Handball World Cup: USA vs. Norway - Final Score 25:28

Man, we had the profit right there in our sights, but damn, we just couldn't close the deal. Talk about bad luck! It’s always the same story with us. When we actually have goalies who can step up and make saves, the rest of the roster is total garbage. But then, for ten years straight when we finally had decent players on the field, our goalkeeping was non-existent. Just my luck, I guess.

Joseph Kim said:Man, Zlatko Horvat was so incredibly foolish to take that deciding penalty in the finals. Honestly, part of me is almost glad we lost because someone that incompetent shouldn't be walking around with an ounce of pride. He should probably just change his name, get a haircut, and disappear into some tiny town in the Midwest far away from the US.

If you really want to point fingers, blame the coach who sent him out there to take that shot right after the previous one missed.

Hats off to the guys for the grit they showed out there. During overtime, after those two massive blocks, I honestly thought they might have cracked mentally—they were still fighting tooth and nail—but man, I guess the tank was just empty at that point. Physicality eventually catches up to you, regardless of heart.

I can't wrap my head around Stepancic—seriously, what was that? I’m sitting here wondering how he didn't step up and sink at least eight or nine shots from deep. At this point, I have to give Mamic credit where it's due, even if it kills me.

steelharbor9 said:Maybe I didn't explain myself very well. There’s this long-standing tradition of blaming Duvnjak for being terrible during big games, but honestly, he's probably only about 50% responsible for those struggles. If he's even that much to blame.

Every single tournament, without fail, we end up hearing everyone complaining that Dule just can't stay on his feet anymore. It feels like people don't care that he gets absolutely slaughtered by Germany, and they just want him to push through until the very end.

Instead of letting him rest or maybe limiting him to just 15 minutes per game if needed, he ends up gasping for air in the semifinals because he's simply hit a wall. It's the same story every single time.

The truth is, he's exhausted because he spends the entire season playing 150 games over in Germany, so by the time he shows up for these 7 or 8 games for the national team—only six of which are actually high-intensity—he's completely burnt out. Personally, I just don't get why we expect more. 🤔

brightowl1 said:We aren't seeing anything from this national team until our left and right wingers actually have the talent to get the ball out to the perimeter. That's the single biggest thing holding this whole squad back...

No matter how much everyone trashes Kopljar while he’s on the floor, the guy knows exactly how to kick it out to the wing. Plus his defense is elite... you don't even need to sub him out for defensive purposes...

Joseph Clark37 said:Congrats to Norway!👋

As long as gobčev keeps rambling about how God will never let them reach the finals... and honestly, those casual fans who only tune into handball during the championship rounds once a year—who, frankly, couldn't care less about what's actually happening in American handball or sports in general—well, they can just deal with it. 🙂

Signature

The Virgin Mary slipped up. Then Thor just laid her out...

wiredtrucker20 said:But our ridiculous attacks with the 7th man?
It’s just adding ten seconds for nothing. The player runs out, then the goalie comes back in. We shoot or try to draw a foul. Then the goalie goes back out and the player goes back in. That seventh man provides zero value; he’s just standing there waiting to be called back in while nobody else even accounts for him on the court. Then we end up with some half-baked shot that their keeper saves easily, and we get hit on the counter by an unset defense against a goalie who just barely got his hands ready.

Even the Virgin Mary would be facepalming at that point.

Total absurdity... Mamić and Gojun are the only ones getting a passing grade.

The only one I can forgive for everything is Horvat. Obviously, he was the only one with the guts to actually take the shot.

"You just can't control the outcome. So why beat yourself up over it? You have to accept, and fast, that you aren't going to walk away with a win every single night. Sobbing over one loss—no matter how much it stings—it’s just dead weight. It slows down your entire career. If you can look in the mirror and know you gave everything you had to win, then the best move is simple: let it go. Forget about it immediately." Dražen Petrović

They really left everything out there—heart, soul, and every bit of effort they had...

I guess you could call this part the technical and tactical side of things, though having a seventh player who basically does nothing isn't helping much.

The players are playing way above their actual skill level...

Man, they're acting like bigger martyrs than Jesus himself; I bet people in Norway don't fight for their homeland that hard either...

If I had the money right now, I’d probably just smash the TV.

Kyle Torres60 said:No matter how much we all trash talk Kopljar while he's on the court—the guy is elite at kicking the ball out to the wings and his defense is solid. Honestly, you don't even need to sub him out when he's locking people up.

Facts. If Kopljar was actually in the lineup today, we wouldn't be losing by five.

Not a single word of the Virgin Mary or Jesus comes from Babićev's mouth. 🙏 🙏

I’m not satisfied.

There isn't much left to say. I've been tearing them apart year after year, and honestly, today there's just nothing left to say. Truly, nothing at all.

Dule talks like he’s already polished off an entire bottle of bitters, and honestly, looking at him, you'd probably believe it.

George Robinson43 said:There isn't a shred of holiness or divinity coming from Babićev's mouth. 🙏 🙏

He gave thanks to God for everything... ☕

It is quite disheartening to listen to their statements; one can really sense how hollow they are.
It feels like such a massive disappointment that we couldn't pull it off.

Mark Harris3 said:He gave thanks to God for everything... ☕

God, thank You for today. 👏🎉

neonheron9 said:total circus... only Maimonides and the coach actually deserve a passing grade.

The only guy I’m giving a pass to is Horvat. Clearly the only one with the guts to actually step up.

Gotta be fair and say Duvnjak played out of his mind on defense, even if he was useless on offense. He worked himself to death, unlike some of those lazy bums out there.

The bronze medal is a solid result—after that performance in the group stage, I honestly wasn't sure if they’d even make it to the quarterfinals.

This time next year