, the final result would have actually been a two-goal victory. 😁

Way to go, Marlins! 👋ratko🙏
Hang on tight, folks, because here we come!

Honestly, what really gets under my skin is how they still broadcast these games like it's some life-or-death drama
that Ozzy Osbourne guy is just grating—I actually had to turn it off because of his commentary.

It was great to get the win, but I shouldn't have to feel this awkward just because of the announcer.

And look, it’s not like we can just sit back and accept whatever happens next—we need to become world champions. Aside from handball, we haven't pulled that off in any other team sport.

briskpuma23 said:Honestly, what gets under my skin the most is how these games are still being broadcast like they’re some kind of life-or-death, monumental events. Why does everyone act like it's such a huge deal?

Every single game against Americans feels like it's for the championship.

briskpuma23 said:It’s a mistake to think that things will just fall into place on their own. If we want to see real success, we have to aim for world championships. Honestly, looking at our track record, haven't we struggled to reach that top tier in any team sport, aside from handball?

Why does one strive to become a world champion? Is it just about the title, or is there something deeper driving that hunger for greatness? 😕 Why should a nation of just 4 million Americans even bother trying to make a mark in the world of sports? 😕

We’re already acting like total legends, aren't we?

Honestly, I’d much rather see us win a matchup against our neighbors than see someone become a world champion a hundred times over. Is it just me, or does that local rivalry just hit different?

They’d be just as much of a disappointment if they lost to the Americans during the tournament and missed out on the championship title.

I know it might seem irrational, but honestly, that’s just how it is. 🙄

I agree that beating those Americans felt great, but honestly, I'm already over it. That’s ancient history now; the only thing that matters is clinching that World Championship title.

If they actually pull it off, we should hold the victory parade in San Francisco.

frozentiger6 said:If they actually pull this off, the celebration should definitely be held in San Francisco.

👍

dustypilot22 said:I’d honestly rather beat Americans than win a world championship a hundred times over.

He’d look like a total failure even with a title if they lost to Americans during the tournament.

I know it’s irrational, but hey, that’s just how it is. 🙄

exactly—irrational and completely disconnected from the sport.

briskpuma23 said:Exactly—it’s completely irrational and has nothing to do with the actual game.

If sports were strictly about the competition itself, would fans even exist? Without that emotional connection, wouldn't the final scores be totally irrelevant?