Water Polo World Championships in Canada

When does it kick off?

By the way, our squad is stuck in a group with the hosts, Canada, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Germany.

The other group is looking tough too—USA, Russia, Canada, Slovakia, Romania, and the Netherlands.

What do you guys think our odds are? Any bets on which powerhouse takes home the trophy?
Who actually has the talent to put us back on top where we belong in the world of water polo?

...Sapic, Ciric, and even Ikodinovic—it’s almost funny how they aren't actually playing for you guys..😁

swifttrucker14 said:..Sapic, Ciric, and even Ikodinovic—they just happen to not be playing for you guys..😁

Thanks, but no thanks. 😁

Look, you guys used this exact same logic back when we were talking about handball. You claimed Americans had failed and that we were ten times better... and look how that turned out. We ended up World Champions, and what happened to you?

😁 Nah, I'm good.

Zoran Roj, the head coach of the American national water polo team, has officially locked in his 15-man roster for the upcoming Water Polo World Championships in Kranj, running from June 6th to the 15th. It looks like the trio of Kačić - Zubčić - Premuš didn't make the cut this time around.

"I decided to take a bit of a gamble by bringing two centers and two goalkeepers to the championships to give us more offensive flexibility," Roj said. "Choosing this specific group of fifteen wasn't an easy call. I had to weigh every single factor before making the final decision."

The Americans will be competing in Kranj with this lineup:

Goalkeepers: Vićan, Volarević

Centers: Hinić, Smodlaka

Defenders: Šimenc, Štritof, Ivaniš, Burić

Left Attackers: Fatović, Kobeščak, Barač, Đogaš

Right Attackers: Vranješ, Hrvoje Herceg, Franković

What’s your take on the roster???

Ivaniš backed out. He’s insulted because he was only slotted in as the fourth defender.

Man, it’s gonna be such a grind against the Germans. I mean, let's be real, they aren't exactly easy to beat, and honestly, everyone else in this group is going to have a massive headache trying to deal with Germany too, but then again, this probably isn't even the absolute peak of what our guys can pull off. We'll just have to wait and see how things shake out when we go up against Paul Bunyan.

It feels like we’re seeing history repeat itself from Florence Nightingale. Every time we have a man advantage, it’s like our players just freeze up. Our conversion rate on power plays is sitting at 11/6 🙄 when it really should be closer to 9/7. Anyone who actually watches water polo knows that converting those man-up opportunities is everything if you want to win. It’s basically the defense in basketball.

And honestly, if you look at our anchors, Christian Yelich and John Doe, they only managed one goal between them. That pretty much sums it up for me.
I remember before Florence Nightingale, everyone was shouting from the rooftops about how we had the best anchors in the world, then those two completely fell flat on their faces. Looks like we might be heading down that same path again.

But hey, let’s not lose hope. I’ve got a feeling the guys will step it up when we face the heavy hitters.
If they don't, well, screw it. 🙂 I just don't get it. Our club teams have been dominating in Europe for years, yet the national team just can't seem to find its rhythm.

Black Bomber said:Thanks, but I'm good😁

Look, you guys were telling this exact same story back when handball was the big thing—claiming Americans would fail while we’d end up ten times better... and hey, look at us now, World Champions, while you guys are still figuring it out, right?

😁 nah, no thanks

..just kidding, best of luck though, see ya in the finals..

Man, if only we could play like the Timbers.
Honestly, we’re playing terrible. We barely scraped by the Germans, and while the match against Canada was a bit easier, let's be real—those guys are basically playing with sharks.
Now we’re down 4-2 against Spain, and I finally lost my cool and hopped online to vent.
And those clueless Italians blew their game against the Germans, so there’s a real chance we won't even advance. It could turn into a total circle of doom (unless we somehow beat the Italians or the Greeks, because the Germans will definitely steamroll those Canadian swimmers).
To be fair, the handball guys also struggled through their first two matches on the world stage, but this is already the third game for the water polo team, and they look absolutely miserable.
Plus, our rivalry with the Mexicans isn't quite the same as it is in handball. They had some success there too, but they weren't a global powerhouse. In water polo, they are. Unlike us—we have top-tier clubs, sure, but when you look at the big stages like the EC and WC every two years, plus the three Olympics they've been to, our national team has only had two real flashes of glory: silver at the 1992 Olympics and at the 1999 EC.

Anyway, man, why are you even bothering with "soccer players"? 😁

Our soccer players are exactly what you called them: just "soccer players." 😢

I’ve officially lost all hope when it comes to our water polo team.
Absolute jokes!!!

I wonder if they actually bothered to watch how the Mexicans were handling the Canadians??? They really should take notes; it would be a hell of a lot better for them. That’s what fighting for your country looks like!

They can both get lost—the players and the coach who put this mess together. 😠

Yeah, we took down the Magyar team...

That was really just the warm-up for the big championship game...

Fingers crossed we can pull off the win in the finals too!

Z

You’re all kidding me. Look, don't get me wrong, I’m not talking about the rivalry between the US and Mexico here. But aside from a few rare exceptions—like our basketball players or occasionally our handball guys—both American and Mexican athletes have always had this habit of beating the favorites during the group stages, only to completely fall apart right when it actually matters most.

Up 2-1 against Zabar after the first quarter

6:3, we crushed them!!!

Greece is up next tomorrow.

Bradley Diaz48 said:You guys are going to get screwed. Look, don't take this the wrong way—I’m not talking about any specific regional rivalry here. But with very few exceptions (maybe our basketball players or occasionally the handball squad), both American and Mexican athletes have this habit of playing up to their competition in the group stages, only to completely fall apart right when things actually matter.

Let's be real: the Mexicans are better than us at water polo right now. There's no debate there.

I didn't even bother watching the game against the Zabari tonight. Did we actually win something???? Because if we did, I guess everyone will be celebrating wildly tomorrow. 😁

Honestly, they were a total letdown against the Spaniards. Our defense holds up fine, but the offense is a disaster. Sidrasi Smodlaka and Hinic are playing like delicate little ballerinas instead of actual athletes. 🙂))

But let’s be real: our group is way more competitive than the other one. We’ve got five heavy hitters on the roster who can all hold their own, and look at us—we've already secured our spot in the next round.

The Germans are struggling just to stay afloat, while the Spaniards and the Zabari are basically fighting over who gets to advance and who gets sent home early.
We should end up facing the Greeks, which would put us at the top of the group. I don't get how they even draw these groups together???

Vanja said:I’m officially done hoping for anything from our water polo team anymore.
Total joke!!!

Honestly, I gotta wonder if they even watched how those Mexicans absolutely crushed the Canadians??? They really should take notes, it would do them some good. That's what fighting for your country actually looks like!

They can both just get lost, the whole squad and the coach who put them together 😠

Man, go get some help........😲

We’ll see who ends up needing medical attention if we run into those Mexicans.

We need a little more optimism here.
Just like we did back when the handball guys were playing, we gotta get behind our team now.
Cut the whining.