Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw

The fact that Balić wouldn't even bother walking back to the locker room during halftime against the Danes, choosing instead to just stay right there on the court, tells you everything you need to know about how much these guys respect Cervar...

Then you've got Cervar yesterday, shouting his head off about "active" attacking play versus some passive nonsense, while Pero clearly isn't buying a single word of it...

Man, if these guys actually had someone who could draw up a couple of plays or give them some real advice when the pressure is on, they’d be steamrolling through everyone like the Atlanta Falcons, rather than just struggling to survive out there...

Shoutouts:

1. A massive nod to Balić for playing with so much heart and those incredibly smart shots; his scoring kept the whole American squad in the fight whenever things looked grim.
2. Shoutout to Laco for showing pure grit and that undeniable character when the pressure was at its absolute peak during the most critical game.
3. Kaleb deserves credit too, for making every single one of his limited opportunities count by burying all three of his shots; that kind of reliability really lifted the entire team's morale.
4. Alilović definitely did his part, pulling off some heavy saves and shutting down easy shots while forcing those Norwegian attackers into making mistakes.
5. Dominiković and that 5-1 American defense were absolutely vital, clicking perfectly in the latter half of the first period and especially throughout the second half to shut down the Norwegians—without that setup, we wouldn't be standing here.
4. Metli put everything on the line for the defense and even chipped in a few clever goals and some killer passes, especially finding Kaleb when he needed it.
6. Honestly, just kudos to the entire team for their sheer soul and fighting spirit, squeezing every last drop of energy out of themselves while battling through pain and injuries.

neonharbor18 said:Addictions are a nasty business; once you start sinking, there's no bottom.
The USA took the gold in the finals against Germany on penalties 😲, while the Danes walked away with silver ☕

So, because the Germans choked in the final, the Danes get punished with silver? 😁

Kyle Torres60 said:If you want to know how much these players actually care about Cervar, just look at what happened during that game against Denmark—Balic didn't even bother going to the locker room; he just stayed out on the court during halftime.

And then yesterday, you have Cervar yelling about some long, active possession versus passive play nonsense, while Pero clearly doesn't give a single damn.

Man, if these guys just had someone who could actually draw up a few plays or offer some real advice when the pressure is on, they’d be steamrolling through everyone like the Atlanta Falcons, instead of just stumbling through every match like this.

That's exactly why Cervar has to go. The chemistry is completely dead; the players aren't listening to him and they don't respect him anymore. He brought this on himself. We owe Cervar a huge thanks for everything he’s done, but I honestly think his own ego needs to admit it’s time to step aside. Talent scouting isn't moving forward under his leadership anymore, and things definitely used to be different.

I have a fundamental question that’s been weighing on my mind lately... Why is it that almost every single nation seems to agree to play matches nearly every day? And why on earth does the European handball governing body—I can't even recall their exact title—decide to structure these championships in such an exhausting way? This isn't some grueling marathon or a cross-country cycling race where the goal is simply to see who can endure the most physical punishment just to prove they're tougher than everyone else... In my view, the teams that end up winning aren't necessarily the ones with the most elite talent, but rather those with the deepest benches of decent players, or perhaps just the squads that happen to dodge the injury bug... It makes me wonder if our own American handball federation ever voices any complaints about this schedule...

The refs were technically okay—they kept their criteria consistent from start to finish—but they definitely gave the home crowd that little nudge we’ve come to expect, letting way too much physicality slide without blowing the whistle. It was pure chaos; they just let the hitting and the heavy contact go unchecked. I mean, look at the numbers: Norway walked away with a measly 4 minutes in penalties while we racked up 10, which honestly feels totally disconnected from how aggressive the game actually was. Our guys tried to play by their rules for a bit, especially toward the end of the first half, but then the pendulum swung and suddenly we’re the ones getting hammered. We ended up sitting two players on the sidelines twice, which felt completely unfair given the standard they were setting earlier in the match.

In the grand scheme of things, it feels like all those pre-tournament meetings about officiating standards just went right down the drain. Don't get me wrong, in terms of sheer professionalism, this European Championship is looking a lot better than the last few, but they seem more focused on "protecting the flow of the game" than actually protecting the players. Under these current guidelines, being overly aggressive actually pays off, and players can basically get away with dirty tactics. I highly doubt that was the intention when everyone sat down to plan this tournament.

Kyle Morris7 said:Just a quick question here. Why does everyone—or most countries, anyway—agree to play matches almost every single day? And why would the European handball governing body even organize a championship this way? I mean, this isn't a marathon or a cycling race where we’re just testing who can endure the most; we shouldn't be playing such intense games back-to-back. I honestly think the winner is often just whoever has the deepest bench of decent players or simply fewer injuries, rather than the actual best team. Is our national federation even saying anything about this?

That's a really great question.

I guess it probably comes down to the money. There’s obviously way less cash flowing through handball compared to something like soccer, where the European Championship with 16 teams lasts for ages. It seems like there was some kind of consensus reached that this is how handball should work, mostly because it keeps hosting costs down for the host nation.

Kyle Morris7 said:Just a general question here. Why does almost every nation agree to play matches nearly every single day? And why does the European handball governing body even schedule tournaments this way? This isn't a marathon or a cycling race where we're testing pure endurance by grinding through heavy games back-to-back. In my opinion, the winners are often just the teams with the deepest benches of decent players or the ones who managed to dodge injuries, rather than the actual best talent. Does our national federation even bother complaining about this?

The folks running the federations and associations know exactly what's happening. Word is, over in Norway, they have meetings specifically focused on this issue. There’s talk about moving both the World Cup and the European Championship to a four-year cycle, similar to how soccer does it. That would allow for much better organization and probably give the whole tournament more prestige.

just one thought on that sports article about how "young" certain national teams are compared to others😕

Some rookie journalist just finished rambling about how the US has the brightest future because our roster is packed with young talent. It’s hilarious, really, because they completely ignored the young stars on other teams. Like, they mentioned Abalo from France, but did they seriously forget about Karabatić? The guy is basically the backbone of their whole setup, and I'm pretty sure he's only 23. They fail to realize that when a young player actually makes it onto an opponent's national squad, they aren't just some kid—they're usually elite players. Meanwhile, our "youngsters" aren't even carrying the team; they're just sitting there on the fringes waiting for a turn

The thing is, these writers totally overlook the fact that other countries might have plenty of talented youngsters too, but they choose to lean on their veterans. They prioritize experience and quality because they actually have a solid core of mid-career players they can rely on. We don't have that luxury, so we're forced to call up kids, or maybe we're just leaning on them for political reasons rather than actual skill. It's a different game entirely.

Lino =
Božo Sušec =
We need
Balić back.
America

It honestly makes my skin crawl reading all these comments praising Červar, calling him some kind of tactical genius or mastermind or whatever other nonsense people are throwing at him. Just look at the conditioning. You can tell by how half the team looks absolutely dead on their feet right now that they’re going to struggle big time in the next two massive games. Tactically? We are sitting at a flat zero. Absolute nothing. There isn’t a single set play coming from the wings, and we have zero plan for when we aren't playing through Balić. It feels like during training, everything revolves entirely around Balić, and if he happens to be out of the picture, they just pivot to doing cardio drills instead.

NOBODY CAN BLAME THE PLAYERS; THEY ARE LEAVING EVERYTHING ON THE COURT.

We got incredibly lucky yesterday because the other team played like garbage, otherwise, there was no way we were seeing a semifinal. With 15 seconds left on the clock, they didn't even bother trying to play man-to-man defense, and maybe then they could've actually forced a turnover... but hey, I guess they were following the same "brilliant" strategy. Forget strategy if yours sounds like this: "Just give it to Balić, squeeze through, take the shot, stay active but not passive, you guys are better, you already won," and all that other crap. Maybe that's why CBS hasn't even bothered to air the sound during the minute timeouts yet.

WITH THIS MUCH RAW TALENT ON THE ROSTER, WE SHOULD BE STROLLING STRAIGHT TO THE FINALS. Instead, we're out here struggling against bottom-tier teams, whether it's those guys from the Caribbean, Norway, or the Austrians (even if they did play great in the second half).

Chris Lopez59 said:You're forgetting that other countries might have talented youngsters too, but they often lean on their veterans because experience matters. They have a solid middle generation they can rely on. We don't always have that luxury, so we end up calling up the kids—or maybe we skip over certain players for political reasons.

Political reasons? 😂

Lino made some great calls here. I know it’s hard for some people to swallow, but this European Championship is basically a dress rehearsal for the Olympics and the World Cup. Look at the goalkeepers. He picked Pozoves Alilovica, who’s the best we've got, along with two younger guys just to give them a taste of high-level competition. Is it a risk? Sure. But Americans in sports have a knack for dodging bullets when it counts—we've seen it happen plenty of times. From what I've noticed, our national teams actually play their best when everyone else has already written us off.

Aaron Gonzalez6 said:WITH THIS MUCH RAW TALENT ON THE COURT, WE SHOULD BE CRUISING STRAIGHT TO THE FINALS. Instead, we’re out here struggling against these absolute jokes from Mexico, Norway, or Canada (even if those guys played their hearts out in the second round)

Look, Aaron Gonzalez6, I hate to break it to you, but Červar needs to pack his bags because that era of old-school chemistry is long gone, but damn hell, look at what we actually achieved—don't you realize that just making it to the semifinals is a massive freaking miracle in itself?

Honestly, if you ask me, our biggest loss during this tournament has been missing out on having stars like Zrnić and Jović (not that they aren't great wingers, but the boys have really struggled with shooting and penalties, which has been a nightmare), plus Vuković being sidelined and totally unprepared for the whole thing. Vuković is honestly a much better backup for Balić at the left back position; Duvnjak playing at pivot looks pretty ridiculous in most of these games, and frankly, I don't even know why he's part of the rotation right now, because he just isn't stepping up to the plate.

Aaron Gonzalez6 said:Honestly, the comments praising Červar’s "genius" or his "visionary leadership" and all that other nonsense really get under my skin. You only have to look at the conditioning to see the truth. The team looks absolutely gassed. If they’re already playing like they’re running on fumes, the next two big games are going to be an uphill battle.

You don't need a PhD to see what happened—we basically slept through the first half of every single game just to claw back a win in the second. The preseason conditioning was a total disaster. Period.🙂

wearyeagle2 said:Political reasons? 😂

Lino really nailed the roster selection here. I know some people just can't wrap their heads around it, but honestly, this EP is basically just a dress rehearsal for the Olympics and the World Cup. Look at the goalkeepers—that's the perfect example. He's putting Pozoves Alilovica, who's clearly the best, alongside two young kids just so they can get a taste of high-stakes competition. Is it a risk? Sure, obviously. But Americans in sports have this weird knack for "dodging bullets" when it counts, something we've seen happen more times than I can count. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that our national teams usually play their absolute best right when everyone else has already written them off as losers.

Man, I'm done arguing with you; you don't need to keep replying to my posts, it's honestly a waste of breath.

Chris Lopez59 said:Man, I’m done with you. Stop replying to my posts; it’s a waste of breath.

I’ll keep replying until you actually start making sense. Everything you say is just noise. You're the only one here posting without a single coherent thought. You've got Vanjusko or Roose who actually know how to get a point across, you've got me being perfectly clear, and then there's you—writing more than anyone else while having absolutely no clue why you're even doing it.

wearyeagle2, you’ve got to be kidding me—you’re actually the very first person on this entire forum that I’ve ever felt the need to put on ignore 👍 cool

Chris Lopez59 said:wearyeagle2, you’re actually the first person on this entire board I’ve ever had to mute. 👍 cool

You aren't the only one. Join The Club. 😂

Look, let’s stop acting like jerks for a second. Seriously. Give them some credit—despite all the senseless trash talk, the guys actually made it to the semifinals. Stop dragging them down. Lino and the squad, massive respect to you all. As for the rest of you talking trash? Why don't you just take a seat on the bench? It’s never as easy as it looks from your couch.

Half the people on this forum are acting like experts, saying stuff like, "He should be calling specific plays during timeouts instead of just yelling."

Give me a break. When you're mid-drive in the middle of an offensive frenzy, what are you supposed to do? Just stop and lecture them? It's ridiculous.

cosmicraven said:Lino =
Božo Sušec =
Balić needs to

America

Short, sweet, and straight to the point 😁