Podcast (Episode 38): Canadian Men’s Head Coach, Alexis Bertrand

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Canadian Men’s Team

It’s a rest day at the Men’s Pan American Championships in Nuuk, Greenland and Canadian Men’s Head Coach, Alexis Bertrand, joins the podcast to talk about Canada’s performance so far, the atmosphere in Greenland, Cuba’s absence and the upcoming North American qualifier between Canada and the U.S. in September.

Canada is 1-2-0 in the tournament, but they if they beat Paraguay tomorrow and then beat Greenland by 3 goals on Wednesday they will make the semifinals.  A tough ask to beat Greenland in Greenland, but if they play like they did in the 2nd half vs Uruguay it just might be possible.

2018 Pan American Men’s Championship Wiki Page: Link

USA Rugby Governance Issues Provide Insight to USA Team Handball Challenges

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A first ever, fully pro U.S. Rugby team destroys Russia 62-13 in Denver. Success on the field, but major problems off the field. What might USA Team Handball learn from USA Rugby’s growing pains?

On numerous occasions I’ve pointed out the parallels between rugby and handball in America.

Both are:

  • Minor sports in the U.S. that are very popular in other portions of the world
  • Sports where the U.S. has struggled to be competitive internationally
  • Sports where an influx of expats that have boosted growth in the U.S.
  • Sports where outsiders see the U.S. as a market with great potential
  • Sports which Americans often play for the first time in college

But, there are also significant differences.  Most tellingly, while both sports are minor U.S. sports, USA Rugby is still a lot bigger than handball.  Perhaps 100 times bigger in terms of number of athletes and 30 times bigger in terms of budget.  Rugby has also made some major inroads in terms of television exposure and National Team performance.

But, while rugby has made significant progress they currently are in the midst of governance issues that will both sound familiar and serve as a cautionary tell as USA Team Handball plots out its future plans.

This recent rugby podcast provides a pretty good summary of what’s happened with USA Rugby in the past couple of years and is worth a listen to anyone interested in USA Team Handball governance issues.

Rugby PatCast: Congress’ Lewis unload on USA Rugby governance: Link

A short primer on some of the subjects covered so you can better contextually understand the discussion:

  • Pro Rugby: The first professional rugby league in the U.S. that played 1 season in 2016.  The owner is now suing USA Rugby for breach of contract.  The second professional league (Major League Rugby (MLR)) is now playing its first season.
  • Rugby International Marketing (RIM): A for profit entity established to better market rugby in the U.S. (now in the process of going bankrupt)
  • The Rugby Channel: A digital streaming (Over the Top (OTT)) channel that RIM established totally devoted to rugby.  (it lost over $4M and was recently sold to Flosports for pennies on the dollar)
  • USA Rugby Congress: A large body that in theory represents USA Rugby’s membership to the USA Rugby Board (I think USA Team Handball may have had a similar body at one time, but if so, it was a long time ago)
  • USA Rugby Board: Very similar to the USA Team Handball Board.  Currently they’ve had numerous resignations due to RIM’s failures
  • USA Rugby Nominating Committee: Very similar to the USATH Nominating & Governance Committee:  They are responsible for selecting the new members to the USA Rugby Board. (Note the discussion on the qualities that prospective board members should have)
  • Rugby World Cup 7s: 7s is the version of rugby that’s played in the Olympics.  The U.S. is holding its first ever major championship this July in San Francisco
  • Rugby World Cup: Similar to the Soccer World Cup this event is held every 4 years and the goal is to eventually have the U.S. host this major event.  (and, of course one could imagine USATH having a similar goal one day to host the IHF WC)

All told, though, while the challenges discussed are immense there’s still lots of room for optimism for USA Rugby.  The sport has never had greater TV exposure.  The Pro MLR has had outstanding attendance in some cities like Seattle (5,000 fans).  Grass roots efforts have started to migrate from colleges to high schools.  The National Team for the first time last weekend fielded an entirely professional side, with many of the athletes playing for top clubs overseas.

Yes, USA Team Handball would gladly, willingly trade places with USA Rugby in a heartbeat.  Even if we had to take all those governance issues at the same time.  Not a trade that can be made, but understanding what a similar team sport is going through sure can provide some lessons as handball seeks similar progress and growth in the U.S.

Yes, maybe conceivably we could take all the good lessons and avoid all the bad ones USA Rugby is now working through.

USA Women with Solid Performance in Korean Tournament

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USA Women in Korea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The USA Women recently participated in the 3rd annual Busan International Friendly Tournament in South Korea.  They played 5 matches and finished in 4th place with a 2-3-0 record.  All of the matches are available for viewing and the streaming quality/production is pretty good:

Videos for all matches: Link

30 May 2018 USA 22×28 Mie Violet Iris (Japan): Link

31 May 2018 USA 24×25 Senegal: Link

2 June 2018 USA 28×14 Australia: Link

3 June 2018 USA 23×17 Hong Kong: Link

4 June 2018 USA 24×34 Bisco (S Korea): Link

(Coach Latulippe is also interviewed at the very end of the video)

USA Women in Dance Competition: Link

Tournament Standings:

 

 

 

 

 

Analysis

The tournament field with the absence of pro clubs from Europe was a bit weaker than last year’s tourney, but still provided ample competition for the U.S.  The U.S. easily beat Australia and Hong Kong and almost beat Senegal a team that would have qualified for the 2017 World Championships if not for their disqualification for an ineligible athlete at the African Championships.  They also played the club sides from South Korea and Japan close until their short handed roster ran out of steam.  Short handed in that they were missing Sarah Gascon, Ashley Van Ryn and Sophie Fasold for the whole tournament and then lost a couple more players for their last match against host Bisco.  The U.S.’s best player was again Jence Rhoads and her performance was recognized with her selection to the all tourney team at center back.

You’ve got to hand it to Coach Latulippe and the U.S. Women for somehow finding the means for travel to France, Italy, South Korea and now China for meaningful competition all in just the past 7 months.  As far as I know USA Team Handball has virtually no budget resources to support travel so they’ve been able to make do on a combination of donations, sponsorship and their own pockets to fund these trips.

On 2 and 5 September they will play Canada in a home and away, 2 game series for qualification to the 2019 PANAM Games in Lima, Peru.  Locations are TBD, but will likely be Auburn and Quebec.  Canada will be no push over, but with this steady stream of match experience I would assess that the U.S. women are solid favorites to win that head to head match up.

And, on a side note both Canada and the U.S. also now know their likely toughest 2nd Chance Tournament opponent should they lose the upcoming North American Qualification.  The Chile women took 3rd place at the South American Games and await the loser of the September showdown, and the 4th and 5th place teams from Central America and the Caribbean Games.  This is a mild surprise in that Chile took 7th place at last summer’s Pan American Championship, but was able to knock off Paraguay for bronze.  As expected Brazil and Argentina took 1st and 2nd respectively and have already qualified for the PANAM Games.

Podcast (Episode 37) EHF Final Four: An Emotional, Cathartic Experience for America’s #1 Handball Fan

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My new friend, Michel, and I celebrate Montpellier’s unlikely return to the top of Europe.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Velux EHF Final Four in Cologne, Germany.  Six days later I’m just starting to come down from the “high” of doing so.  I’ll touch on a number of items.

What an Experience!

From the moment I arrived in Cologne it was simply special to be surrounded by so many reminders (signage, flags, etc) that this was the mecca for handball.  The opening night party with the club fans cheering on their teams introduction was also special and a reminder that I was now here in the center of the handball world.

But, stepping foot in the LanXess arena as just 1 amongst 18,000 fans was truly a cathartic experience for this American handball fan.  This is because virtually every match I’ve witnessed or played in my home country has been in front of nobody or perhaps a few other players.  I’ve watched games on my computer at home by myself.  I’ve grown a bit tired of explaining the game that I am so passionate about to others.  I’ve come to accept that I’m a bit of an anomaly in my own little cocoon of a world.

In the LanXess arena, though, that feeling of being the sole outlier evaporated in an instant.  It’s a great feeling for even just one weekend to be part of a throng instead of a lone voice crying out in the wilderness.  It’s a long way to get there, but attending at least one Final Four should be on every handball fan’s bucket list.

A Really, Really, Really Unlikely Final (as in 2,400 to 1 at the start of the season)

Choosing which side to cheer on Saturday in the semifinals was pretty easy for me.  If you don’t have a team you root for the underdogs.  And both Nantes and Montpellier clearly fit into that category.  Last September I wrote an article highlighting the odds for each team winning the upcoming Champions League.  In the article I also provided a few predictions of my own and it included this little gem of prophecy:

“Potential party crashers again will be those pesky French sides Nantes and Montpellier.”

But, before I get all braggadocious of my prognostication skills let’s be clear:  I was just referring to “possible” Round of 16 upsets.  Not the freakin Championship match!  Get out of here!  What were the preseason odds to win the Champions League for those two sides?  Nantes was listed at 65 to 1.  Montpellier was listed at 150 to 1.

And what would the odds have been for a quinella bet for those two sides to meet in the final?  I’m guessing that such a bet wasn’t offered anywhere, but if it had been offered here’s the back of the envelope calculations for that match up.  Since winning it all was 65 to 1 and 150 to 1, one can roughly assume that the odds for just reaching the final would be half that (32 to 1 and 75 to 1).  And, then the odds for both occurring is a simple multiplication of those two odds, which equates to 2,400 to 1.

For context, this would be roughly the equivalent of an NBA preseason bet for a projected #8 and #6 meeting in the finals.  Every once in a while you can picture one team coming out of nowhere, but you just don’t expect 2 teams to do so in the same year.

Montpellier, Montpellier, Montpellier 

The unlikely final matchup made it a bit more challenging for me to pick a side on Sunday.  Or, did it?

Time for a bit of a diatribe here, but it’s necessary for full context.  Many readers already know, but as a reminder, I lived in France from 2002-2007.  And, if you were a handball fan living in France during that time frame, you got to see Montpellier play… a lot.  You really had no choice in the matter.  Watch Montpellier (yet again) or don’t watch handball.  Back in 2005 one of my first blog postings lamented this reality with a commentary listing my “Top 10 reasons why I love to hate Montpellier handball.”  I say lamented, but to be honest I really enjoyed “hate watching” Montpellier quite a bit.  Yes, rooting against the NY Yankees of French Handball was just as much fun as rooting against the NY Yankees, New England Patriots and the Golden St Warriors.

After leaving France I continued to follow the French League from afar, but with no league matches available for viewing I could only see the French qualifiers in Champions League matches.  The French league faded from my consciousness.  But, then in 2012 the French League and Montpellier made the news in a big way with the infamous betting scandal.  With several Montpellier players including the Karabatic brothers being implicated and eventually found guilty.  Ha, ha, I said to myself from afar as Montpellier got their comeuppance.

But, then in the aftermath a couple of things happened that got me rethinking Montpellier and its place in French Handball.  First, Montpellier, both their management and their fans handled a very bad situation about as well as they could.  Montpellier cleaned house and got new players.  Their performance dipped, but those Montpellier fans stayed with them.  Begrudgingly, I had to recognize that.

And, then Paris St-Germain invested in Paris handball in a big way.  Qatari money poured in creating a new super team of stars.  They even brought the Karabatic brothers back to France.  I may have once called Montpellier the NY Yankees of France, but PS-G has clearly taken over that mantle with a budget that dwarfs the rest of the league.

Coming Full Circle in Cologne

Sunday’s final was a tour de force for French Handball.  The little league with annually, maybe a quarterfinal participant now had 2 teams facing off against each other in the final.  It was a wonderful atmosphere and a great first half between two sides, both with passionate fans.  At halftime, I decided that the only real way to watch the rest of this match was with those fans.  So I left my seat and made my way to the purple corner of Nantes.  I stood behind the loud and boisterous contingent as they cheered on their team and reacted to every play.  After a while, though, I reflected that I was with the wrong team and found my way to the opposite corner.  To the team that I had “hate watched” so many, many times.

“Really?”  I thought to myself.  “Am I really going to jump on the Montpellier bandwagon?”

Yes, wholeheartedly.  It was the right thing to do.  As the game wound down the fans around me genuinely relished in their victory.  They cheered on their players who later joined them in celebration.

Afterwards, I searched for a Montpellier fan who spoke good English and Michel was kind enough to join me to discuss the experience, the team and their road to redemption.   The interview is about 9 minutes and the link is at the top of the page.

At the end of the interview I reflect a bit on how I’ve come full circle and probably should get a scarf and join the Blue Fox (Montpellier’s fan club).  At which point Michel’s wife reached into her purse and immediately took care of my wish.

I’ve had a lot of great handball experiences in my life and a lot of mementos to remember them, but right now my Blue Fox scarf is my most prized handball possession.

Allez, Allez, Montpellier!

Podcast (Episode 36): Paris St-Germain GM, Bruno Martini

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Paris GM, Bruno Martini

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paris St-Germain’s General Manager, Bruno Martini and I discuss the growth of the French League, marketing in the U.S., possible rule changes that might be considered and what the result would be if all 14 French League teams played the top 14 German League teams in a pre-season showdown next August. (Interview is approximately 12 minutes long)

Podcast (Episode 35): EHF President Michael Wiederer

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EHF President, Michael Wiederer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EHF President Michael Wiederer discusses handball marketing opportunities in the U.S.  (5 minute interview)

Podcast (Episode 34): USA Team Handball Development Discussion

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Dennis Berkholtz and I dive deep into a discussion on handball development in the U.S.  Among the topics covered:

  • Whether IHF resources spent on IHF Trophy tournaments could be better spent elsewhere
  • Dual citizen participation in IHF Trophy events
  • Whether national teams could be set aside for a period of time to tackle development
  • How “development” should be defined
  • The need for a “pyramid” framework for development
  • Whether the U.S. should consider a regional focus
  • How U.S. Nationals have turned into an Expat Convention and what can be done to get more American citizens playing
    • Should clubs participating in Elite be required to have a youth program?
    • Roster caps for non-American athletes?
  • Whether the U.S. should focus on 1 task area and what that 1 area should be
  • Helping stateside players get set up in Europe
  • Whether the U.S. could focus on 1 gender and the advantages of a women’s focus
  • The challenges of handball becoming an NCAA Sport
  • Whether a beach handball focus strategy should be considered.

Whew!  That’s a lot of ground, but well worth a listen.

Here are some links to related commentaries:

Mar 2017: Youth Handball Teams: A Waste of Time? (Part 1): The perilous problem of projecting future talent: Link

Mar 2017: Youth Handball Teams: A Waste of Time? (Part 2): Looking at development from a Sr Team planning perspective: Link

May 2017: Team USA Youth and Jr Teams: Data, Observations and Analysis: Link

May 2017: Charting a Way Forward for USA Team Handball (Option 9): Youth and Junior Teams Emphasis: Fund up and Coming Athletes First: Link

Podcast (Episode 33): IHF Trophy Review with Dennis Berkholtz (Part 1)

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The IHF Trophy tournaments held last week in West Dundee, Illinois were a big success.  Dennis Berkholtz was on hand for all the matches and he provides his assessment of the teams, players and results.

Final Results, Standings and links to match video: Link

USA IHF Trophy Rosters: Link

This is the first of two interviews with Dennis.  In part 2 we will discuss development strategies in the U.S. and other topics.

 

IHF Trophy (Final Results, Standings and Links to Video)

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Junior (U21) Competition

The U.S. and Martinique both earned slots to the next phase of IHF Trophy competition.  Martinique easily defeated Haiti 58-13 to finish with a 3-1 record and 2nd place.  The U.S defeated Canada 25-23 in the final match to finish with a perfect 4-0-0 record.  The U.S. jumped out to a good lead and held Canada off the rest of the way.  Canada played the U.S. far closer than Martinique (which lost to the U.S. 42-19 on Friday), but Martinique won the head to head match 28-24 on the opening day of competition and will advance.  There was wide separation between those 3 teams and Dominica and Haiti who were newcomers to the competition.

Youth (U19) Competition

Canada scored another easy win over the U.S. 42-22 and to win the competition with an unblemished 4-0-0 record.  They will be joined by Martinique in the next phase of competition.  The U.S. and Martinique split their two matches and were level on points, but Martinique is +6 in goal differential having won the first match by 7 before losing to the U.S. by one in the rematch.

 

 

 

Youth (U19) Schedule and Results

Tuesday, May 8
6:00 PM USA 27×34 Martinique Video: Link
Wednesday, May 9
2:00 PM Canada 33×26 Martinique Video: Link
Thursday, May 10
12:00 PM Canada 40×19 USA Video: Link1 Link2
8:00 PM USA 34×33 Martinique Video: Link
Friday, May 11
2:00 PM Canada 29×24 Martinique Video: Link
Saturday, May 12
4:00 PM USA 22×42 Canada Video: Link

 

 

 

 

 

Junior (U21) Schedule and Results)

Tuesday May 8
4:00 PM Canada 24×28 Martinique Video: Link
8:00 PM United States 46×15 Dominica Video: Link
Wednesday, May 9
4:00 PM Dominica 18×62 Canada Video: Link
6:00 PM Haiti 14×60 USA Video: Link
Thursday, May 10
2:00 PM Dominica 19×42 Martinique Video: Link1 Link2
6:00 PM Canada 50×6 Haiti Video: Link
Friday, May 11
4:00 PM Dominica 38×36 Haiti Video: Link
6:00 PM USA 32×13 Martinique Video: Link
Saturday, May 12
2:00 PM Martinique 58×13 Haiti Video: Link
6:00 PM Canada 23×25 USA Video: Link

IHF Trophy Update (After Day 4) USA Jrs Dominate Martinique

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Junior (U21) Competition

The match between the U.S. and Martinique in the Jr competition was a showdown between two undefeated teams, but the U.S. left no doubt as to which was the better team.  The USA dominated Martinique from start to finish for a comprehensive 32-13 victory.  In other play, Dominica beat Haiti 38-36 for their first win of the tournament.  The huge U.S. win virtually assures that the U.S. will win the competition.  They play their final match today vs Canada at 6:00 PM (Central).  Canada could still take 2nd place, but they would need a win over the U.S. to edge Martinique in the standings.

Youth (U19) Competition

Canada stayed unbeaten with a 29-24 win over Martinique.  Martinique finished the tournament with 1-0-3 record, but they still are ahead of the U.S. on goal differential.   The U.S. could still edge Martinique for 2nd place, but they would need to pull off an upset win or draw in their final match today vs Canada at 4:00 PM.  The top two teams will advance to the next phase of the IHF Trophy Competition.

Live Streaming: Link (IHF Facebook Page)

Current after the conclusion of Day 4 (Friday, 10 May)

 

 

 

 

Youth (U19) Schedule and Results

Tuesday, May 8
6:00 PM USA 27×34 Martinique Video: Link
Wednesday, May 9
2:00 PM Canada 33×26 Martinique Video: Link
Thursday, May 10
12:00 PM Canada 40×19 USA Video: Link1 Link2
8:00 PM USA 34×33 Martinique Video: Link
Friday, May 11
2:00 PM Canada 29×24 Martinique Video: Link
Saturday, May 12
4:00 PM USA vs Canada

Jr (U21) Standings

 

 

 

 

Junior (U21) Schedule and Results)

Tuesday May 8
4:00 PM Canada 24×28 Martinique Video: Link
8:00 PM United States 46×15 Dominica Video: Link
Wednesday, May 9
4:00 PM Dominica 18×62 Canada Video: Link
6:00 PM Haiti 14×60 USA Video: Link
Thursday, May 10
2:00 PM Dominica 19×42 Martinique
6:00 PM Canada 50×6 Haiti Video: Link
Friday, May 11
4:00 PM Dominica 38×36 Haiti Video: Link
6:00 PM USA 32×13 Martinique Video: Link
Saturday, May 12
2:00 PM Martinique vs Haiti
6:00 PM Canada vs USA

IHF Trophy (After Day 3 Update) USA U19 Hang on for 1st Victory

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Amar Amitovic with game winning goal vs Martinique

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The USA Youth (U19) team had double duty yesterday, playing two matches yesterday.  They lost their first game to Canada in disappointing fashion 40-19, but were able to get a win last night vs Martinique 34-33.  It looked as if the U.S. was going to win the match going away as they led 33-25, but Martinique ran off 8 unanswered goals before Left Back Amar Amitovic scored the game winner with 5 seconds.

Two of the 3 teams in the Youth competition will advance to the next phase of the IHF Trophy Competition.  Canada is undefeated in first place while the U.S. is now tied with Martinique on points for 2nd place  Martinique, however, owns the first the first tiebreaker, head to head goal differential.  Both teams have matches left vs Canada.  In order to advance, the U.S. will likely need Canada to defeat Martinique on Friday, and then score a win or draw in their last match vs Canada on Saturday.

In the Jr (U21) competition, Canada and Martinique continued the pattern of huge blowouts vs Dominica and Haiti.  Like the Youth competition, the Jr competition has the U.S., Canada and Martinique fighting for 2 spots to advance.  Martinique has already beaten Canada, 28-24, so the U.S. matches vs Martinique (Friday) and vs Canada (Saturday) will resolve which 2 teams advance.  Those games will be at 6:00 PM Central time both days.

Live Streaming: Link (IHF Facebook Page)

Current after the conclusion of Day 3 (Thursday, 10 May)

 

 

 

Youth (U19) Schedule and Results

Tuesday, May 8
6:00 PM USA 27×34 Martinique Video: Link
Wednesday, May 9
2:00 PM Canada 33×26 Martinique Video: Link
Thursday, May 10
12:00 PM Canada 40×19 USA Video: Link1 Link2
8:00 PM USA 34×33 Martinique Video: Link
Friday, May 11
2:00 PM Canada vs Martinique
Saturday, May 12
4:00 PM USA vs Canada

Jr (U21) Standings

 

 

 

 

Junior (U21) Schedule and Results)

Tuesday May 8
4:00 PM Canada 24×28 Martinique Video: Link
8:00 PM United States 46×15 Dominica Video: Link
Wednesday, May 9
4:00 PM Dominica 18×62 Canada Video: Link
6:00 PM Haiti 14×60 USA Video: Link
Thursday, May 10
2:00 PM Dominica 19×42 Martinique
6:00 PM Canada 50×6 Haiti Video: Link
Friday, May 11
4:00 PM Dominca vs Haiti
6:00 PM USA vs Martinique
Saturday, May 12
2:00 PM Martinique vs Haiti
6:00 PM Canada vs USA

 

IHF Awards Japanese Men with a Wild Card for the 2019 WC; Does that Mean the U.S. will get the Same Deal in 2027 or Maybe Sooner?

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The IHF Council has awarded the Japanese Men’s team a wild card entry for the 2019 World Championships which will be cohosted by Germany and Denmark next January.  This award is clearly to support Japanese development in the run up to the 2024 Olympics in Tokyo.  For sure, Japan is not the next best available team.  They placed 6th at the Asian Championship losing to Iran 33-28 in the 5th place game.  Iran’s not going to the World Championships and neither will several European teams that surely would beat Japan in competition.  It’s not certain which European teams won’t qualify, but it will be the 9 losers in these 2 match playoffs that will be held in June: Link

There’s certainly some logic to giving a helping hand to a future Olympic host.  As noted, previously the IHF is under pressure from the IOC to show that handball is more than just a European game.  Right now the level of play for the Japanese Men would suggest a winless last place finish with some bad score lines.  Playing in a World Championship will provide some valuable experience that hopefully can narrow the gap some.  Their athletes will also get a chance to shine on the world stage and perhaps use that opportunity to sign a professional club contract.

What’s interesting to note about this decision by the IHF Council is that it was made prior to the European qualification matches.  Meaning, that if a “name” team slips up and doesn’t qualify the IHF won’t be able to award that team a wild card spot.  That being said most of the key “name” teams have already qualified.  I could be wrong, but I’m thinking that if Germany’s qualification was still in doubt the IHF might well have held off on awarding the wild card slot to Japan

A Future Wild Card Deal for the U.S.?

Japan’s award raises the question as to whether the U.S. might be given a similar boost at some point. With the IHF looking to develop the U.S. market, one can certainly see the possibility of the men’s and women’s team getting wild cards in the future.  Should it be necessary, one could certainly envision wild cards in 2027.  But, I suspect the goal is for that not to be necessary nine years from now.

It’s hard to see that far in the future, though, and certainly qualification would be directly tied to whatever future qualification requirements are levied on the new North American & Caribbean Handball Confederation.  Not to mention that Cuba with its inclusion of European pros is an emerging force to reckon with.

One could actually envision an earlier wild card award to the U.S.  After all, participating in a World Championships just a year and a half before an Olympics is kind of a stop gap measure.  It will help, but not set the stage for significant improvement in such a short period of time.  Whereas 3 years or even 5 years ahead of an Olympics provides more time for growth.  However, such an award would not be automatic.  The U.S. would have to show some level of promise.  That the team had real potential for improvement.

It remains to be seen just what is in store with the IHF’s plans for North America, but the helping hand to Japan can certainly be seen as a signal that help may be on the way.

IHF Trophy: Standings, Schedule, Results, Streaming Link

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Live Streaming: Link (IHF Facebook Page)

Current after the conclusion of Day 3 (Thursday, 10 May)

 

 

 

Youth (U19) Schedule and Results

Tuesday, May 8
6:00 PM USA 27×34 Martinique Video: Link
Wednesday, May 9
2:00 PM Canada 33×26 Martinique Video: Link
Thursday, May 10
12:00 PM Canada 40×19 USA
8:00 PM USA 34×33 Martinique
Friday, May 11
2:00 PM Canada vs Martinique
Saturday, May 12
4:00 PM USA vs Canada

Jr (U21) Standings

 

 

 

 

Junior (U21) Schedule and Results)

Tuesday May 8
4:00 PM Canada 24×28 Martinique Video: Link
8:00 PM United States 46×15 Dominica Video: Link
Wednesday, May 9
4:00 PM Dominica 18×62 Canada Video: Link
6:00 PM Haiti 14×60 USA Video: Link
Thursday, May 10
2:00 PM Dominica 19×42 Martinique
6:00 PM Canada 50×6 Haiti
Friday, May 11
4:00 PM Dominca vs Haiti
6:00 PM USA vs Martinique
Saturday, May 12
2:00 PM Martinique vs Haiti
6:00 PM Canada vs USA