Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
While the U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, Europe doesn’t start it until March 28. Because of this CET is currently 5 just hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal.
A huge challenge for 5th place Dormagen as they host 1st place Hamburg, a team all but destined to get promoted to the 1st division
Liga ASOBAL (Spain)
Leon (-2.5) vs Granollers (Saturday, 1800 CET): Video Link***Postponed***
Drew Donlin plays defense and circle runner for Leon.
Leon took 2nd in the Copa del Rey and got a win mid-week win vs Cuenca (29-21). Currently in 6th place in the standings they take on 4th place Granollers. With just a point separating them a win could leap frog them into 4th place
Huesca (-8.5) vs Cisne (Saturday, 1930 CET): Video Link
Last Saturday Cannes played undefeated Belles-sur-Celles close for much of the game but ended up losing 17-25. They face another stiff challenge this week vs 2nd place Boulillargues.
HBF 2 (Germany)
TSV Nord Harrislee vs HSV Solingen-Gräfrath (Saturday, 1730): Video Link
This weekend the final 6 qualifiers for the Women’s Olympic Handball Tournament will be decided.
How to watch the Olympic Qualification Tournaments
If you live in a country where there is no TV broadcast the matches should be available on the IHF YouTube Channel. Those matches can be accessed here and I will be posting a daily preview with direct links to each match video (see below).
If you live in a country where there is a TV https://www.ihf.info/media-center/news/how-watch-tokyo-handball-qualification-2020-womens-tournamentsbroadcast you may be geo-blocked out of accessing the IHF YouTube Channel. This is often the case even for matches that are not available on YouTube. It is, however, usually possible to watch matches using VPN. More information on how to use VPN; What I use) (Note: I would encourage handball fans to watch matches on TV when possible as usually get a better picture, but if there isn’t a TV broadcast available where you live… what else are you going to do?)
USA Residents: There is no USA TV broadcast and matches should be available on YouTube
Canadian Residents: The CBC will be live streaming the matches with English commentary: Link
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online year round? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
While the U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, Europe doesn’t start it until March 28. Because of this CET is currently 5 just hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of Odds Portal.
Tournament 1 Polideportivo Pla de l’Arc, Llíria, Spain)
Current Standings
Overview: This tournament was originally going to be 4 teams, but Senegal withdrew due to ongoing social and economic crisis. On paper Spain and Sweden are huge favorites to advance unless Argentina can pull off a big upset. It’s at least conceivably possible as Argentina played Sweden relatively close at the 2019 World Championships losing 30-23 (14-11).
Spain (-1.5) vs Sweden (Friday, 2100 CET / 1600 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
Barring an upset by Argentina later in the tournament this match will like determine seeding for the Olympic Tournament draw.
Tournament 2 (Audi Aréna, Győr, Hungary)
Current Standings
Overview: While this is a 4 team tournament on paper it’s hard to see Kazakhstan getting a win here. Russia is the defending Olympic Champion and they will be big favorites to advance. Hungary as the host of the tournament has the edge on Serbia and they also easily beat Serbia 38-26 just a few months ago at the European Championships.
Kazakhstan vs Hungary (-19.5) (Friday, 1700 CET / 1200 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
Hungary and Kazakhstan met at the 2019 World Championships and Hungary had an easy 39-15 victory.
Russia (-4.5) vs Serbia (Friday, 2000 CET / 1500 US ET) Video Link
Russia is a solid favorite over Serbia in this opening match.
Overview: This tournament was originally going to be in Norway, but had to be moved due to coronavirus restrictions there. It was also supposed to have an Asian Federation team, but one by one they dropped out due to challenges related to the pandemic. Norway, recent winners of the European Championships are the clear favorites and this means that a Montenegro-Romania showdown on Sunday will likely determine who gets the 2nd ticket. At the 2019 World Championships Montenegro edged Romania 27-26.
Norway (-4.5) vs Montenegro (Friday, 1930 CET / 1430 US ET) Video Link
Norway will have their status as favorites tested by the tourney hosts, Montenegro.
Alex Binderis and his club team Volendam play on Tuesday at 2000 CET / 1500 US ET
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
The U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, but Europe doesn’t start until 28 March. Because of this CET is currently just 5 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of Bet MGM.
American Athletes in Action
Eredivisie (Netherlands)
KRAS/Volendam vs Green Park/Aalsmeer (Tuesday, 2000 CET): Video Link
Mark Ortega is Volendam’s coach and Alex Binderis (#4) plays circle runner for Volendam
The Netherlands recently resumed play and will be playing an abbreviated NL only season. (Normally their top league is combined with Belgium.) Volendam is currently in 1st place in the 5 team league: Link
K&H League (Hungary)
Orosházi FKSE – LINAMAR vs Gyöngyös – Tatabánya (Wednesday, 1800 CET): Video Link
Pal Merkovszki is the #2 GK for Gyongyos
Gyöngyös has really struggled to start the new year and have lost 5 in a row. Oroshazi is in last place, so this should be a good opportunity to pick up a win.
2020 Men’s Olympic Qualifiers: The West has Won. No Eastern European Nations. No Balkan Nations Either
Christer Ahl has retired from handball journalism and commentary, but I still get the occasional email from him regarding the latest competition. The latest missive sent last night was simply titled: “Remarkable” and started off like this:
“Never thought I would see it happen in my lifetime: all the European men’s team in the Olympics either Nordic or Latin; absolutely nobody from the Eastern part; Of course, many decades ago, Austria was the easternmost team where handball existed; but then the idea of Portugal playing handball, or even Spain…..”
Christer, who was involved with the IHF in one capacity or another from 1977 to 2009 has seen it all and indeed this is the first time there will be no nation from Eastern Europe participating in the Olympics. For that matter it joins 1992 as the only Olympics in which no nation from the former Yugoslavia has qualified. And, prior to that Yugoslavia participated in every Olympics from 1972 to 1988.
A Gradual Shift
Yes, indeed, if one looks at the 1970s and 1980s maps below the 2020 map does look a bit strange. It didn’t happen overnight and if one looks at the maps below, it’s been a gradual shift westward. There surely are a number of reasons this has occurred, but for the most part I think it mirrors the growing professionalism of handball in Western Europe and the corresponding decreasing state support to national team programs in Eastern Europe.
This doesn’t mean that handball isn’t being played in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. One just has to look at the rosters on pro clubs to see that isn’t true. But, what has changed over time has been the ability of Western European nations to develop better home grown talent. Gone are the days of club rosters totally reliant on ringers/jokers from Eastern Europe. For sure those ringers are still on rosters… but, they are more complimentary than dominant. They help bring up the overall quality of play which in turn develops more talent across the board.
Momentary Blip or a Trend for the Future?
So is this just a momentary blip or a trend for the future. I’m thinking it’s a blip, but only because Eastern Europe is looking more and more like Western Europe as the clubs and leagues become more commercialized. Poland and Hungary have decent leagues and top clubs like Szeged are building new arenas. The SEHA league is also enabling some of the clubs in smaller nations to get better competition. More talent will be able to stay home and that will trickle down and support the development of more in country talent.
European Nations Participating in Men’s Olympic Handball Competitions (1972-2020)
NOTE: The U.S. and Canada Start Daylight Saving Time (DST) on Sunday 14 March, but Europe doesn’t start until 28 March. So USA and Canadian residents need to subtract 1 hour less than normal.
CET is currently 5 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of 10 Bet.
Great handball is available for web stream viewing almost all year long. Follow Team Handball News on social media to receive regular updates on upcoming matches: TwitterFacebookInstagram
Brazil (-6.5) vs Chile (Sunday, 1730 USET / 1230 US ET) Video Link
Brazil’s 30-24 victory over S Korea yesterday puts them in a good position to secure 2nd place in this tournament and to to qualify for the Olympics. Assuming S Korea loses to Norway, Brazil will qualify with a win, draw or even with a loss to Chile by 3 goals or less.
A 4 goal Chile victory would see Chile head to Tokyo. While unlikely, Chile did upset Brazil 32-29 at the 2019 PANAM Games. Chile lost 38-23 to Norway yesterday, but rested some of their players for the Brazil match.
S Korea vs Norway (-9.5) (Sunday, 2000 CET / 1500 US ET) Video Link
Barring a remarkable performance by S Korea, Norway should have no problems securing their 3rd victory.
KOR-BRA-CHI 3-Way Tie Goal Differential Scenario
Tournament 2 (AccorHotels Arena, Paris)
Standings after Day 2
Croatia (-7.5) vs Tunisia (Sunday, 1830 CET / 1330 US ET) Video Link
Croatia needs to take care of business vs Tunisia and then hope for a French win or draw vs Portugal
Portugal vs France (-2.5) (Sunday, 2100 CET / 1600 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
On Saturday, Portugal was up 16-10 vs Croatia early in the 2nd half and seemed to be on their way to Tokyo, but a furious Croatian comeback resulted in a 25-24 win for Croatia. All is not lost, however, as a Portugal win over France will see them qualify thanks to a guaranteed goal differential advantage over Croatia or France.
Beating France, of course, is easier said than done and there’s definitely some history between these two sides. With a World Championship quarterfinal spot on the line in January, France crushed Portugal 32-23. But, a year earlier, Portugal helped send France home in the Preliminary Group phase of the European Championships with a 28-25 victory.
France for all practical purposes has probably qualified as it will likely take an 8 goal loss vs Portugal for them to slip behind Croatia in the goal differential standings. (see below)
Top Level Scenarios assuming that Croatia beats Tunisia
FRA-POR-CRO 3-Way Tie Goal Differential Scenario
Should France lose by 7 to Portugal, Head to Head goals for the 3 matches is the next tiebreaker. Croatia’s GF is 51, and France’s GF will be 30 plus whatever they score vs Portugal, so if they score 22 goals or more they would qualify. If they score 20 or less Croatia would qualify.
Should France lose 28-21, Croatia and France would be tied at 51 on head to head goals. The next tiebreaker is goal differential in all matches… Enough. If this looks like it might happen I’ll tweet the details.
Tournament 3 (Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin)
Standings after Day 2
Algeria vs Germany (-10.5) (Sunday, 1545 CET / 1045 US ET) Video Link
Heavily favored Germany should officially punch their ticket with a victory over Algeria
Sweden (-2.5) vs Slovenia (Sunday, 1815 CET / 1315 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
Slovenia was demolished by Germany, 36-27 on Saturday, but that loss will be easily forgotten with a win over Sweden. The math is simple (assuming Germany beats Algeria): Slovenia wins they Qualify for Tokyo. If Sweden wins or the match is a draw, Sweden qualifies.
Top Level Scenarios assuming that Germany beats Algeria
Note: This analysis was done prior to the matches on day 2. A new update prior to match day 3 is available here: Link
On paper, Olympic Qualification Tournament #2 will likely be decided by the head to head results in the 3 matches between France, Croatia and Portugal. Tunisia is certainly capable of pulling off an upset and should they win or draw against those 3 teams all of this analysis will no longer be valid.
With that in mind here are the scenario possibilities taking into account these 3 matches
Friday, 12 March, France 30, Croatia 26
Saturday, 13 March, Croatia 25, Portugal 24
Sunday, 14 March, France vs Portugal
Men’s Tourney #2 Scenarios (Assuming Tunisia loses all 3 of their matches)
On match day 1, France beat Croatia 30-26 to give France 2 points. It is also assumed that all three teams will pick up 2 points vs Tunisia. This chart depicts the 6 basic scenarios with the 2nd match between Croatia and Portugal depicted on the left and the 3rd match between France and Portugal depicted on the top.
The chart depicts the final standings for the group based on the amount of points each team will have accumulated with 2 points for each win, 1 point for each draw and 0 points for a loss. Green indicates a team will qualify for the Olympics, red indicates the team will finish in 3rd place and yellow indicates that 2 or 3 teams are level on points and subsequent tiebreakers will be required to determine placing.
Here are some top level notes regarding today’s pivotal match between Portugal and Croatia
If Portugal beats Croatia, Portugal and France qualify for Tokyo and Croatia is eliminated
If Portugal and Croatia draw, France qualifies for Tokyo. 2nd place between Portugal and Croatia will then depend on the outcome of the Portugal-France match on Sunday. A Portugal win or draw vs France qualifies Portugal. If Portugal loses to France it will then come down to Goal Differential in all matches played.
If Croatia beats Portugal qualification for Tokyo for all 3 teams will depend on the outcome of the Portugal-France match on Sunday. If France beats or draws vs Portugal, France and Croatia will qualify for Tokyo. If, however, Portugal beats France qualification will come down to tiebreakers for a 3 way tie between France, Portugal and Croatia (See below)
3 Way Tie Between France, Croatia and Portugal (Level on 4 Points)
Should Croatia beat Portugal and Portugal beat France qualification on Tokyo will be decided by head to head goal differential for the 3 matches between those teams. The charts below highlight the possibilities regarding the margin of victory in all 3 matches.
The first column simply depicts the the Goal Differential Standings after the first match, which is a result we already know, France 30, Croatia 26. The second column depicts the Goal Differential Standings for Croatia beating Portugal by margins from 1 to 8 goals
The 1st column simply depicts the the Goal Differential Standings after the first match, which is a result we already know, France 30, Croatia 26.
The 2nd column depicts the Goal Differential Standings for Croatia beating Portugal by margins from 1 to 8 goals.
The 3rd column depicts the final Goal Differential Standings for Portugal beating France by margins of 1 to 8 goals
Green indicates qualifying for Tokyo; Red indicates 3rd place and Yellow indicates a tie which would then be settled by Head to Head Goals scored.
Some top level notes
Croatia needs to win by 5 over Portugal to guarantee qualification in this scenario
A 4 goal Croatia win would also qualify Croatia under most outcomes in the Portugal-France Match
A 3 goal Croatia win leaves a few possibilities
A 2 or 1 goal Croatia win is unlikely to help Croatia in this scenario as it would require big win by Portugal over France
If Portugal loses to Croatia by 1 or 2 goals they can still qualify for Tokyo if they beat France by just 1 goal. However, as the margin a Croatian victory grow they have to beat France by a greater and greater margin of victory.
France will likely qualify in this scenario as it requires Portugal to not only win, but win big in most scenarios.
South Korea will take on Brazil in a Match that will likely earn the winner an Olympic Berth.
How to watch the Olympic Qualification Tournaments
If you live in a country where there is no TV broadcast the matches should be available on the IHF YouTube Channel. Those matches can be accessed here and I will be posting a daily preview with direct links to each match video (see below).
If you live in a country where there is a TV broadcast you may be geo-blocked out of accessing the IHF YouTube Channel. This is often the case even for matches that are not available on YouTube. It is, however, usually possible to watch matches using VPN. More information on how to use VPN; What I use) (Note: I would encourage handball fans to watch matches on TV when possible as you usually will get a better picture, but if there isn’t a TV broadcast available where you live… what else are you going to do?)
USA Residents: There is no USA TV broadcast and matches are available on YouTube
Canadian Residents: The CBC will be live streaming at least some matches: Link
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online year round? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
CET is 6 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of 10 Bet.
HEADS UP FOR SUNDAY: Daylight Savings Time starts in the U.S. and Canada, but doesn’t start in Europe for another 2 weeks. This means that you will need to substract 1 hour less than you normally do.
Brazil (-4.5) vs S Korea (Saturday, 1730 CET / 1130 US ET) Video Link
S Korea built up a 9 goal lead yesterday vs Chile and held off a furious comeback to win 36-35 while Brazil lost to Norway 32-20. With Norway likely to win all 3 of its matches this contest will likely determine 2nd place and a ticket Tokyo.
Norway (-14.5) vs Chile (Saturday, 2000 CET / 1430 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
Norway are heavy favorites here to take care of Chile.
Tournament 2 (AccorHotels Arena, Paris)
Standings after Day 1
Croatia (-1.5) vs Portugal (Saturday, 1830 CET / 1230 US ET) Video Link
Portugal took care of business vs Tunisia with a 34-27 win while Croatia’s 30-26 loss puts them in a bit of a hole. A win for Portugal will all but qualify them for the Olympics. And, likewise a Croatia win will likely put them back on track as well.
The 4 goal loss to France, however, puts Croatia in a bit of a goal differential hole should Portugal knock off France and create a 3 way tie between France, Croatia, and Portugal. Croatia would need a 5 goal win over Portugal to guarantee qualification should that scenario occur.
France (-6.5) vs Tunisia (Saturday, 2100 CET / 1500 US ET) Video Link
France will be heavily favored, but they will need to be prepared as Tunisia is capable of pulling off an upset.
Tournament 3 (Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin)
Standings after Day 1
Germany (-1.5) vs Slovenia (Saturday, 1535 CET / 0935 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
Germany made a late comeback to draw with Sweden, (25-25) and picked up an important point while Slovenia beat Algeria 36-28. A win by either team here will likely qualify that side for Tokyo.
Sweden (-8.5) vs Algeria (Saturday, 1800 CET / 1200 US ET) Video Link
Sweden, like Slovenia should have no problems with Algeria. Their big match for qualification will likely be vs Slovenia on Sunday
Tournament 3 Scenarios (Assuming that Algeria loses all 3 matches): Link
From the Cannes Facebook page. Nicole Andersen talks about the using the upcoming match vs undefeated Celles-sur-Belles as preparation for big matches to come to avoid relegation
This post only has links for club matches and 2022 European Qualification matches this weekend. For Olympic Qualification information see these posts:
Note the U.S. and Canada start Daylight Savings Time on Sunday. On Friday and Saturday CET is 6 hours ahead of US ET. On Sunday CET is only 5 hours ahead of US ET . Odds courtesy of Bet MGM.
American Athletes in Action
D2F (France)
As Cannes Mandelieu vs Belles-sur-Celles (Saturday, 1800 CET): Video Link
Nicole Andersen plays defense and left back for Cannes
Last place Cannes has a huge challenge as they face undefeated Belles-sur-Celles
HBF 2 (Germany)
Werder Bremen vs TSV Nord Harrisle (Saturday, 1930): Video Link
Sophie Fasold is a GK for Harrislee
6th place Harrislee goes for their 9th win in a row vs 10th place Werder Bremen
Note: This analysis was done prior to the matches on day 2. A new update prior to match day 3 is available here: Link
On paper, Olympic Qualification Tournament #3 will likely be decided by the head to head results in the 3 matches between Germany, Sweden and Slovenia. Algeria is a respectable side and has shown they can compete with top sides (losing to France 29-26 at the World Championships) but, it is still an unlikely proposition.
With that in mind here are the scenario possibilities taking into account these 3 matches
Friday, 12 March, Germany 25, Sweden 25
Saturday, 13 March, Germany vs Slovenia
Sunday, 14 March, Slovenia vs Sweden
Men’s Tourney #3 Scenarios (Assuming Algeria loses all 3 of their matches)
On match day 1, Germany and Sweden played to a 25-25 draw, giving both sides 1 point each. It is also assumed that all three teams will pick up an additional 2 points vs Algeria. This chart depicts the 6 basic scenarios with the 2nd match between Germany and Slovenia depicted on the left and the 3rd match between Slovenia and Sweden depicted on the top.
The chart depicts the final standings for the group based on the amount of points each team will have accumulated with 2 points for each win, 1 point for each draw and 0 points for a loss. Green indicates a team will qualify for the Olympics, red indicates the team will finish in 3rd place and yellow indicates that 2 or 3 teams are level on points and subsequent tiebreakers will be required to determine placing.
Here’s what each team needs to do to qualify for the Olympics
Germany
Win their match vs Slovenia OR
Draw their match vs Slovenia and (have Sweden beat Slovenia or Slovenia beat Sweden) OR
Draw their match vs Slovenia and have Sweden-Slovenia play to a draw and beat either Sweden or Slovenia in the 3 way tiebreakers OR
Lose their match vs Slovenia and have Slovenia beat Sweden and beat Sweden on subsequent tiebreakers
Sweden
Win their match vs Slovenia OR
Draw their match vs Slovenia and (have Germany beat Slovenia or Slovenia beat Germany) OR
Draw their match vs Slovenia and have Germany-Slovenia play to a draw and beat either Germany or Slovenia in the 3 way tiebreakers OR
Lose their match vs Slovenia and have Slovenia beat Germany and beat Germany on subsequent tiebreakers
Slovenia
Win their match vs Germany OR
Win their match vs Sweden OR
Draw both matches vs Sweden and Germany, and then beat either Germany or Sweden in the 3 way tiebreakers
This Friday, Saturday and Sunday: Three great days of handball Olympic Qualification.
How to watch the Olympic Qualification Tournaments
If you live in a country where there is no TV broadcast the matches should be available on the IHF YouTube Channel. Those matches can be accessed here and I will be posting a daily preview with direct links to each match video (see below).
If you live in a country where there is a TV broadcast you may be geo-blocked out of accessing the IHF YouTube Channel. This is often the case even for matches that are not available on YouTube. It is, however, usually possible to watch matches using VPN. More information on how to use VPN; What I use) (Note: I would encourage handball fans to watch matches on TV when possible as usually get a better picture, but if there isn’t a TV broadcast available where you live… what else are you going to do?)
USA Residents: There is no USA TV broadcast and matches should be available on YouTube
Canadian Residents: The CBC will be live streaming at least some matches: Link
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online year round? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates:TwitterFacebookInstagram
CET is 6 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of 10 Bet.
Overview: Norway is the overwhelming favorite to win this group and will very likely win all 3 of their matches. Brazil is a clear favorite to take 2nd place, but both Chile and S Korea have chances to pull off an upset. Indeed, Chile beat Brazil, 32-29 at the 2019 PANAM Games to get to this tournament while S Korea has been known to be a very well prepared team with Olympic Qualification on the line.
Chile vs S Korea (-2.5) (Friday, 1730 CET / 1130 US ET) Video Link
In all likelihood this is an elimination game for these two longshots. The winner will put themselves in a position to play Brazil later in the tournament for 2nd place in the Group.
Norway (-6.5) vs Brazil (Friday, 2000 CET / 1430 US ET) Video Link
Brazil is the only team with a realistic chance of pulling off an upset vs Norway, but they were inconsistent performers at the 2021 World Championships in January. If things go South for Brazil they may be content with keeping some key players fresh for their upcoming matches vs S Korea and Chile.
Tournament 2 (Sud De France Arena, Montpellier)
Current Standings
Overview: This is the most wide open qualification tournament and all 4 teams having realistic chances at qualifying. France, of course, is playing at home and is the strongest team, but they will need to take care of business against 3 teams that are capable of beating them. Croatia had a disappointing World Championships, but their squad appears to be a bit more healthy now so they are the clear #2 favorite. A few weeks ago I may have listed Portugal as a co-#2 favorite, but the tragic death of GK, Alfredo Quintana, was a real blow to their chances as he was world class in the net and their backup keepers are a big step down in quality. Still, they are an up and coming side that knocked France out of the European Championship in 2020 and narrowly lost to Norway 29-28 this past January at the World Championships. Tunisia are the outsiders of the group, but clearly are capable of pulling off an upset.
Tunisia vs Portugal (-2.5) (Friday, 1830 CET / 1230 US ET) Video Link
An emotional and motivated Portugal will look to get off to a good start while Tunisia probably sees this match as their best chance for an upset
France (-2.5) vs Croatia (Friday, 2100 CET / 1500 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
The winner of this match between these 2 group favorites will have 1 foot in the door for Olympic Qualification. As a 3-way tie (France, Croatia, Portugal) is a distinct possibility if one of the sides gets behind they will need to keep the game close for Goal Differential considerations.
Tournament 3 (Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin)
Current Standings
Overview: It’s hard to see Algeria winning a match in this tournament, so for all practical purposes this is 3 teams (Germany, Sweden, Slovenia) fighting for 2 spots. Hosts, Germany are the favorites, but had a disappointing World Championships due in part to several players opting out of the Championship due to COVID concerns. Those players, however, are back for this tournament and, on paper, that makes Germany slight favorites. Sweden, on the other hand, had a great World Championships, surprising everyone to take 2nd place with a roster full of newcomers. Confidence is surely high for them heading into this tournament. Slovenia had a disappointing World Championship, but came close to some big wins including a 28-28 draw vs Sweden. They also appear to have a few injuries including LB Borut Mackovsek which might hamper their chances
Germany (-1.5) vs Sweden (Friday, 1515 CET / 0915 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
A pivotal match to start this tournament. The winner here puts themselves in a good position to advance. The loser faces a must win later in the tournament vs Slovenia. Again, a 3-way tie level on 4 points is a distinct possibility so the margin of defeat could be critical later on in terms of Goal Differential.
Slovenia (-6.5) vs Algeria (Friday, 1745 CET / 1145 US ET) Video Link
Slovenia is a heavy favorite here and will look to take care of business early prior to their showdowns vs Germany on Saturday and Sweden on Sunday.
Coach Latulippe addresses the U.S. Women. After 8 years as coach his contract was not renewed.
Yesterday, USA Team Handball announced that after 8 years it was parting ways with USA Women’s Coach, Christian Latulippe. There are a lot of euphemisms for getting fired and “parting ways” is one of them. My understanding is that his contract was up and that the decision was made not to renew it. Here’s my take on this decision:
A Strange Hire to Begin With
I’ll make no secret that I didn’t think coach Latulippe should have ever been hired in the first place. The U.S announcement didn’t mention it, but this was actually Latulippe’s 2nd stint with the U.S. Women as he was also coach from 2004-2007. As I pointed out in this commentary back in 2013 his first stint with the U.S. was less than stellar. The metrics included a poor W-D-L record, mediocre recruiting and a failed residency program at Cortland, NY. He was also fired (or resigned) just prior to a PANAM Games qualification tournament in 2007. Based on all those factors I saw little rationale for bringing him back in 2013.
A Closer Look at the Latulippe Record
Coach Latulippe’s 2nd time around has produced better results than his first, but there clearly have been far more low points than high points. Here’s a summary of results from all the major competitions that the U.S. has played in under his tenure. (Major competitions being defined as events that are either part of World Championships or Olympic Qualification.)
A 19-2-22 record can be described as mediocre or disappointing depending on one’s perspective. The U.S. has not come close to beating Brazil or Argentina, but can be considered roughly on par with the half dozen teams below those two regional powers. That being said, more often than not, the U.S. has come up short in the big matches between those similar foes. Probably the biggest and most disappointing was losing the 2 match PANAM Games qualification series to Uruguay in 2015. At the time, Coach Latulippe was running a full time residency program and most of the team was practicing together on a regular basis. To not even qualify for the PANAM Games was a major failure, one that arguably and reasonably suggested that it was time for a major overhaul.
Instead, the U.S. Women’s program has muddled along for the past 6 years. It was never clearly reported, but the nature of Coach Latulippe’s coaching role shifted in 2015 from a full time residency coach to more of a part time role. He moved to France, but still coached the team in major competitions and in periodic training camps combined with friendly matches. The U.S. National Team also started to recruit and add more dual citizens to the roster. It’s not clear how much Coach Latulippe was paid and what his fully defined responsibilities were, but arguably he did a pretty decent job cobbling together a National Team program with very limited resources. Certainly the U.S. was travelling and playing quite a few matches vs respectable competition all on a shoestring or nonexistent budget.
Still, the results in the big competitions never materialized. Meanwhile, similar teams also with limited resources managed to qualify for the World Championships. Puerto Rico in 2015, Paraguay in 2017, Cuba in 2019. The 2019 North American & Caribbean Championships were another big disappointment. The U.S. had qualified for the PANAM Games, but with a World Championship berth on the line the U.S. ended up finishing in 5th place behind Cuba, Puerto Rico, Greenland and the Dominican Republic. With then recently hired CEO Barry Siff in place, it seemed like a logical time for a coaching change, but no change was made. I’m not sure why, but I suspect with the PANAM Games coming up it was assessed that there wasn’t time to effectively install a new coach before a major tournament.
2019 PANAM Games (The Best U.S. Performance in Years)
At the 2019 PANAM Games the U.S. Women arguably had their best performance in the Christian Latulippe era. Handed a favorable draw, they took care of Peru and the Dominican Republic and qualified for the semifinals. It was no surprise that they got overwhelmed by Brazil, 34-9, but they came very close to a bronze medal losing a close match to Cuba, 24-23. Yes, ironically, Coach Latulippe is getting fired after arguably the best performance by a U.S. Women’s team in a major competition since the 2003 PANAM Games (where the U.S. also placed 4th).
The Right Decision… Why Did it Take 8 Years?
How a team performed in the last tournament is pretty important, but coaching changes should still be made after assessing the entire body of work. And, if one assesses the entire body of work it’s hard to argue that the U.S. had made great progress or was headed on an upwards trajectory. Results were mediocre at best and really the only logical question is why wasn’t the trigger pulled earlier?
There are likely several reasons, but here are a few that probably came into play:
Tempered Expectations: With limited resources being applied to the Women’s program could anyone realistically expect significantly better results? No, not really. Slightly better results could and should have been possible. The U.S. should have qualified for the 2015 PANAM Games and probably attended 1 World Championship since 2015. But, qualify for an Olympic Games? Beat Brazil or a European team? Not a chance.
Minimal Compensation Requirements: It’s not clear what Coach Latulippe’s compensation was during his 8 years at the helm. Initially, he was paid an annual salary, but after 2015 I suspect he was paid minimally. In the USA announcement, National Team player Jennifer Fithian is quoted as saying, “Time and again, Christian has donated his time, moneyand efforts to give us the opportunity to compete over the past 15 years.” I’ve bold-faced the “donated his time, money and efforts” and that’s pretty telling. Certainly, no handball power National Team Coach is in the practice of donating time and money. Volunteering on some level, however, is a somewhat common practice for developing programs like the U.S.
Lack of Other Options: Again, the donation of time, money applies here. Behind the scenes, I suspect Coach Latulippe was actually pretty effective at running a shoestring operation. Over the past few years, the U.S. women managed to play quite a few friendly matches in Europe and S. Korea. He also seems to have a great relationship with a core group of athletes that he’s managed to keep together. Could a new coach have been hired to do the same sort of job with the same sort of compensation?
The Right Decision… The Right Time?
The U.S. has a big tournament hopefully coming up this Summer: The North American & Caribbean Championship. The winner will qualify for the World Championships and it may even be hosted in the U.S. The favorite will be the 2019 winner, Cuba, and Coach Latulippe and the U.S. Women came very close to beating that Cuba side at the 2019 PANAM Games. Having coached the U.S. Women for 8 years he knows his roster and his competition inside and out.
We’ll see who the new coach is, but if they are a newcomer to the program they will be coming in blind with a roster and opposing foes they are not familiar with. Making the transition to a new coach even tougher will be the COVID situation likely making it challenging to prepare for the tournament. Maybe they will get a good training camp with some competitive friendly matches before the tournament… Maybe they won’t.
Regardless, it goes without saying that a new coach can be a catalyst for better performances. Heck, it often doesn’t even matter if the new coach is a better coach. Change, in and of itself, is what’s needed. But, on the other hand, sometimes the disruption that results from change presents new problems that can’t be overcome. Assuming there is indeed a Championship this summer it will be very interesting to see how the U.S. Women will respond and perform.
While the upcoming North American & Caribbean Championships are important, the far bigger question is what the plan is for the U.S. Women’s program going forward. Arguably, figuring out that forward is more important than selecting a U.S. coach. In fact, the U.S. probably shouldn’t even hire a long term coach until it figures out what that coach will be responsible for. This will be discussed in more detail in a follow on commentary.
USA National Team GK, Pal Merkovszki and his club team, Gyöngyös, play at 1700 CET / 1100 US ET on Tuesday
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CET is 6 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of Bet MGM.
Not much club action this week as National Team matches take center stage. There are several 2022 European Championship qualifier matches and then this weekend there will be 3 Olympic Qualification Tournaments.
American Athletes in Action
TippMix Cup (Hungary)
Gyöngyös – Tatabánya (Tuesday, 1700 CET): Video Link
Pal Merkovszki is the #2 GK for Gyongyos
Gyöngyös has really struggled to start the new yean and have lost 5 in a row. Next up is a Cup match vs Tatabanya which has won 5 in a row. The winner will take on Szeged in the next round.
Here’s Merkovszki in action from this past weekend:
Other Matches this Week
2022 Men’s European Championship QualificationehfTV
Group Standings: Link (Note: The top 2 teams from each group and the 4 best 3rd place teams will qualify for the final tournament. Because of the 3rd place possibility virtually every nation still has a chance to qualify. Essentially, one big upset for a minor nation could be a ticket to qualification and barring that goal differential will be critical.
Sweden (-6.5) vs Montenegro (Tuesday, 1805 CET)
Slovenia (-3.5) vs Poland (Tuesday, 2010 CET)
Belarus (-9.5) vs Italy (Wednesday, 1600 CET)
Ukraine (-8.5) vs Faroe Islands (Wednesday, 1630 CET)
Russia (-5.5) vs Czech Republic (Wednesday, 1730 CET)
Kosovo vs Romania (-6.5) (Wednesday, 1930 CET)
Finland vs Switzerland (-4.5) (Thursday, CET 1700)
N Macedonia vs Denmark (-6.5) (Thursday, CET 1800)
European Cup (EHF competition for already qualified nations)
My prediction that ESPN handball coverage would be a major game changer for the U.S. came up short… way short.
The Prediction
Before the 2021 IHF Handball World Championships I trumpeted that handball being shown on ESPN wasn’t just big news, but that it was, in fact, the biggest and most important development in the entire history of team handball in the United States. The logic behind this prediction was my basic premise that getting more handball on TV trumps all other marketing objectives for the sport… because it’s a true force multiplier that greatly improves the likelihood of better results in all other areas. And, that ESPN, even if it was just their streaming platform (ESPN+), was still the world-wide leader and it would be unprecedented exposure.
A Failed Prediction
Now, a little over a month since the conclusion of the World Championships it’s pretty clear that it hasn’t had anywhere near the desired effect. How do we know? Well, there are metrics such as website traffic and social media engagement that can be tracked. I know this website had better traffic than it has during previous Men’s World Championships, but not a dramatic increase. There were a few viral moments such as Gauthier Mvumbi getting some new U.S. fans such as Rodger Sherman of the Ringer and Palicka’s great save vs France, but these moments weren’t super viral in terms of numbers and less than the brouhaha with Jay Cutler which was also not as buzzworthy as we thought it might have been.
It would be really interesting to see the actual number of viewers on ESPN+, but in the age of streaming such numbers are a closely guarded secret that platforms like ESPN+, Netflix and Hulu don’t share openly.
What Google Trends Tells Us
Lacking hard viewership numbers Google Trends data is a fairly decent proxy of viewership and general handball related interest as it tracks how many people are searching for terms like “handball”. It’s by no means a perfect measurement, but generally when more people are searching for a particular topic it’s a strong indication that something has triggered their interest. The CDC even uses such trending data to track coronavirus spread. (i.e. When more people start searching for “COVID symptoms” it’s an indication of possible virus spread. With that in mind here are the results for “handball” searches in the U.S. since Dec 2018.
As you can see there are two big spikes, both Men’s World Championships, but the 2021 WC is actually a little bit below the 2019 WC. Or, to put it another way, the NBC Olympic Channel in 2019 actually trumps ESPN+ in 2021 a little bit.
If ESPN+ handball broadcasts had truly been groundbreaking this chart would have looked much different. In particular, the 2021 WC spike would have been at 100 and the 2019 WC spike would be much smaller in relative terms. For some insight as to what that chart would look like take a look at this chart which tracks handball searches for a longer period, since January, 2016.
Think the Olympics aren’t a really big deal for handball in the U.S.?… Think again. Look how just two weeks of Olympics exposure on NBC dwarfs everything else and turns the big WC spikes on the first chart into little bumps of minor significance. Now I wasn’t expecting ESPN coverage to create another Olympics sized bump, but I was certainly hoping for it to have some positive effect.
What I Wished Google Trends had Told Us
What was I hoping for? Perhaps something like this:
Yes, maybe half an Olympics bump and with a trailing edge that stays higher with more handball continued to being broadcast on ESPN. Content like the EHF Champions League and the upcoming Olympic Qualification Tournaments. Maybe even USA related content like our College National Championships or the upcoming NACHC Sr Women’s Handball Championships later this year.
Instead, a month later handball is gone from ESPN. It’s almost like it was never even there.
So, two weeks of handball on America’s top sports network had little effect. In Part 2, I will assess “why” this was the case and what might be needed to improve the end results for future handball broadcasts on American TV and web streaming platforms.
