Handball World Cup: America vs. Norway 25:28

Adam Collins4 said:From what I can tell, pretty much everyone here is saying things are gonna be tough... and yeah, they probably will be...

We aren't exactly favorites or anything; at best, we're just sitting there even with the rest...

The Norwegians seem to have the smoothest transition in the whole tournament based on the games I've caught so far...

Honestly, I'm more worried about something else. We've been stuck in this loop lately—sometimes grabbing bronze, sometimes missing out on it entirely. Our form has kind of tanked, while it feels like the Norwegians are just one tiny step away from greatness. Like, a single leap from their dream scenario. Not to mention how much they blew me away during the qualifiers. That Norway vs. Denmark game was easily one of the craziest things I've ever watched 🙏. It’s such a bummer they didn't make the Olympics, especially since the Danes ended up taking the win in the end.

Chris Fisher3 said:Solid data here. You can really see how much more diverse the Norwegian style is compared to us—if you consider Americans "us" in this context. We tend to force everything through the middle and rely heavily on outside shooting, whereas they seem to attack from every single position. They use their wings way more than we ever do. Man, if you shut down those perimeter shooters, they’ve got us boxed in. That’s how it looks just watching the games, but looking at these actual stats? It's pretty eye-opening.

So?

If you shut down the perimeter, you just break them by driving in a second player and forcing them back into a defensive set...

The only real way to stop outside shooters is running a 3-2-1 or a 5-1, but you need a specialist to pull that off...

In today's game, practically nobody can sustain that kind of pressure—especially not for a full 60 minutes or even just playing at a high tempo...

I guess it’s finally time for the handball El Clasico in the championship finals

I guess people just want to see Brkic win against the US in the finals because they love bullying us whenever we cross paths, rather than because we're actually a tough matchup. It feels more like we're just their favorite target 🤣

Adam Collins4 said:Me?

If they close the outside, you just smash through with a second runner and force them back into their line...

The only real way to stop an outside run is 3, 2, 1 or maybe a 5-1, but you need a real beast out there to pull it off...

Nobody plays like that anymore—especially not for a full 60 minutes or at a high tempo...

Yeah, you're right. I totally screwed up that part of what I said. 😁

Adam Williams2 said:They want Brkic in the championship because they love bullying us whenever we meet—not because we're actually a tough opponent, but because we're basically their favorite punching bag.🤣

I actually posted about this on another thread because I was thinking the exact same thing...
🤣

Andrew Hayes6 said:It's finally time for a handball El Clásico in the finals...

Yes, a Frenchman against the Norwegians. 😛

Chris Fisher3 said:I actually just posted about this on another thread because I was thinking the exact same thing 🤣

it’s like us, or maybe just me and Brkic and that whole crowd, acting like we're totally drunk or something... like we forgot how much they actually screw us over, or maybe we just lost our minds a bit 😁

first off, we've got to deal with the Norwegians on the field, and if we actually pull off a win, man, it's going to take everything we've got

Adam Williams2 said:it’s almost like we’re all drunk or something, you know? Like we totally forgot how much they actually screwed us over. We’re just out here acting like we tripped and fell onto them or whatever 😁

Honestly, if someone had offered us silver at the start, I probably would’ve signed on the dotted line right then. Now? We don't even have silver. But, I don't know, maybe bronze feels better than silver sometimes. For me, my bronze feels worth way more. I mean, you finish the tournament with a win, you gave it everything in that last match, and you just get this... I guess you could call it a sense of satisfaction.

Adam Williams2 said:I honestly think they just want us in the finals because they love picking on us whenever we cross paths. It’s not even about us being the tougher matchup, it’s more like we’re just their favorite target to bully 🤣

I mean, I was actually thinking the same thing a few days ago—that they always seem to get the better of us. But then I stumbled upon some stats, and it turns out that since this rivalry started, we’ve actually knocked them out of major tournaments more often than they've done to us (though, okay, they have definitely beaten us more times)

Silver is definitely the way to go, though I guess I won't be jumping for joy over this final since I've probably watched it about ten times already🙂

Betty Sanders said:Yeah, kind of like that rivalry between the French and the Norwegians. 😛

It’s really just one handball El Clasico 😉

Adam Williams2 said:They want Brkic in the finals because they love picking on us every single time we show up. It isn't about us being the tougher opponent; it’s just that we’re their favorite punching bag. 🤣

So here's the thing...☕ Just a few months ago at the Olympics, they were the ones getting absolutely crushed by us.😉

Andrew Hayes6 said:It's basically just one handball El Clásico... 😉

Yes, a matchup between the French and the Norwegians. 😁
We're only facing the Americans tomorrow if everything goes our way—if our guys play up to their potential, Stevanović steps up in goal, the refs favor us, and we get a little help from above...

Betty Sanders said:Yeah, like comparing an American to a Norwegian. 😁
I mean, we only get to face the Americans tomorrow if everything goes our way—if our players actually step up, if Stevanović decides to play defense, if the refs aren't totally against us... and maybe even a little help from gospa ofc.

It’s pretty obvious we won't get that matchup unless our guys actually play at their best.

It’s pretty straightforward, really—there can only be one winner!

The Norwegian squad is such a young group, and honestly, every single player has leveled up since last season. They're making massive strides.
Comparing the team from 2016 to how they look in 2017 just doesn't make sense.

Who’s really gonna judge?
If the Danes go down, we're toast... though I guess the Norwegians and Danes are pretty tight anyway.

Sure, people argue that the Norwegians have more variety, but honestly, that only applies to their starting lineup.
Norway has a really strong core six, but their bench is only decent if everything goes perfectly. Most of their scoring comes from Sagosen, the wingers, and Myrhol; after that, you just have a long list of players who chip in with maybe ten goals each.
Our roster feels a bit more balanced, though that’s partly because injuries have forced us to rotate through the squad more often.

Andrew Hayes6 said:It’s pretty obvious we aren't winning if our guys can't step up to the level required

Is that really true? I mean, they only seemed to find their rhythm in that last game—and how many times have they been crushed during this tournament? 🙂

The X-Files agent... maybe? I guess that's one way to put it. Just a thought. says:
So... now...☕ A few months ago at the Previous Olympic Games, I guess they were the ones who really got the short end of the stick on our side.😉

I guess they just haven't fully recovered since the finals.