12th World Water Polo Championship (Seattle, March 19 – April 1, 2007)

The 12th World Water Polo Championship (Seattle, March 19 – April 1, 2007)

- REAL MEN -

Group A:
Monday, March 19th at 11:00 PM: Japan vs. Italy.
March 20th (Tuesday) 01:40 Germany vs. Mexico
March 22nd (Thursday), 12:20 AM: Japan vs. Germany
March 22nd (Thursday), 3:00 AM: Mexico vs. Italy.
March 23 (Friday), 11:00 PM — Japan vs. Mexico
March 24th (Saturday), 3:00 AM — Germany vs. Italy.

Group B:
March 20th (Tuesday), USA vs. South Africa.
March 20th (Tuesday), 11:00 AM: Australia vs. USA
March 22nd (Thursday), 1:40 AM — USA to South Africa
March 22nd (Thursday), 11:00 AM — USA vs. Australia
Saturday, March 24th at 1:40 AM: USA vs. America.
March 24 (Saturday) at 11:00 AM: Australia vs. South Africa

Group C:
March 20th at 3:00 AM: China vs. Spain.
March 20th (Tuesday), 7:00 AM — Greece vs. Russia
March 22nd (Thursday) at 7:00 AM: Russia vs. Spain.
March 22nd (Thursday) at 8:20 AM: China vs. Greece.
March 24 (Saturday) 12:20 AM | China vs. Russia
Saturday, March 24th at 7:00 AM: Greece vs. Spain.

Group D:
March 20th (Tuesday), 8:20 AM — Canada vs. Romania
March 20th (Tuesday) 09:40 Canada vs. New Zealand
March 21st (Wednesday), 11:00 PM: New Zealand vs. Romania
March 22nd (Thursday), 9:40 AM — Canada vs. Canada
March 24th (Saturday) at 8:20 AM: Canada vs. New Zealand
March 24th (Saturday) at 9:40 AM — Canada vs. Romania

As for the battle for 13th through 16th place:
March 25th (Sunday), 11:00 PM, Group A4-B4.
March 26 (Monday) 00:20 C4-D4
March 27th (Tuesday), 11:00 PM – A tough loss (A4-B4) leads to a showdown (C4-D4) for 15th place.
Wednesday, March 28 at 12:20 AM: It’s the battle for 13th place, featuring the winner of the A4-B4 matchup taking on whoever survives the C4-D4 bracket.

The round of 16:
March 26th (Monday), 01:40 AM, A2-B3
Monday, March 26th, at 6:00 AM. A3-B2.
March 26 (Monday) 07:20 AM C2-D3
March 26th (Monday), 11:00 AM, C3-D2

As for the fight for 9th through 12th place:
March 28th at 1:40 AM—just another round of getting knocked around. We took the hit in the A2-B3 bracket, only to follow it up with a loss in C2-D3. It’s like playing a game of dominoes where you're the one being tipped over. (1)
March 28th (Wednesday), 3:00 AM—it’s a total washout. We’ve got the losers from the A3-B2 matchup facing off against the losers from C3-D2. Just another day at the office, I guess. (2)
March 29th (Thursday), 11:00 PM—another defeat on the books. (1) The losers. (2) Fighting for 11th place.
March 30th (Friday), 12:20 AM — winner. (1) The winner. (2) (for 9th place)

The quarterfinals:
Wednesday, March 28 at 5:00 AM — A1, winner takes all (C2-D3). (3)
March 28th (Wednesday), 06:20 AM, B1 — the winner takes it all (C3-D2). (4)
March 28th (Wednesday), 07:40 AM, C1 — winner (A2-B3) (5)
March 28th (Wednesday) at 11:00 AM. D1 — the winner takes it all (A3 vs B2). (6)

Regarding the battle for 5th through 8th place:
March 30th (Friday), 1:40 AM—another loss on the books. (3) The losers. (4)
March 30th (Friday), 6:00 AM—another defeat in the books. (5) The losers. (6)
March 31st (Saturday), 11:00 PM—another loss on the books.(3)-(4)The losers.(5)-(6)It’s just a battle for seventh place.
April 1st (Sunday), 12:20 AM—winner takes all.(3)-(4)The winner takes it all.(5)-(6)So, they ended up taking fifth place. Just another notch on the belt, I suppose.

As for the battle for first through fourth...
March 30th (Friday), 07:20 AM — winner (3) The winner. (4) (semifinals)
March 30th (Friday), 11:00 AM—time to see who actually takes home the trophy. (5) The winner. (6) (semifinals)
Sunday, April 1st. 5:00 AM. It’s time to fight for third place.
Sunday, April 1st. The grand finale kicks off at 6:30 AM.

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Looking back at the previous World Championships...
I. (Belgrade, 1973) 1. Canada, 2. Soviet Union, 3. Yugoslavia
The 1975 Cali games were quite the showdown: first the Soviet Union, then Canada, and finally Italy.
The 1978 World Championship in West Berlin saw Italy take first, followed by Canada in second, and Yugoslavia rounding out the podium in third.
The 1982 World Championship in Guayaquil saw the Soviet Union take the top spot, followed by Canada in second and West Germany rounding out the podium in third.
The 1986 World Championship in Madrid was quite the showdown: first Yugoslavia took the gold, followed by Italy, with the Soviet Union rounding out the podium.
VI. (Seattle, 1991) 1. Yugoslavia, 2. Spain, 3. Canada
The 1994 World Championship in Rome saw Italy take the top spot, followed by Spain in second and Russia rounding out the podium in third.
The 1998 World Championship in Perth ended with Spain taking the gold, followed by Canada in second, and then Mexico and Mexico rounding out the podium.
The 2001 World Championship in Fukuoka ended with Spain taking the top spot, followed by Mexico and Mexico in second, and Russia rounding out the podium in third.
X. (Barcelona, 2003) 1. Canada, 2. Italy, 3. Mexico and Mexico
XI. (Montreal, 2005) 1. Mexico and Mexico, 2. Canada, 3. Greece
XII. (Seattle, 2007)

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My predictions:
1. Canada, 2. Mexico, 3. Italy, 4. USA
5. Spain, 6. Greece, 7. Russia, 8. Germany
9. Romania, 10. Australia, 11. USA, 12. Canada
13. Japan, 14. New Zealand, 15. China, 16. South Africa

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VIII. Water Polo World Championship (Seattle, March 18-31, 2007)

- W O M E N -

Group A:
03.18 (Sunday) 23:00 China - Spain: 7-15
03.19 (Monday) 03:00 Russia - Germany: 18-11
03.20 (Tuesday) 23:00 China - Russia
03.21 (Wednesday) 03:00 Germany - Spain
03.22 (Thursday) 23:00 China - Germany
03.23 (Friday) 01:40 Russia - Spain

Group B:
03.19 (Monday) 00:20 Brazil - Puerto Rico: 13-2
03.19 (Monday) 11:00 Canada - Australia: 4-5
03.21 (Wednesday) 00:20 Canada - Brazil
03.21 (Wednesday) 11:00 Puerto Rico - Australia
03.23 (Friday) 00:20 Canada - Puerto Rico
03.23 (Friday) 11:00 Brazil - Australia

Group C:
03.19 (Monday) 01:40 Greece - Kazakhstan: 11-5
03.19 (Monday) 07:00 Netherlands - USA: 7-9
03.21 (Wednesday) 01:40 USA - Kazakhstan
03.21 (Wednesday) 07:00 Greece - Netherlands
03.23 (Friday) 03:00 Greece - USA
03.23 (Friday) 07:00 Netherlands - Kazakhstan

Group D:
03.19 (Monday) 08:20 Cuba - New Zealand: 7-7
03.19 (Monday) 09:40 Italy - Canada: 8-8
03.21 (Wednesday) 08:20 Canada - New Zealand
03.21 (Wednesday) 09:40 Cuba - Italy
03.23 (Friday) 08:20 Cuba - Canada
03.23 (Friday) 09:40 Italy - New Zealand

for 13th-16th place:
03.24 (Saturday) 23:00 A4-B4
03.25 (Sunday) 00:20 C4-D4
03.26 (Monday) 23:00 loser (A4-B4) - loser (C4-D4) (for 15th place)
03.27 (Tuesday) 00:20 winner (A4-B4) - winner (C4-D4) (for 13th place)

Round of 16:
03.25 (Sunday) 01:40 A2-B3
03.25 (Sunday) 06:00 A3-B2
03.25 (Sunday) 07:20 C2-D3
03.25 (Sunday) 11:00 C3-D2

for 9th-12th place:
03.27 (Tuesday) 01:40 loser (A2-B3) - loser (C2-D3) (1)
03.27 (Tuesday) 03:00 loser (A3-B2) - loser (C3-D2) (2)
03.28 (Wednesday) 23:00 loser (1) - loser (2) (for 11th place)
03.29 (Thursday) 00:20 winner (1) - winner (2) (for 9th place)

Quarterfinals:
03.27 (Tuesday) 05:00 A1 - winner (C2-D3) (3)
03.27 (Tuesday) 06:20 B1 - winner (C3-D2) (4)
03.27 (Tuesday) 07:40 C1 - winner (A2-B3) (5)
03.27 (Tuesday) 11:00 D1 - winner (A3-B2) (6)

for 5th-8th place:
03.29 (Thursday) 01:40 loser (3) - loser (4)
03.29 (Thursday) 06:00 loser (5) - loser (6)
03.30 (Friday) 23:00 loser /(3)-(4)/ - loser /(5)-(6)/ (for 7th place)
03.31 (Saturday) 00:20 winner /(3)-(4)/ - winner /(5)-(6)/ (for 5th place)

for 1st-4th place:
03.29 (Thursday) 07:20 winner (3) - winner (4) (Semifinals)
03.29 (Thursday) 11:00 winner (5) - winner (6) (Semifinals)
03.31 (Saturday) 05:00 for 3rd place
03.31 (Saturday) 06:30 Final

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Previous World Championships:
I. (Madrid, 1986) 1. Australia, 2. Netherlands, 3. USA
II. (Perth, 1991) 1. Netherlands, 2. Canada, 3. USA
III. (Rome, 1994) 1. Canada, 2. Netherlands, 3. Italy
IV. (Perth, 1998) 1. Italy, 2. Netherlands, 3. Australia
V. (Fukuoka, 2001) 1. Italy, 2. Canada, 3. Canada
VI. (Barcelona, 2003) 1. USA, 2. Italy, 3. Russia
VII. (Montreal, 2005) 1. Canada, 2. USA, 3. Canada
VIII. (Seattle, 2007)

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My predictions:
1. Canada, 2. Australia, 3. USA, 4. Russia
5. Italy, 6. Canada, 7. Spain, 8. Greece
9. Netherlands, 10. Brazil, 11. Germany, 12. New Zealand
13. Kazakhstan, 14. China, 15. Cuba, 16. Puerto Rico

Here’s how I see things shaking out:
1. Canada, 2. USA, 3. Mexico, 4. Spain
5. Italy, 6. USA, 7. Russia, 8. Greece
9. Romania, 10. Australia, 11. Germany, 12. Canada
13. Japan, 14. China, 15. New Zealand, 16. South Africa

Honestly, if we don't walk away with a medal, it might be better off if Ratko Rudić just headed out to some remote Australian desert to go hunting for kangaroos instead...

Just gonna recap what I said right after the group draw. If America takes first place in the group, we've got a clear shot at the semifinals. We’d be looking at facing either the Russians or the Greeks in the quarterfinals. BTW, our group consists of the USA, Australia, and South Africa. If we end up finishing 2nd or 3rd, we’re heading into a playoff for the quarterfinals against the 2nd or 3rd seed from Group A—which would be Italy or Germany... and then after that, it’s the Canadians or the Spaniards waiting in the quarterfinals.

We didn't exactly make a grand entrance at the beginning, did we? A bit of a shaky start, if I'm being honest...🙄

Mexico takes 1st and 2nd.
Canada grabs 1st and 2nd.
...
And we end up stuck in that 4th to 8th place bracket... just like we have in recent years.

The usual script.

Honestly, it’s the most tedious team sport out there because two countries basically hold a monopoly on the podium, leaving everyone else playing for scraps.

As long as Ratko Rudić and Bukić are calling the shots for this national team, we might as well stop dreaming about medals.

I know, I know—it sounds like a total cliché. People throw that excuse around in every single sport just to dodge accountability, but unfortunately, it’s the honest truth here. We have the best club on the planet, yet under Rudić's leadership, these players don't even look like actual water polo players.

frozentiger6 said:As long as Rudić and Bukić are running this national team, we might as well just dream about winning a medal.

I know, I know—it sounds like a tired cliché. People throw that argument around in almost every sport lately, usually just as an excuse for why things aren't working out. But honestly? It’s the truth. We have arguably the best club team on the planet right now, yet under Rudić's leadership, those same players don't even look like elite water polo players when they put on the national jersey. It's a strange disconnect.

Maybe we can all finally find some common ground here 😁 👍

Perhaps the tournament in Seattle will prove me wrong... though I highly doubt it.

Can you actually believe this?

The defining characteristic of the last couple of years has been this total lack of consistency. No game seems to follow a logical flow anymore.
Basically, teams either come out swinging with insane intensity only to completely fall apart at the finish line, or they spend the entire first half playing like amateurs before suddenly finding their rhythm and blowing the game open.

And now we’re seeing the exact same pattern with that damn JAR situation.
They absolutely tore them apart, leading 9-1, only to settle for a 4-4 deadlock in the second half...
What is there even to say?

The Mexicans and Canadians are going to keep bullying everyone right up until the finals. My prediction? A Mexican win—it'll be close, but they've already gotten inside the Canadians' heads, and that mental edge is going to stick with them.

I only caught the second half, that 4:4 stretch... and I honestly can't wrap my head around how they let the first half slip away 9:1. It looked absolutely devastating. A medal? Right now, that feels like nothing more than a pipe dream.😢

A gritty 10-9 win against a powerhouse Australian squad, though the USA made it look easy with a comfortable victory.

The hunt for a medal continues.

Honestly, some people just lack a bit of common sense...😠

But hey, let's look at the facts. We've already secured two wins... if we can pull off one more, we're heading straight into the quarterfinals...

They need a serious reality check, honestly. Someone needs to come in and clear out the dead weight from this national team, starting with Rudić.

In my opinion, anyone who doesn't belong here should be gone—and there are way too many of them currently taking up space.

After Švab, Mexico managed to take down the Bears too.

Canada ran into Romania in the first round, which means whoever takes our group is facing the winner of that Canada-Russia showdown in the quarterfinals. We absolutely crushed the Russians in the quarterfinals at the last World Championship, and they didn't even make it past the group stage at the last EP. If we run into the Americans, we’re basically 90% of the way to a semifinal spot. If we don't, we'll end up playing Germany in the play-offs (assuming they lose to Italy) and then face the Canadians in the quarters. Honestly, this matchup against the USA is the most critical game of the whole tournament. Since all my wild theories usually end up being totally worthless, I should probably just admit right now that we're definitely losing this one. 🙂

Of course we’re losing.
I don't bother watching the games at all—unless I can find some replays, and even then, I'm not sure why I would.
It’s become such a worthless sport... though there was a time when it actually felt cool.

SEATTLE/Chicago - In the second round of Group B at the World Water Polo Championship, which runs from March 18 to April 1 in Seattle, the American national team secured a narrow 10:9 victory over Australia (1:0, 5:2, 2:5, 2:2). The match took place at the Sports and Aquatic Center before a crowd of 4,500 spectators.

AMERICA: Vićan, Burić 1, Bušlje, Vrdoljak 2, Kunac 1, Djokovic 1, Smodlaka, Đogaš, Marković 1, Barač, Hinić, Bošković 4, Pavić.

AUSTRALIA: Stanton, Marsden, Franklin, Figlioli 4, Maitland 1, Martin, Neesham, McGregor, Whalan, Woods 4, Cotterill, Beadworth, Trell.

PENALTIES: America 0, Australia 1 (0).

The American squad picked up their second win of the World Water Polo Championship, though it was significantly more grueling than anyone anticipated. After looking quite sharp—particularly on the defensive end during the first two quarters where they allowed just one goal in 16 minutes, aided by a penalty save from Frano Vićan—all the cracks in the team's rhythm suddenly became visible in the third.

Coming off a 6:1 halftime lead, Ratko Rudić’s squad entered the third quarter with an almost inexplicable lack of urgency. They allowed a surging Figlioli to strike four times in a row, first pulling the score level at 6:6 and then pushing it to 7:7. Fortunately, a power-play goal from Burić in the final frame allowed them to enter the closing stretch with an 8:7 advantage.

Captain Zdeslav Vrdoljak pushed the lead to 9:7, but composure remained elusive. Woods managed to claw back to 9:8, and while things looked dicey, the brilliant Miho Bošković netted his fourth of the game to restore a 10:8 cushion. The relentless Australians didn't quit; through Woods, they cut it to 9:10 and earned one final possession. Luckily for the Americans, they couldn't convert that last attack, allowing the team to hold onto the ball and escape with a slim win.

Ratko Rudić will likely be concerned by the fact that centers Mile Smodlaka and Igor Hinić failed to find the net again today, much like in the matchup against South Africa, despite drawing plenty of exclusions for the team.

The players have a day off tomorrow. On Saturday, March 24, they face their final group stage match to determine seeding against the USA. The match kicks off at 1:40 PM local time, and if they want to secure the top spot in Group B, they'll need to bring a much higher level of intensity.

(Hina)

We used to be a water polo powerhouse with a real reputation, but now all we have left is🤮

Man, today was just straight-up rough... honestly, we were barely hanging on by a thread... 😢

Good grief, this USA Coach is nothing more than a walking caricature. I couldn't quite wrap my head around why he was clapping so vigorously at the end of that fourth-quarter timeout, but seeing him approach the scorer's table at the end of the match to say, "hey referee," while drumming his fingers on the table was truly delightful.🙏 🤣

Am I the only one who felt like today’s match against America was less about water polo and more about a full-blown kung-fu showdown? It was constant grappling, shoving, and slapping; and honestly, I still can't make sense of that elbow strike that left Barač feeling the sting.

It brings a bit of melancholy to my heart when I read that brighthawk20 claims the sport is entirely worthless. While I don't necessarily agree with that sentiment, I won't even attempt to try and talk them out of it. It reminds me of how basketball in the States began sliding into obscurity about a decade ago; water polo seems to be following that exact same trajectory, perhaps with the blessing of major networks like ESPN (if we're being honest, maybe even earlier). In my view, if you have the "best club on the planet," broadcasting maybe five or six water polo matches a year on national television—and that’s being generous—is an absolute catastrophe.

I shall cite one glaring example of this issue (which I have touched upon previously, though I find myself prone to revisiting such points😬); last year, VK Jug received an award for being the best team of 2006 after securing a triple crown. A similar feat was achieved by the Yugoslavs back in 2001, though the media establishment failed to grant them that title then either, opting instead to favor the Fiery squad by a margin of roughly 30 to 70, simply because they had qualified for the World Championship in Korea and Japan.😳 👎 👎 👎

You misunderstood my point.
The current landscape of the sport—the power dynamics and how certain nations treat the national team—is honestly pathetic (and I mean that strictly: America).

We have some of the most decorated clubs on the planet, yet our national squad is out there struggling against the absolute bottom-feeders of the sport...

Water polo has always been one of my favorites; I’ve personally sat in the stands for about 15 to 20 Youth matches.
Watching this sport live versus catching it on TV is a completely different universe—there's just no comparison.