After an intense, yet exciting week, our journey in Saudi Arabia comes finally to an end.
For our inaugural participation, our boys finished at the 10th place with three losses against the best teams from Asia – the host and Saudi Arabian champion, Al Wehda, the local team of Al Noor, and Al Duhail (Qatar, 2021 Asian Champion). This competition taught us a lot about the fascinating world of professional handball and gave the opportunity to our players to compete against some of the best in our sport, such as Frankis Marzo (top scorer at the 2021 IHF World Championships), Angel Hernandez, Zarko Markovic, Rafael Capote, and many more. This project is the result of years of work and a reward for a team that conquered the US Nationals (2019) and North American & Caribbean Club Championship (2021).
In an arena worth of all superlatives, our team got the tremendous privilege to battle the host team, Al Wehda, in front of a large crowd (2,650 spectators). This was probably the largest crowd our team ever had the chance to witness while playing, and it surely explained the nervousness in the first couple minutes of the game. Led by a fantastic line of back players (Marzo, Barabash, Hernandez), Al Wehda took an early but comfortable lead (5:1). But slowly, and thanks to some amazing saves from our goalkeeper, Fredrik Jakobsen, our team managed to stay in the game (6:13 at half time). The second half sadly didn’t come with major surprises. Against a team composed of that many talented athletes, we couldn’t dream of a victory. We still offered a good display of our skills with respectable sequences in both defense and transition. Final score 20:29.
But we knew we weren’t too far off. We gave it another try against the local team of Al Noor, who had lost their quarterfinal by just one goal against EC Pinheiros (Brazil, 2021 South American Champion). This game started with a similar level of intensity, yet in a completely different atmosphere with barely any spectators. Against us, Zarko Markovic, Qatar National Team player and former MKB Veszprem. Our team learnt from the mistakes of the first game but still felt short at half time (10:14). In the second half, we managed to get closer, but due to a high number of missed shots and technical mistakes, our opponent took the win. Final score 24:30.
In the final game against Al Duhail, the team was eager to address some of the flaws from our first two games while playing with more confidence. And that first half was quite impressive (14:16). This time, our team left their heart on the court, led notably by a strong defense with Soeren Mueller and Ronnie Andersen. In addition, our goalkeeper, Lucas Kroeger, had probably one of his best days saving every second shot. 20 minutes before the end, we were there, 16:17 with the ball in our hands. But similarly to our other games, we missed way too many clear opportunities at six meters. At this level, these come at a cost. In just a couple of minutes, Al Duhail scored six goals in a row and maintained the distance until the end of the game (23:30). Despite a spectacular finish, a goal scored by our right winger, and team top scorer, Severin Ramseier (12 goals out of 17 attempts), we were resigned to leave the tournament without a single victory.
But we are very proud of our performance. For an amateur team who just got together and started practicing a week before the tournament, we managed to play some very good sequences, challenging professional teams on their home grounds. We ultimately displayed a modern and dynamic handball, with a high focus in transition. Our lack of experience and depth in the rotation probably explain our end-result. But, hearing from the handball enthusiasts on site, we feel energized by this event and can’t wait to push the boundaries even further. The road to the 2022 IHF Super Globe will be very long, and challenging, but we believe USA Team Handball can only benefit and grow from consistently participating at such a global event like the IHF Super Globe.
Bear with us, and join us on this magnificent quest. It’s worth it!
Photo credit: International Handball Federation