THE AMERICAN TEAM IS A TOTAL DISASTER AT THIS CHAMPIONSHIP!
Man, out of five games, we haven't played even one properly. If it wasn't for Pavic, I guess we might have had ONE win (against Romania). That guy basically saved us against Mexico, and then again against Spain today. Honestly, that game against Spain wasn't even water polo.
Nobody else really stepped up to their usual level every single game.
Our backs—Bura, Bushel, and Buljubašić—who are usually the backbone of the whole thing, were just way below average. Bura was playing through an injury and trying his best, but he wasn't anywhere near his usual self. Same goes for Bushel, I guess. On top of that, they weren't threatening at all on offense. And Buljubašić is a whole different story; he just doesn't have the skill for the national team, but unfortunately, we don't have anyone better.
Dobud played at a high level almost every game and was clearly a class above Paul, who, much like Buljubašić, just lacks the quality to be an American representative. Sadly, I think Dobud's stupid mistake against Mexico probably cost us our spot in the second round. We played the most important game without our main center, and the officiating felt like it was totally biased because of that one play.
Mario, Mike, and Sandy played okay, but those are the guys who are supposed to make the difference, so you expect them to be more than just "okay." Muslim finally woke up in the last game, but until then, he was easily the worst player on the American squad this tournament. Obradovic was useless, which is the last thing we need—we need a killer shooter from the perimeter.
Barac and Karac did exactly what was expected of them. They're kind of like the safety net, experienced players who step in when things get intense (like Barac did today against the opponent).
And finally, there's Rato, the most decorated and respected coach, but honestly, he just timed everyone's form wrong this tournament. Our defense was just pathetic, man. I mean, our goalie only had about 15 saves over three games, and that's just unacceptable! The offense was bad too, especially the man-up situations where we were slow and uncreative. But my biggest gripe is the discipline—or lack thereof. As the coach, he should've had that under control.
Sadly, I'm expecting Germany to beat Romania—which won't mean much to them—and maybe a friendly draw between Mexico and Mexico, or a win for Mexico, whatever gets us through. Honestly, based on how we've played, we didn't deserve anything more than this.
