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Post by akbar on Jun 27, 2021 7:37:38 GMT -5
I think if Russell is heathy, this isn’t even a topic, Correct....it is not. He has been a starter for the past 5 years and a top scorer for this team and one of the best in the world. If he is ready to go remains to be seen.
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Post by archiepelago on Jun 27, 2021 12:10:03 GMT -5
The "culture" of the Mens team is perfectly fine. They are all highly competitive athletes who push themselves and their teammates with a collective goal in mind. Athletes today are brought up in very different environment than in the 70s and 80s. While I can see that a few of us experienced days of trash talking and borderline fisticuffs within our team practices and volatile coaching in days of yore, don't be fooled to think that we were more competitive or tougher minded than these guys in the Olympic gym today. It's all relative. Maybe there is lack in focus? The pandemic hit home and they are dealing with baggages? VNL is technically "the" training for olympics. I don't mind the wins and the loses but the manner the USA won or lose is what's really depressing. But anyway, there's still a month left. On paper USA should make the quarterfinals in the tokyo olympics with Brazil, France and Russia. Tunisia should be "easier" for the team that we have and Argentina played their roster in the VNL and USA seems to have a chance in beating them. USA beat Argentina in the preliminary round but I don't count that since this was the early days when Argentina was undermanned. They only had 9-10 people I believe because the rest were still in quarantine. Work on chemistry. I think this should be vital. Skills is a given. They weren't put in the roster if they are lacking in skills.
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Post by netsetter on Jun 29, 2021 15:55:05 GMT -5
I am still not seeing this "attitude" that people attribute to DeFalco. He smiles, celebrates, is intense, doesn't seem to get on his teammates in a negative way. His teammates say similar things about him. It seems like people have perceptions about when they saw when he was at HB that moved itself on up through LBSU and now to the national team.
We see from these stats provided that DeFalco is right at the same level of passing as GM and Jaeschke. I saw a chart from a Polish twitter account rating the attack efficiency of OHs with at least 80 attempts. GM was about 3 percent ahead of DeFalco and 7 percent ahead of Jaeschke.
For what it is worth, Jaeschke was the 10th best passer in terms of efficiency this year in Italy (4th best non-libero). DeFalco was 28th.
Jaeschke was also 10th in attack efficiency, while DeFalco was 23rd.
Jaeschke scored 3.35 points per set (ranked 24th). DeFalco scored 3.16 points per set (ranked 28th).
Muagututia scored 2.92 points per set in Poland.
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Post by ToddyJ on Jun 29, 2021 20:31:25 GMT -5
I am still not seeing this "attitude" that people attribute to DeFalco. He smiles, celebrates, is intense, doesn't seem to get on his teammates in a negative way. His teammates say similar things about him. It seems like people have perceptions about when they saw when he was at HB that moved itself on up through LBSU and now to the national team. We see from these stats provided that DeFalco is right at the same level of passing as GM and Jaeschke. I saw a chart from a Polish twitter account rating the attack efficiency of OHs with at least 80 attempts. GM was about 3 percent ahead of DeFalco and 7 percent ahead of Jaeschke. For what it is worth, Jaeschke was the 10th best passer in terms of efficiency this year in Italy (4th best non-libero). DeFalco was 28th. Jaeschke was also 10th in attack efficiency, while DeFalco was 23rd. Jaeschke scored 3.35 points per set (ranked 24th). DeFalco scored 3.16 points per set (ranked 28th). Muagututia scored 2.92 points per set in Poland. So Jaeschke should be starting then? I agree.
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Post by ToddyJ on Jun 29, 2021 20:32:54 GMT -5
I think if Russell is heathy, this isn’t even a topic, Correct....it is not. He has been a starter for the past 5 years and a top scorer for this team and one of the best in the world. If he is ready to go remains to be seen. What was his surgery for? I know it was his hip, but do we know to the extent of this injuries?
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Post by socalplayer on Jun 29, 2021 20:45:35 GMT -5
Yes for TJ! 100% We need fire!
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Post by archiepelago on Jun 29, 2021 22:12:40 GMT -5
I am still not seeing this "attitude" that people attribute to DeFalco. He smiles, celebrates, is intense, doesn't seem to get on his teammates in a negative way. His teammates say similar things about him. It seems like people have perceptions about when they saw when he was at HB that moved itself on up through LBSU and now to the national team. We see from these stats provided that DeFalco is right at the same level of passing as GM and Jaeschke. I saw a chart from a Polish twitter account rating the attack efficiency of OHs with at least 80 attempts. GM was about 3 percent ahead of DeFalco and 7 percent ahead of Jaeschke. For what it is worth, Jaeschke was the 10th best passer in terms of efficiency this year in Italy (4th best non-libero). DeFalco was 28th. Jaeschke was also 10th in attack efficiency, while DeFalco was 23rd. Jaeschke scored 3.35 points per set (ranked 24th). DeFalco scored 3.16 points per set (ranked 28th). Muagututia scored 2.92 points per set in Poland. Well, didn't he scream at Holt when Holt touched a ball that was going out? He wears his emotion in his sleeves so when someone makes a mistake, he reacts. DeFalco has offense, that can't be denied but in terms of team chemistry, I would rather have Muagtutia there. There's just more stability when Muagtutia and Sander is on the floor. Micah, Muagtutia, Sander, Holt, Smith, Anderson, Shoji should be a starter. But I think TJ will start since he played the most games in the VNL. I assume the coaches is using him that much in the VNL cause they will be using him that much in the Olympics. BTW, I rewatched the 2016 olympics, and its amazing how much the departure of Russel and Lee changed this team. Or is it leadership problem? Lee was the captain of the team last time.
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Post by Disc808 on Jun 29, 2021 22:33:23 GMT -5
Based on VNL, it seems like Speraw wants DeFalco as the starter. I'm still in the Jaeschke camp but I see the value DeFalco brings. DeFalco does have questionable body language at times, but if the team can manage it and isn't bothered by it then so be it. I don't think intensity is a problem, but I just don't want to see any panic, mental lapses, or breakdowns in high pressure situations or when the team/he is not playing great.
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Post by archiepelago on Jun 29, 2021 22:51:35 GMT -5
Based on VNL, it seems like Speraw wants DeFalco as the starter. I'm still in the Jaeschke camp but I see the value DeFalco brings. DeFalco does have questionable body language at times, but if the team can manage it and isn't bothered by it then so be it. I don't think intensity is a problem, but I just don't want to see any panic, mental lapses, or breakdowns in high pressure situations or when the team/he is not playing great. The thing is, I don't think the team can manage it. The result of the VNL proves that. Chemistry is harder to improve than individual skill. To those that followed DeFalco's collegiate career, I have to ask, was Long Beach ever challenged or did they dominate? Just wondering. Because this might be a case of DeFalco not knowing what to do when a lose or impending lose present itself to him. We all want the USA to win or at least go far, we should ask ourselves why such a strong team on paper only managed to rank #7. For me, I see chemistry is the problem.
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Post by netsetter on Jun 30, 2021 13:36:31 GMT -5
It wasn't like he had a cakewalk through college. They won the conference championship twice (MPSF in 2017 and Big West in 2018) and a national championship twice (2018 and 2019). That is a phenomenal record, but not easy or unprecedented.
He has also gotten plenty of experience with adversity as a professional. He went 5-15 as a rookie with Vibo Valentia. They picked up Saitta, Cester, and Roussard for this past season. They jumped from 12th place to 5th place... finishing with a 13-9 record.
They went 2-8 in the postseason: 1-2 in the quarterfinals series with Monza, 1-6 in the 5th place playoff group stage. His team went 1-2 in the Italian Cup group stage.
That was a lot of information just to say that he has gone 5-15 and 16-19 in two years as a professional. This VNL is not the first time he has had to deal with losing.
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Post by myhouse911 on Jun 30, 2021 17:34:16 GMT -5
Based on VNL, it seems like Speraw wants DeFalco as the starter. I'm still in the Jaeschke camp but I see the value DeFalco brings. DeFalco does have questionable body language at times, but if the team can manage it and isn't bothered by it then so be it. I don't think intensity is a problem, but I just don't want to see any panic, mental lapses, or breakdowns in high pressure situations or when the team/he is not playing great. The thing is, I don't think the team can manage it. The result of the VNL proves that. Chemistry is harder to improve than individual skill. To those that followed DeFalco's collegiate career, I have to ask, was Long Beach ever challenged or did they dominate? Just wondering. Because this might be a case of DeFalco not knowing what to do when a lose or impending lose present itself to him. We all want the USA to win or at least go far, we should ask ourselves why such a strong team on paper only managed to rank #7. For me, I see chemistry is the problem. The finished 7th in the VNL because they didn't have their best 7 (specifically Anderson, Holt, and T. Sander) playing every single match - it doesn't take long to see who didn't play in their losses. Your posts have me wondering how ignorant you truly are in regards to this team and this recent event. And no, he didn't scream at Holt when the blocked ball hit him on the way out. He was frustrated that the block was inadvertently touched, that is all.
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Post by archiepelago on Jun 30, 2021 21:29:48 GMT -5
The thing is, I don't think the team can manage it. The result of the VNL proves that. Chemistry is harder to improve than individual skill. To those that followed DeFalco's collegiate career, I have to ask, was Long Beach ever challenged or did they dominate? Just wondering. Because this might be a case of DeFalco not knowing what to do when a lose or impending lose present itself to him. We all want the USA to win or at least go far, we should ask ourselves why such a strong team on paper only managed to rank #7. For me, I see chemistry is the problem. The finished 7th in the VNL because they didn't have their best 7 (specifically Anderson, Holt, and T. Sander) playing every single match - it doesn't take long to see who didn't play in their losses. Your posts have me wondering how ignorant you truly are in regards to this team and this recent event. And no, he didn't scream at Holt when the blocked ball hit him on the way out. He was frustrated that the block was inadvertently touched, that is all. I’m informed enough thank you very much. In this VNL, only Slovenia played their starters from week 1 to week 5. Every team shuffled their players. If you watch other games you’ll notice that. Other teams shuffled their players and did well. Also, there are loses that happened when Anderson, Holt and Sander played. So what is your point? That we would have won if holt, Anderson and sander played? But USA still lose when those people played.
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Post by myhouse911 on Jun 30, 2021 22:25:31 GMT -5
The finished 7th in the VNL because they didn't have their best 7 (specifically Anderson, Holt, and T. Sander) playing every single match - it doesn't take long to see who didn't play in their losses. Your posts have me wondering how ignorant you truly are in regards to this team and this recent event. And no, he didn't scream at Holt when the blocked ball hit him on the way out. He was frustrated that the block was inadvertently touched, that is all. I’m informed enough thank you very much. In this VNL, only Slovenia played their starters from week 1 to week 5. Every team shuffled their players. If you watch other games you’ll notice that. Other teams shuffled their players and did well. Also, there are loses that happened when Anderson, Holt and Sander played. So what is your point? That we would have won if holt, Anderson and sander played? But USA still lose when those people played. I highly doubt you're informed enough, based on your posting history. To break it down in details for you: 7 Losses 3-0 L to Brazil, 3-1 L to Russia, 3-0 L to Iran (No Anderson, Sander, or Holt, plus no Christenson for the Iran match) 3-0 L to Poland (No Sander, Anderson at OH for the two sets he played, Christenson playing the same two sets) 3-1 L to Serbia (No Sander or Christenson, and Anderson benched after set 2, while being the leading scorer after 2 sets) 3-1 L to France (No Sander, Christenson, or Anderson) 3-2 L to Slovenia (The first and only time they lost when Holt, Sander, and Anderson were on and played the vast majority of the match. USA let the win slip away.) So my point is that of their 7 losses, I don't believe there was a chemistry issue, like you are stating. There was a lack of healthy starters and/or starters that had not played a competitive match in a considerable amount of time. And to add to my point, they would have had a significantly better chance to win the majority of their matches had Speraw cared about making the semifinals, and had three presumed starters all healthy and playing against the tougher teams in that event.
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Post by Disc808 on Jun 30, 2021 22:32:18 GMT -5
USA rotated their players, and two of our big guns, Sander and Anderson, are still getting back into form. I can see why that affected the results. But at the same time, other teams also rotated their players and it's not like Team USA was fielding a C team. The talent was there, and there's not really an excuse for some of the sloppy play. I don't think the VNL result was that bad, but the execution at times wasn't there.
There's still time left for the team to improve. That being said, getting out of pool play is certainly a big task and avoiding Poland/Italy in the quarterfinals likely requires Team USA to be near the top of the pool. But after that all it takes is one win in the quarterfinals and the medal chances get that much more real.
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Post by archiepelago on Jun 30, 2021 23:06:20 GMT -5
I’m informed enough thank you very much. In this VNL, only Slovenia played their starters from week 1 to week 5. Every team shuffled their players. If you watch other games you’ll notice that. Other teams shuffled their players and did well. Also, there are loses that happened when Anderson, Holt and Sander played. So what is your point? That we would have won if holt, Anderson and sander played? But USA still lose when those people played. I highly doubt you're informed enough, based on your posting history. To break it down in details for you: 7 Losses 3-0 L to Brazil, 3-1 L to Russia, 3-0 L to Iran (No Anderson, Sander, or Holt, plus no Christenson for the Iran match) 3-0 L to Poland (No Sander, Anderson at OH for the two sets he played, Christenson playing the same two sets) 3-1 L to Serbia (No Sander or Christenson, and Anderson benched after set 2, while being the leading scorer after 2 sets) 3-1 L to France (No Sander, Christenson, or Anderson) 3-2 L to Slovenia (The first and only time they lost when Holt, Sander, and Anderson were on and played the vast majority of the match. USA let the win slip away.) So my point is that of their 7 losses, I don't believe there was a chemistry issue, like you are stating. There was a lack of healthy starters and/or starters that had not played a competitive match in a considerable amount of time. And to add to my point, they would have had a significantly better chance to win the majority of their matches had Speraw cared about making the semifinals, and had three presumed starters all healthy and playing against the tougher teams in that event. Thank you for this but I'm inform enough. You are under the impression that I meant that Anderson, Holt and Sander together. When I meant that they lose with Sander or Holt or Anderson were playing. I think you only watch a few games that is not of USA. With the exception of Slovenia, everyone's starting lineup were changing every single game. But the thing is they were winning even if their starting lineups are different. So if other teams are winning why can't USA? USA will field a team of 12. Not a team of 7.
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