2009 World Aquatics Championships (Rome) - Discussion Thread

Nathan Edwards62 said:Look, I know nobody could talk trash to me. I’d be out there shooting, too—if I actually had the balls.☕

Right. Let's just blame Dad Cloth. Did you actually see how that play went down?
Cloth was handed the ball just seconds before the buzzer because nobody else wanted it.

Samuel Baker3 said:A coach isn't everything; you actually need players on the field too.😁

Ratko Rudić 👋

Congrats to the Mexicans—they’re playing better water polo, and frankly, it's more fun to watch than ours.

I'm sure Rudić will take some lessons from this match to prepare for the UN Games.☕

😂

Which ones? 2024 or 2028?

Not trying to rub salt in the wound here, but I haven't seen a squad look this disorganized since middle school gym class. It’s like they didn't even have a backup plan for when Mexico lost their star players.
Pavić had an off night, sure, but the rest of the defense was a total disaster zone. Seriously, with just a couple minutes left, Nikić outruns your fullback to force a penalty. Pavić took the hit on that last goal, but honestly, his teammates weren't covering a single inch of the net. We could go on like this all day, but listing every tiny blunder misses the big picture: they just couldn't adjust to the opponent's style at all, and the officiating was wild (it was tough on both sides, though Mexico definitely dealt with way more cards).
Huge props to Mexico, though. Most teams would’ve completely crumbled after losing their leader and realizing they didn't have a single sub left on the bench for the final two minutes. They played with way more heart and actually looked like they wanted that win.

rapidbison42 said:Yeah, sure, let's just pin it all on the coach at Cloth Inc. I mean, did you actually watch how that last play went down?
The ball was basically handed over to them seconds before the buzzer because nobody even wanted to touch it.

I don't think the issue is just some minor thing with the cloth, honestly. Our offensive plays have been completely brainless for a long time now, and I guess there isn't much else to say, but people who actually follow water polo know how things really work. It’s just the way it is. Not to get into listing all the other players who only get playing time because of their parents or who they're dating, but their time will come and then you'll see what I mean. Saying there's no hierarchy in our national team just seems pretty pointless to me.

Only cloth has any real guts, and even then, he hasn't even grown a beard yet.

The rest of you? You better find some backbone if you don't have it already.

Adam Reyes90 said:I hate to rub salt in the wound, but I haven't seen a squad look this disorganized in years. It’s like they’ve never played together. There was zero vision, let alone a backup plan for when Mexico lost their key players.

It’s been this way since Rudic took over. He promised gold and glory, yet he’s only delivered once in six tries. We’re stuck in the same chaos we were in before him. Turns out our previous gold medal was just a fluke.
At this rate, we’d lose to any of the three teams left in the semifinals.
If Rudic had any integrity, he would have stepped down after Beijing, despite how much he wouldn't stop rambling about it since taking the job. Clearly, he was just praying for another stroke of luck at this World Cup. Luck isn't a strategy.

Pavic had an off night, but the rest of the defense was a disaster too.

Pavic performed exactly as expected. Which is to say, he conceded at least three or four easy goals. Honestly, he might be the worst keeper to ever wear the American jersey.

Nathan Edwards62 said:The issue isn't just some minor detail about the cloth. Our offensive plays have been mindless for ages now. I don't know what else to tell you—anyone actually connected to water polo knows how things really work around here. Not to mention the players who get special treatment because of their parents or connections. Their time will come, and then you'll see what I mean. Claiming there’s no hierarchy on our national team? That’s just nonsense.

I get it.
Watching the way we played today was enough to make the point.

rapidbison42 said:The whole game plan hasn't changed one bit since Rudic took over. He kept promising us gold medals and glory, but honestly? He’s only pulled it off once out of six tries. We're stuck in the same chaotic mess we were in before he arrived. In the end, that one championship run just turned out to be a fluke.
If things stayed this way, we’d lose to any of the three teams left in the semifinals.
If Rudic had an ounce of integrity, he would've stepped down right after Beijing—which he wouldn't shut up about since day one—but clearly, he was just praying for another lucky break at this World Cup. It doesn't work like that.

Pavic played his heart out, which basically means letting in 3 or 4 easy goals per game. Seriously, he's easily the worst keeper to ever suit up for the US national team.

Looks like you finally caught on to the sad reality here...

And when it comes to the goalie, Soro isn't any better. Both of them spent about 90% of the shots just flailing their arms wildly through thin air.

Let’s be real: everyone knows Soro is just an average keeper, yet thanks to the short-sightedness of American water polo fans, we’ll probably hear tomorrow that Pavic is somehow the best goalie on the planet.

They lost today to a mediocre squad that played with zero pressure and total freedom. They basically handed that win over, and now we get to sit through the usual stream of pathetic excuses—how they "lacked luck," how there's no depth on the left side, or how much they miss Vican (I don't even know how you can say you miss him if you claim to have the best player in the world). Then comes Rudicev’s inevitable conclusion that he's satisfied and that the prep for the Olympics is right on track.

Next thing you know, Perica will chime in saying Rudic isn't going anywhere and that preparations for London are proceeding perfectly. Where? Just so he can let his guard down again and choke in some quarterfinal.

Honestly, I figured out what was wrong with American water polo a long time ago. I expect nothing more than these pathetic displays in high-stakes games and constant losses, but it still gets under my skin every single time. It’s not even about the score; it’s the bizarre, almost morbid predictability of their lack of backbone and how they play their absolute worst when it actually matters most.

I mean, seriously, they lost today to a mid-tier team that was missing half its starters by the second half. What's next? Are they going to lose to a team three times worse than them that shows up to the pool having not eaten for three days and playing with their hands tied behind their backs?

Samuel Baker3 said:I'm pretty sure Rudic will take some lessons from this game and really step it up during the Olympics.☕

Totally ☕

🤣

As for the match itself—just our usual stuff, losers, no backbone, all that... honestly, I'm probably better off if I hadn't even watched it.

So, look, Mexico is just your run-of-the-mill squad that somehow manages to snag medals every single time. Meanwhile, you've got the absolute best team on the planet—the undisputed heavyweights—who, by some freak of nature, can never seem to bring home a trophy...

William Roberts2 said:Alright, I guess Mexico is just an average squad that somehow manages to snag medals every single time. Meanwhile, America is supposedly the best team on the planet, yet by some miracle, they never seem to walk away with anything...

The trolls are out in full force today! 👋

A huge congratulations to the US on such an incredible game and a well-deserved win!

I’ll definitely be rooting for you guys in the finals.

Unknown, you guys jump straight to calling it trolling. Honestly, everything you’re saying just circles right back to the exact point I already made.

William Roberts2 said:Unknown, you guys are jumping straight to calling me a troll. I guess all your arguments really just boil down to what I actually wrote here.

That’s just not true. You're lying; you're just trying to provoke a reaction, and there's actually a specific word for people who do that—a TROLL!!! ☕

I'm not trying to start anything here. The guy is just saying that Team USA played like garbage today against a total underdog squad.
It’s like we're watching a movie where the mid-tier characters end up taking home all the gold while the heavy hitters get knocked out in the first act.

Honestly, I don't really care if you guys think they're average or not. All I know is that our team has proven themselves to be total losers more times than I can count, and I'm just genuinely bummed out that I wasted over an hour watching a defeat I pretty much saw coming anyway. 🙄

Now that the hype-men have finally stopped screaming after every single goal, let's actually talk about what happened...

This is easily one of the biggest wins our national team has ever pulled off....but why does it feel so significant?

1. We already know they swapped out almost the entire starting lineup...
2. Our opening match against Spain showed us we just didn't have the experience to close games out yet.
3. Then there was that headache with the FIN rejecting our request to swap in an injured player.
4. After surviving that first round against the host nation...
5. ...and grinding out a tough win against those powerhouse Canadian water polo players...
6. ...we had this game today.

To be honest, I’m still trying to wrap my head around how we actually walked away with a win. The Americans played like absolute amateurs, honestly—it felt like they were being coached by some guy at a beach bar rather than a pro, when they really should have been playing for a free round of drinks from some tourists. Man, with our key players sidelined, there were so many tactical openings... we could have played it cool during the man-down situations with two anchors in the water, and so on...
But look, our guys are absolute legends. If we were always expecting greatness from the previous generations, I truly didn't expect this level of performance from this group. We were mostly just hoping for a medal, maybe bronze at most. The defining moments of our game were those long-range shots when the field was even, the way they sliced into open spaces, and that sheer grit and defiance they showed whenever someone underestimated them.
What happens in the finals? I don't know, and frankly, I don't care right now.
The path we took through the bracket to get here is still pretty unbelievable... 🙏

William Roberts2 said:Alright, let's look at it this way: Mexico is just an average squad that somehow manages to snag medals every single time. Meanwhile, America is clearly the best team on the planet, yet by some absolute miracle, we never seem to walk away with any hardware...

Given how much you're stretching the truth there, I imagine you must feel quite flexible, don't you?

I took a quick peek at the Index forum earlier—which was my first mistake—and found the exact same topic being debated, and honestly, it’s shocking what it's turned into. I really don't mean to offend anyone, but there is a genuinely concerning number of people from Mexico who, if they aren't kept in check by strict moderation, behave like a pack of angry Chihuahuas let off a leash. It almost seems like they make a professional career out of posting nonsense on forums in neighboring countries. :/

all those Mexican panties featuring the 4C motif 🙏 🤣