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

I'm a little lost here...☕

Does Poland still have that one massive goalkeeper they used to have??

MEP As specified by:
Tell me more about that.😁 I won't even get started on this whole cult of personality surrounding Charles.😁
Yesterday everyone was tearing him apart, and today they’re treating him like a saint. The only actual difference between the last two games and today is that Allen shot 45% while Bennett sank seven or eight buckets.😁

Everything else remains unchanged: our offense is still completely directionless, and the defense continues to concede goals far too easily. It’s the lack of attacking ideas that really gets under my skin, especially when we have a numerical advantage on the pitch. Every single opponent knows exactly how to exploit us whenever we're shorthanded, yet when we actually have the extra man, we can't seem to create any meaningful space. Even when we do manage to find an opening, it's handled so clumsily that Cooper ends up having to take a shot from an 85-degree angle.🙄
I’d actually be pretty interested to see the actual stats on this—specifically how many goals we conceded while playing shorthanded versus how many we managed to put in when we had the man advantage.

It was fine, I guess. We actually had more than two players who looked like they belonged on the court, which is why we looked like a national team instead of some small-town pickup squad. If we want to stay competitive, we need to replicate this performance consistently—and the Americans should probably expect to head home with a four or five-point loss if they keep playing like this.😉

But they’re more of a liability when it comes to the player.

There's definitely some work to be done there. Clearly.

boldhound8 said:Spill it. What am I supposed to be talking about? Give me some actual details here.😁 Don't even get me started on the cult following around Charles.😁
Yesterday everyone was tearing him to pieces, and today suddenly he’s some kind of hero. Honestly, there's zero difference between the last two games and today—the only thing that changed is that Allen shot 45% while Bennett knocked down 7 or 8 shots. That's it.😁

Everything else is the same. We’re still stuck without a single clue in the attacking third, and our defense? They're basically handing out goals like candy. Honestly, the lack of creativity up front is what really gets under my skin—especially when we actually have the numbers advantage. It's pathetic. Every time the other team plays a man down, they tear us apart, but when we have the extra man, we can't seem to create a single opening. Even when we do manage to find some space, it's so clumsy and disorganized that Cooper ends up having to take an 85-degree shot just to get anything on target. Absolute joke.🙄
I’d really love to see the actual stats on this. Specifically, how many goals did we let in when we were playing shorthanded versus how many we managed to put up when we had the man advantage?

Look, it was fine. We actually had more than two guys who looked like they wanted to be there, so we finally looked like a real national team instead of some random pickup squad from the suburbs. If we want to stay relevant, we need to play like this every single game. And the Poles? They better be heading home too, looking at a 4 or 5 point loss.😉

Here we go again with the complainers... We just beat the European champions and people are actually claiming we have zero ideas in the attack. Give me a break. To me, the offense looked fantastic. Why is feeding Bennett to bad when you can see he’s absolutely tearing them apart? "No ideas"? Please. Yeah, okay, we got caught sleeping near the end—even Kelly admitted that much—but you expect us to maintain a high-octane tempo for 50 minutes straight after a stretch like this and still be perfect? Get real.
Yeah, the defense looks weak, I get it. But that’s why we’ve got Allen out there. Next time the defense slips up, Mike might end up having a rougher game... just stop being such a pessimist.
Can we please just focus on the positives for once today? Leave all the trash talk to the Danes. Seriously, go ask yourselves why they haven't been able to develop their own style of play.

Sam Murphy said:I wonder who came up with that cowboy name. Quite something.

They did it to themselves.

And yeah, Charles really shouldn't have brought his mother into the conversation with anyone...

They played out of their minds—defense was clinical, maybe even their best showing since the 2004 Olympics.

If they keep playing like this, honestly, they could take down anyone in the bracket...

As for the officiating, it was decent... I mean, there were some pretty boneheaded calls, sure, but overall? Not bad at all...

ambercanyon3 said:By the way, if I may point out after wading through twenty-three pages of commentary, the surname Gojun is actually stressed on the first syllable—on the "Go" part in standard American English.

You’re clearly just someone who likes to observe, take it however you will. This thread is about handball; those linguistics experts are somewhere else up there.

If he hadn't passed away (rest his soul), I would have suspected you were T. Ladan...

rustyraven4 said:Does Poland still have that terrible goalkeeper??

fancy model 🙏

Classic American style. Just when everyone writes them off and they least expect it, they explode...

I'm just worried they might loosen up too much and fly too high...

The guys from Lubbock made the call today.. Allen and Bennett 🙏 🙏

But you have to give credit to Bailey; even though he's getting older, he plays so smart. He doesn't waste possessions, scores when it counts, dishes assists, draws fouls and penalties, and uses his authority to influence the refs... He’s been excellent in this tournament.

I hope Linus has finally seen the light and that Kopljar only gets playing time when Bennett needs a breather...

Linus can get under people's skin, and people can complain about who he isn't calling up, but the man has an incredible track record that keeps him in the driver's seat. 10 competitions, 9 semifinals, and one 5th place finish with just a single loss... That's massive success...

It's about time we grabbed the gold again after all this time...

Who's going to be able to handle Charles' speech in Times Square.... 🤣

Charles Williams58 said:And here we go again with the complainers... beat the European champions and suddenly we have "no ideas" in the offense. Personally, I thought the attack was brilliant—why would you stop feeding Bennett when he’s clearly finding his rhythm? No ideas? Sure, there was some chaos toward the end—Kelly admitted that much—but give me a break; try playing at such a high tempo for fifty minutes straight after a schedule like this and then tell me how to be perfect!
The defense was a bit shaky, I'll give you that, but that's why we have Allen. Next time the defense might slip up, and Mike might have an off night... just stop being so negative.
Can we at least spend today focusing on the wins? Leave the criticism to the Americans... maybe ask yourselves why they couldn't get their game together.

Honestly, even the defense was solid. It was nothing but contested half-shots from tight angles, low shots, or wingers trying to squeeze them in...

We just need a little more mobility and we're golden...

Today was real men's basketball. My only worry is how we're going to hold up against, say, the Frenchmen...

rapidbison42 said:It’s simple, Denmark is nowhere near our level when it comes to quality. That’s why Iceland absolutely crushed them, and that’s exactly why we dismantled them too. They just aren't in the same league as us anymore compared to how they played in years past.

As if having Jeppesen and Boesen being "too old" was the problem...

Their coach is a total clown, just like Linus; you can see him out there shouting about how Kopljar is some kind of miracle player! 😁