USA-Mexico and Mexico

Mr.Ex.President said:This was just a copy/paste job.

I honestly have no clue... I have to admit I’ve probably only watched the USA-Mexico matchup for maybe 20 minutes in total.🙂

I know it's a C/P,😉 but it feels like I'm just shouting into the void when I post questions like this.😁

I watched them play against Sweden, Germany, Norway, and Spain. Sure, they might be weaker than us, but they definitely aren't weaker than an American squad that's actually playing at its full potential. Compared to how we're playing lately? They're better.

Their perimeter isn't exactly lethal compared to other top teams. They've got Muratovic, who can be great but doesn't always show up—he lacks consistency. One day he's dropping seven or eight goals, the next he's barely scoring one or two.
Then you've got Petric at right back. He absolutely tore it up against the Spaniards in the first half, putting up four or five goals, and then he just flatlined. He started missing open shots and giving away easy balls. He has that explosive potential, but he only uses it when he feels like it.

Krivokapic is holding down the left back spot. He's decent, but again, the consistency just isn't there. He either hits everything or misses everything in a row.

In the center, they've got Stojanovic and Andjelkovic. Stojanovic seems slightly more polished; he has that certain something. Andjelkovic has the speed and the shot, but he frequently disappears from the game entirely, like he's not even on the court. A classic "flash in the pan" player.

Their pivot is Nikolic, and his style reminds me a lot of Sulica. Muratovic feeds him perfectly, as does Krivokapic and Petric—the backs seem to find him quite effectively. He usually averages about five or six goals a game. However, he was already looking spent today and had to be subbed out for Toskic, who isn't nearly as impactful. It looks like Nikolic is also getting worn down; he's starting to miss more often and making sloppy mistakes.

As for the wings, Sudzum is really solid on the left, while Zikica on the right is pretty mediocre. To be fair, Zikica managed to sneak in a few good plays today, acting almost like a second pivot and chipping in with three goals, I think.

Sudzum is playing the front defender really well in their 3-2-1 against our 5-1 defense. All in all, Vujovic has basically ripped off the American 3-2-1 defensive scheme; you can see it from an airplane. They are playing in our exact style, with Sudzum acting as the front man, much like Sprem on our side—just a total ball hawk.

Clearly, we're the ones patenting these handball tactics.🙂

I'm hoping the original shows the copycat what real handball looks like this Thursday.😁

Pros and cons for the Mexicans:

-For anyone who missed it, I listed the roster and player traits over on page 2

The Pros:
-Solid right wing...Sudžum
-Decent pivot...Nikolić
-Good depth in the perimeter players
-Strong left back...Muratović
-Defensive specialists...Đukanović, Đurković
-They’re legendary at starting the second half; they can swing a game by 4 or 5 goals just like that
-Two solid center backs...Stojanović, Anđelković

The Cons:
-Weak left wing...Milosavljević
-Inconsistent right back...Petrić
-Those defensive specialists? They kill our fast break potential
-We have two good center backs, but one ends up sitting out
-Muratović is a great left back, but he disappears for huge chunks of the game—no clue why
-Against the Spaniards, Anđelković is goal-shy and Sudžum 2 is struggling too

👋

Man, if someone had actually told me before the tournament started that we’d be duking it out against them for a spot in the semifinals, I would've bet my old man's 😁 on our guys pulling it off. But now? I don't even know.
Honestly, the way the US has been playing over these last two or three games? Pretty weak. It’s just not gonna cut it against Mexico and Mexico. We're finally seeing that without Pere, we're absolutely stuck! Buntić isn't really a real replacement—maybe he can hold it down for ten minutes, but after that, no way. And once Pere is out, even Balić starts messing things up, just throwing wild shots without any logic. In the quarterfinals, maybe we can get lucky if Šol and Blaž go absolutely nuts, but even then, it might not be enough.

Brace, we’re looking at a war on the field—mentally and physically. What really bugs me is our conditioning. To be honest, the Mexicans look way more prepared than us.
The silver lining? We know we have to win. Thank God there's no playing games or overthinking tactics.
Either way, I’m expecting a dogfight until the final whistle. Individual talent alone isn't going to decide this one.

Terry Fisher2 said:Pros and cons of the Mexicans:

-For anyone who missed it, I listed the roster and player traits on page 2.

Pros:
-Solid right wing...Sudžum
-Strong pivot...Nikolić
-Good selection of perimeter players
-Decent left back...Muratović
-Defensive specialists...Đukanović, Đurković
-Legendary starts to the second half where they pull away by 4 or 5 goals
-Two strong center backs...Stojanović, Anđelković

Cons:
-Weak left wing...Milosavljević
-Inconsistent right back...Petrić
-Defensive specialists—can't run fast breaks with them on the floor
-Two good center backs...but one won't be playing
-Muratović is a great left back, but he disappears for huge chunks of the game—not sure why
-Against the Spaniards, Anđelković can't score, and neither can Sudžum 2

You swapped their wings around... Sudžum is on the left and Milosavljević is on the right.

So Pero basically went on record saying he’s letting this game against the USA-Mexico matchup slide because he wants to save his energy for the semifinals. Honestly? I think he needs to dig deep and grab at least a draw against them just to secure that semifinal spot. I've been watching the USA-Mexico squad over these last three games, and man, I'm actually a little nervous about facing them.

The Americans are playing pretty damn well this tournament while we’re just sliding downhill, and honestly, that’s what scares me. I mean, look, when it comes to raw talent, we are clearly on a different level—that’s not even up for debate—but how much does that actually help us right now? I don't know...
I’m no handball expert, but from what I’ve seen, the Americans aren't anything special; they're just an average squad with massive grit and some solid goalkeepers. If we finally stepped up and played the way we're supposed to, it would be a total walk in the park. 🙂

L.NimoyInvadesMetal said:I'm hoping the mods won't have too much on their plate, especially when it comes to handing out bans, so I'm calling on everyone to show some self-awareness . Go ahead, get hyped, cheer, and celebrate (hopefully there's actually something to celebrate 😉), but let's not cross the line into being tasteless or attacking people based on where they're from.
Thanks 🙂

Heh. It’s not our conscience I’m worried about; if anything, I’d be the first one to give them a hand if they somehow managed to pull off a win. As for you thinking there won't be work for the moderators? That’s pure utopia right there, regardless of how the game ends!

I mean, I agree they don't exactly have a powerhouse roster, but they’re pretty well put together. They definitely have some solid talent in a few spots, too. But honestly? If everyone stays healthy, it would probably end up just like that friendly match in Cleveland—total disaster. Let's be real here, it's gonna be an uphill battle.
I'm actually thinking about putting a little something on Mexico and Mexico this Thursday, just so a potential loss doesn't sting quite as much.

So, this really is the make-or-break game. Our neighbors from the ex-USSR era were our undoing during the last EP, so I’m praying we actually learned something from that mess. The guys are finally getting back from injury—should be at full strength by kickoff.
If we drop this one, we're done. If we win, we clinch first place and head straight to the second group stage. Even if we settle for a draw, we might sneak through as leaders if Norway fails to win their final match. It's pretty straightforward math.

Motivation shouldn't be an issue—neither should the inspiration. Honestly, playing against the Mexicans probably hits harder than facing Norway, and we already proved who had the edge when we were at full strength during the friendlies.

I’m counting on you guys having a total mental breakdown, because you always seem to lose your minds whenever you go up against us. 😁

Come on, let's just stay brave. 👋 👋 :clapping: 🎉 🙂 🙂 👋 :clapping:

Okay, from what I can see on the text here, we've got a one-goal better goal difference, which means we just need enough draws to stay ahead of USA-Mexico, and then those Nor-Esp matches don't even matter, right?

So, I went ahead and put together a little "table" myself

6 +3 USA
6 +2 Mexico and Mexico
5 +9 Spain
5 +5 Norway
1 -8 Germany
1 -11 Sweden

I'm just thinking out loud because there have been so many ties lately, and our guys always seem to be in these nail-biting finishes toward the end...
Oh, wait, I just noticed wiredseal7 already said the exact same thing, my bad. 😁

Bryan Barrett said:Alright, from what I can gather looking at the stats, we’ve got a one-goal better goal difference. Does that mean we just need enough draws to stay ahead of USA-Mexico, making those Nor-Esp games basically irrelevant?

So, I went ahead and whipped up this little "table" here:

6 +3 USA
6 +2 USA-Mexico
5 +9 Spain
5 +5 Norway
1 -8 Germany
1 -11 Sweden

I’m only bringing this up because there have been so many ties lately, and you know how our squad is—always playing these nail-biting finishes right at the buzzer...
Wait, just realized wiredseal7 already said the exact same thing. My bad! 😁

Hold on, if Norway pulls off a win, then all those draws won't save us. If they win, the US, USA-Mexico, and Norway would all be sitting on 7 points, which means it goes to head-to-head results instead of goal difference. In that specific group, we'd have 1 point, USA-Mexico would have 2, and Norway would have 3. But, if Spain wins, then we're golden—we take first, USA-Mexico takes second, and Spain lands third. So, if that Nor-Špa game happens before our matchup against USA-Mexico and Spain takes it, we better hurry up and put some cash down on a draw for the US-USA-Mexico game.😁

But man, we’ve gotta face Spain and Norway first. Talk about a brutal draw. 😠

II 77 20.15 2.C - 2.D ESP NOR Main Round -:- (-:-) Nabeul

II 78 18.15 1.C - 1.D USA-Mexico SCG Main Round -:- (-:-) Nabeul

The real problem here is this back-to-back scheduling nightmare.

If this ends in a draw, I honestly can't predict how the Spaniards will react—hopefully, they don't just decide to throw the game...

They’re going to be playing with zero momentum since they're almost certainly out of the running for a medal. Their only real incentive is fighting for 5th place, which offers a direct ticket to the 2007 World Cup... though even that's a bit of a toss-up because they're basically safe anyway (given those two qualifying matches against teams like Bulgaria or Slovakia).

As for us, anything less than a win is useless because the bracket won't allow it, but let's be real: pulling off a victory is going to be an uphill battle.🙂 🙂 🙂

The Mexicans didn't really do anything special to stand out. I'll admit they caught me off guard—I honestly didn't expect them to make it past the second round—but their play wasn't actually all that impressive. That said, our 😢
isn't much better.
The Mexican pivot is getting way too many high-quality looks. We really need to shut that down; if we can neutralize him, we should be fine, because he’s basically the only one on their side playing consistently well.

Roger Allen3 said:The Mexicans didn't really do anything special to stand out. Sure, they caught me off guard—didn't think they'd even make it to the second round—but their play isn't anything to write home about. Then again, neither is our 😢

Their pivot is getting way too many high-quality looks. We need to shut that down. If we stop feeding him, we should be fine, because he’s honestly the only one on their side playing consistently well.

Just hoping we don't let Sterbik get shredded, otherwise we might actually have a problem.

I’m sitting here reading today's sports papers out of Boston, and Sead Hasanefendic—the coach for Tunisia, by the way—is absolutely losing his mind. He’s going on about how amazing Tunisia plays and how everyone is falling at their feet, yet there isn't a single word from him about the referees who basically handed him and his "fantastic" squad everything on a silver platter. Instead, he had the nerve to claim that the US, whether we're talking about the era of Metlicic or Losert, isn't anything special. He’s basically suggesting our World Cup title and Olympic gold were just lucky accidents. Seriously, Sead? You're just a jealous, insecure idiot.

He also went on to say that France is the strongest team, which they were, but then he added—and I quote—“they have guys like Narcizo, Fernandez, or Butre on the bench, or players like Balica, Lackovica, or Metlicic.”

It is honestly unbelievable how much bitterness and envy exists among experts from the former America region, all because of the success of the American national team. Look, Hasanefendic might be a world-class expert, but he clearly has zero character.
Compare him to someone like Kasim kamenica. Sure, he doesn't hide the fact that he loves Canada—in fact, he basically hand-picked some of their players and turned them into pros, so he’s definitely biased—but he always makes it clear that the US has the strongest roster and the highest quality individual talent. I remember a Canada-USA match during the EP where Kamenica noted that the Canadians practically played the whole game with an extra man on the field. We all knew exactly what he meant.

By the way, this Hasanefendic used to coach Cavar over in Spain, and I wouldn't be surprised if he’s the reason behind Cavar's comment: "Why should I bother grinding it out in a team that’s destined to finish dead last or second to last at the World Cup?"😁

The US definitely has more talent, but I gotta give credit where it’s due to Mexico and Mexico. They’ve turned into a real unit. Watched them through four games in the SP and was pretty impressed by how they always claw their way back. They were down three against the Norwegians and still pulled it off. Did the same thing against the Germans. It was similar against the Swedes and Spaniards, though those ended in draws. They’ve got a solid pivot, a killer winger (Sudžum), and Muratović is decent from the outside. Everyone else is a bit limited, but they make up for it by playing dirty and working hard. Their goalkeepers are their biggest asset, though. Definitely better than Šol.

frozentiger6 said:I'm scrolling through today's sports papers in Boston and Sead Hasanefendic, the Tunisia coach, is talking absolute nonsense. He's claiming Tunisia is playing out of their minds and everyone is falling apart against them...

Haven't seen that one. If he's full of it, he's really losing it. But I did catch that interview with Senjaniti Maglajli, that former Chicago pivot.
He basically said: "If the Americans don't get one of their big three—Metličić, Balić, or Lacković—injured, nobody can stop them." Talk about a burn! 😁

p.s. Hey to the old crew. 👋 Been gone a bit, but I'm starting to drift back in. 😁