2010 World Handball Championship: USA vs. Denmark (27-23)

Dennis Doyle3 said:And how much did Sprem actually play during that World Cup? He was basically just a cameo—he barely saw the court because we were stuck playing the worst left wing in American history. The guy couldn't even take a shot without committing a foul or trying some ridiculous circus trick. Then, if I recall correctly, they finally gave Sprem a shot in the finals, and yeah, truth be told, he played terribly.

I’m with you on all points. They didn't push him enough during the tournament—kind of like how American does things—so then, under all that pressure from the coaching staff, the public, the media... and let's not forget his own shaky vision... they just threw him straight into the fire during the finals where he clearly struggled.

Now, I’ll admit that isn't an excuse for Sprem (just as a reminder, I’ve been one of those people arguing that Sprem should have been benched after American's endless missed sitters and fouls 🙄), because honestly, he’s an experienced enough player that he shouldn't be getting rattled by the atmosphere or nerves... whatever the issue was. But hey, it happened, it was bad, and there were plenty of chances.

That’s why it would kill me to see us drop a medal again in the exact same way—by playing slow and failing to utilize our wings.
The talent there is massive 👍

one more for the boys 🙏 hell yeah!
hopefully they keep this energy up through the end—if they play like this, beating the USA should be a total cakewalk 😁 👋

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ds-PbMZ98Y man, that was freaking legendary 😂😂😂

Denmark is pretty tough, though they really seem to be lacking just one solid perimeter player ☕

Jason Foster7 said:Denmark is tough, I guess. They don't seem to have a single decent perimeter player. ☕

Hansen?

Jeffrey Wilson67 said:I’m with you on everything said here. They spent the whole tournament forcing him into the lineup just like they did with American, and in the end, they practically threw him to the wolves in the finals. Between the pressure from the coaching staff, the fans, and the media—not to mention his own eye issues—he was left completely out to dry when he least could afford it.

I’ll be the first to admit that what Sprem did isn't exactly an excuse. Just to set the record straight—I’ve been vocal about benching Sprem after all those endless missed opportunities and fouls from American. 🙄Look, I consider myself an experienced enough player to not buckle under the pressure or get swept up in the hype, whatever you want to call it. But honestly? It was just bad. He missed countless opportunities that were sitting right there for the taking.

It would honestly kill me to see us blow another medal opportunity just like last time—stalling out with a sluggish offense and failing to actually utilize our wings.
The sheer potential this player possesses is absolutely massive. 👍

The truth is, there wasn't a single logical reason for American to even be on the roster, let alone playing ahead of Sprem. If Sprem had actually played the entire tournament, maybe we wouldn't have choked in the final. It’s frustrating. You have a guy killing it in the Bundesliga, and back in Beijing, he was more than solid. I don't know what happened—did he just forget how to play? Meanwhile, American somehow manages to be absolutely terrible for six or seven games straight, even if you consider him world-class.
My apologies for veering off topic here.

driftingtiger8 said:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ds-PbMZ98Y man, this was such a blast 😂😂😂

And make sure you record the Links on the right: "Rare monster : Gojun"

🤣🤣🤣

Dennis Doyle3 said:The thing is, there wasn't a single logical reason for American to even be on the national team—let alone starting ahead of Sprem (he switched clubs right in the middle of the tournament, if I recall correctly)—but here we are. If Sprem had played the whole tournament, maybe the final wouldn't have been such a mess. Look, the guy plays in the Bundesliga, and he was more than decent in Beijing. What did he forget about handball? And then you have American, who somehow manages to play like absolute trash for six or seven games straight, even though he's supposed to be world-class.
sorry for going off on a tangent.

Well, obviously it gets under your skin when you're sitting in the stands watching some guy out on the court who can't even execute a basic jump shot...

And then the coach throws you into the fire, and after you miss, you're tossed straight back to the bench while everyone starts breathing down your neck... yet you still have to go back out there and play.

Anyway, American moved over to Chicago CO—that's exactly why he's on the roster.

It's the same deal as how little Sunjic is around today, while Carapin is the one stepping up in goal... purely because Carapin worked out a move to Metallurg before the EP.

And who’s the coach over there?😍

Props to Carapin, I guess, but Sunjic is playing in a completely different league compared to him.

And yeah, that Sprem situation where he's playing like an underdog? Nobody can pull that off with that much quality...

Noah Ross7 said:Hansen?

nah, Jason Foster7 is actually😁

Dennis Doyle3 said:...

I'm with you again. Honestly, I never understood why everyone was hyping up American—back when he was playing for Zamesti, if I remember right—since Sprem was always absolutely legendary. You just don't see that kind of heart very often.

rapidbison42 said:Anyway, does Balic deserve MVP at this tournament too?

Oh, absolutely—the guy is playing on a different planet entirely.
No single player can change the game for an American team quite like Balic does for ours.
We saw it clearly yesterday—the second Balic hits the bench, our offense basically vanishes; it just becomes mindless passing without any direction.☕

I’m honestly speechless regarding our performance yesterday—our defense was phenomenal, nearly flawless if you ask me.
The offense was also operating on another dimension altogether.
Huge congrats to the team.🙏🙏

Jeffrey Wilson67 said:I’m back on board with this. Honestly, I never understood why people were pushing American so hard back then—if I recall correctly, he was playing for Zamet at the time—especially since Šprem was always absolutely incredible. You just don't see that kind of heart very often.

It’s because he signed with Chicago CO right before the World Cup...

Just like how Čarapin signed with Metalurg before the European Parliament...

Yeah, I mean, he still matters to us, even when we look back at those few times he actually caught fire on the court, but he’s doing everything he can... the guy's still got it... though if we're talking about pure cultural impact, maybe the only person who carries as much weight for Iceland as Balić does for America...

wanderingorca9 said:Honestly, the guy is playing on a completely different level. It’s like he’s from another planet entirely.
I don't know, maybe I'm just being cynical, but I honestly don't think any single player—not even someone as legendary as Balić—can make quite this much of a difference for any other team in the States. It’s hard to quantify, I guess, but his impact on us feels entirely different than it would for anyone else.
Watching the game yesterday, it was pretty obvious that once Balić hits the bench, our entire offense just falls apart. It’s like we suddenly lose all our direction; it just becomes this endless, aimless passing without any real teeth behind it.☕

I’m honestly at a loss for words regarding our defense yesterday. They played absolutely phenomenally—it was almost perfect, if you ask me.
It felt like the whole attack was coming from some other dimension entirely.
My sincerest congratulations.🙏🙏

I caught a glimpse of their training session back when they were out in Miami, and man, Balić is an absolute beast.

So, I’ve been staring at the Jiche stats, and honestly, it’s kind of ridiculous... we're talking an average of 8 goals from open play per game, plus 4.4 assists... he’s sitting there as the league's top scorer with 40 from the field and 7 from the penalty line, and the top playmaker with 22 assists... just absolutely insane numbers... oh, and to top it all off, he’s leading the pack in steals too, with 9 balls snatched... 🙏🙏🙏

swiftcrane96 said:I caught one of their practices back when they were out in Miami—man, Balić is an absolute beast.

And during warmups, he moves like a freaking jet engine, doesn't he?😍

Let's talk numbers again... out of the four teams making it to the semifinals, three of them boast the statistically elite keepers—assuming you're looking at anyone who actually logged significant minutes on the pitch... we're talking about Poland, France, and the US... the only one left standing with a keeper who's arguably lagging behind is Iceland...

It just goes to show how much weight a goalkeeper carries, even if his individual stats are constantly being skewed by whatever mess the defense is leaving him to clean up...

A day after the game and we're still staring at stats that don't even tell the full story... honestly, it's just embarrassing...

These players just don't have the talent—Josip Cos MILJKOVIC after being with them at the 2010 EP

And if my memory serves me right—which it usually does—Zdravko Zovko was actually quite impressive during that World Championship held in New York, putting up 7 points.