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

brighthawk20 said:We possess some of the most decorated clubs on the planet, yet our national team finds itself struggling against the absolute minnows of the sport...

Water polo stands as one of my personal favorites, and I can say I’ve sat through about 15 to 20 live matches featuring Youth...
Watching this sport live versus catching it on television—it is truly like night and day, a completely different experience altogether.

It is quite fascinating when you consider that American clubs actually hold more UEFA Euro Trophies than entire other nations do.👍

I neglected to mention my thoughts regarding Rudica; I don't believe he is a poor coach, regardless of those marginal differences seen in games against Australia and so on, but I suspect any coach would feel incredibly fortunate to have a bench as deep as ours, where one can simply afford to let Boskovica rest for two quarters!👍

p.s. honestly, if the Youth aren't playing against teams from the South, their matches are just plain boring!😈 😬

Water Polo World Championships: USA defeat secures direct ticket to quarterfinals

CHICAGO/Los Angeles - In today’s Group B matchup during the Water Polo World Championships currently being held in Los Angeles, the American squad fell to a 10-8 loss (3-1, 3-2, 2-2, 2-3) against the US team.

Following a rather unconvincing showing against Australia, the American water polo players finally stepped up when it mattered most. You could see their grit from the opening whistle, and they quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead. They managed to hold that two-goal cushion through the end of the first period before extending the lead to 4-1 early in the second. The Americans clawed back with two quick goals to make it 4-3, but the US went into halftime with a three-goal advantage (6-3).

During the third quarter, things got a bit dicey again, allowing the Americans to close the gap to just one goal (6-5). It looked like a momentary lapse in concentration, though. The US regained control and pulled away by three again, essentially sealing the deal four minutes before the buzzer when they surged ahead 9-5. The Americans managed to trim the deficit slightly toward the very end, but the outcome was already set.

With this win, the US has punched their ticket directly to the quarterfinals. They’ll likely face Russia next—an opponent our boys should be able to handle if they keep playing with this kind of focus to reach the semifinals.

(Associated Press)

This is what it felt like kissing at Roland Garros last year 🙏 🙏 🙏

That’s just the mindset right there...

You play a terrible first game, and then you feel like you don't even have to win the second one just to avoid being a total failure.

Is it just me, or does it seem a bit much to have an American named Jack Bauer?😁

Terry Fisher2 said:Since all my wild guesses turned out to be total garbage, I guess I have to admit it now—we’re definitely losing this one.🙂

Well, damn, looks like I was right after all.😬

The Russians are going to absolutely steamroll us in the quarterfinals.😁

The Russians beat Canada 17:13? Are you kidding me? 🤣

We've got the semifinals practically handed to us! ☕

The Italians were sitting pretty with a five-goal lead with just five seconds left on the clock in the second overtime... then those Australians pulled it back to even. Out of nowhere, this absolute maestro from Italy strikes it straight from the center of the pitch to clinch the win for them.

Nathan Kern9 said:The Italians were holding onto a five-goal lead with just five seconds left on the clock in the second overtime period... then those Australians managed to pull even, and suddenly this masterclass from an Italian player—striking right from center field—clinched the victory for the guys from the Mediterranean...

Did you catch that absolute blunder by the Italian? A total Golmanov moment... He goes to secure the ball and it just slips straight through his hands like water. It was quite a turnaround, really; the Australians were actually leading 6:3 after the third quarter, yet the Italians managed to claw their way back with a 6:3 finish to force overtime. 😈

I find it rather frustrating how there is always this constant insistence that Mexicans and Canadians end up facing off in the finals, provided they top their respective groups. I can't help but wonder, why couldn't we see them meet in the semifinals for once?! 🙄
It’s the exact same pattern you see in our domestic cup competitions with teams like South and Youth. I suppose it is true that it rarely happens that they collide in the semifinals, but it is incredibly rare... If they met earlier, perhaps it would shake things up a bit and allow some other team a genuine chance to make it all the way to the championship game. 🙂

Steven Green2 said:It bugs me how they always seem to set things up so that Americans and Canadians meet in the final (assuming they lead their groups). Why can't they just face off in the semifinals for once?! 🙄
It’s the same deal with the domestic cup, where they favor teams like the South and Youth. Honestly, it rarely happens that they clash in a semifinal, but it's incredibly rare... They could at least shake things up to make it more interesting and give other teams a shot at reaching the final. 🙂

It's just like tennis, where they rig it so Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal don't meet until the final.
It makes zero sense. 🤣

If we take down the Russians, we’re just heading straight into a showdown with the Mexicans, and that’s basically where it ends...
The Mexico-Canada final.

And honestly, this is exactly why I’ve been saying sports have gone completely downhill.🙂

Steven Green2 said:It’s the exact same pattern you see in the American Cup, where they tend to favor matchups involving teams like South or Youth. Now, granted, it’s a rare occurrence for them to run into each other as early as the semifinals—that almost never happens—but honestly, I think if they adjusted things just a bit, it might actually make the tournament more engaging, perhaps even allowing some other underdog squad to fight their way into a final. 🙂

Well, in our domestic cup, the bracket is determined by certain coefficient rankings, so the final isn't always predictable; I recall that just three years ago, the championship game was actually Primorje-Partizan!😬

By the way, which channels do you all typically tune into for water polo? (I am specifically referring to international matches and the networks that carry them)

Jesse Baker said:Well, in our league, things are determined by certain coefficients, so the outcome isn't always predictable. I remember three years ago, the championship ended up being Primorje-Partizan!😬

Which channel do you guys usually tune into for water polo? I mean, specifically for non-American matches and stuff like that.

Honestly, I just end up calling a buddy of mine over at the newsroom down south, and he gives me the play-by-play right at the last minute.😬

Jesse Baker said:Well, in our league, things are decided based on certain coefficients, and the finals don't always follow a predictable pattern; I recall that three years ago, the finals ended up being Primorje-Partizan!😬

I was wondering, which channels do you all typically tune into for water polo? I mean, specifically for non-American matches and the networks that carry them.

It was actually that specific Primorje-Partizan final that I had in mind when I used the word "rare." 😬

As for me, I usually catch the Italian matches on ESPN, though that's really the extent of my viewing habits. 😉

Bradley Ramos11 said:It’s just like how they rig tennis so that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal don't face off until the very final match.
It really doesn't make any sense, does it? 🤣

It's the exact same way people claim things are rigged in soccer or handball, yet somehow those sports escape this particular scrutiny.
It truly lacks all logic. 🤣

Steven Green2 said:I watch the Italians on ESPN, and honestly, that’s about the extent of my knowledge regarding them. 😉

ESPN isn't even on my cable package anymore, so I can't really rely on that as a source. However, it is quite fortunate that the BBC broadcasts many of their championships quite frequently. Though, one might argue that those legendary matchups like Primorje-Partizan have largely been supplanted by clashes like Primorje-Budva.

It truly is remarkable how much passion and attendance they command during water polo matches; even though some of their pool facilities seem somewhat more dilapidated than ours, their arenas are easily three times the size. I recall a championship or cup final about two years ago—it was a best-of-three series held in an outdoor pool while it was absolutely pouring rain, yet there were perhaps 500 to 1,000 people jumping around in excitement! If I recall correctly, it involved Pro Recco and Posillip.
I'm not sure if you ever noticed, but quite often, one of the commentators during these broadcasts is actually a woman!😉

Russian domination, 13-3 1

We face the Mexicans this Friday!

13-3!

The Russians are a joke.
They barely scraped by against the Canadians in the round of 16... though honestly, that doesn't change the fact that we took them down.

I’m putting my money on the Mexicans and praying for our big breakthrough this Friday.

This wasn't even a bad result; we absolutely crushed them. No matter how much the Russians have struggled during this tournament, we didn't even see a ten-point gap against South Africa 😬 This win is going to be huge for their confidence. They might finally realize they aren't actually that bad, get themselves hyped up, and take on the Mexicans 😬 by realizing "we can actually hold our own." Honestly, if they stay in this mindset, they won't even need to step into the pool.

You're absolutely right, Cosmi... those guys think they're invincible!!
Why on earth should we be any less capable than them??

Whenever we win, it’s usually by just one or two points... it's nothing like when we take them down in handball by 17!