[quote='redhawkvb',index.php?page=Thread&postID=30401#post30401]
Yeah, you are right, so when exactly is the first game between Spain in USA...
Friday, January 11th, 7 PM USA Central time. I am planning on attending even though it is a three hour drive. I will post my match report on my website sometime Saturday.
I am not sure whether I will attend Saturday nights match which is at the same place. So many things to do with so little time to do them!
I don't believe and i never will that someone as a coach doesn't care about the wins als losses, no matter there is an olympics or any other things. I want my team to win every game and i think that's normal for everybody.. it is the easiest excuse that the world league is not imortant... but if there is a failure at the olympics... the league won't be the excuse for any of the teams..and sure there will be failiures for some teams at the olympics. But we will see.
I agree so perhaps I should have stated that they are LESS concerned about the wins and losses than they are the preparation for the Olympic games. I do not think anyone would want a coach who thinks that it is OK to lose! 
Superbobo overreacted but i really think that USA, Spain and Finland can't be proud of the fact that they've beaten mainly the reserve players...
From the press conferences I have attended, I don't think Coach McCutcheon of the USA cares about who he is playing during World League competition. He is focusing on what is going on on his side of the net. He is focused on both the individual performances of his players in various situations and how well the team members work together. He switches the starting outsides, middles and opposite every match. He is trying to make sure he brings the correct 12 to Beijing. Team USA sent their younger players to compete in the Pan Am games to get experience. The younger players won the Gold medal at the Pan Am games. The senior players are using World League to prepare for the Olympics competition. While each coach I have asked carefully responds, I do not think any of the coaches whose teams are attending the Olympics are concerned on their wins and losses during World League. They are focused on how their players and teams are developing. Now next year will be a different story!!!
The World League matches are being delayed broadcast in the US. The first weekend matches are not broadcast until June 30th. I attended the two USA vs. Bulgaria matches this weekend and the matches were broadcast LIVE to Bulgaria but will be tape delayed to the US audience...
Display MoreI have the Friday night Team USA Press Conference video uploaded and will work on the Team Bulgaria press conference tonight after the 2nd match.
I will repeat for Saturday nights matches also...
I have updated the page and it includes the Team Bulgaria press conference. You can get to it two ways:
Home Page (for the next few days)
Main World League Page (permanent)
Team USA Plays Jekyll and Hyde in Loss to Bulgaria
After being handily swept Friday night, Team Bulgaria defeated Team USA in a see-saw five set match Saturday night, 12-25, 25-16, 25-20, 12-25 and 15-13 in front of a crowd of 5,100 fans at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, IL. Team USA continued its dominance in the first and fourth sets with 25-12 victories in both. However, Team Bulgaria proved more resilient tonight as they took sets two, three and the deciding fifth set.
Read Full Article including Photos and Press Conference Video Links
The press conference includes Team Bulgaria. Let me know if the Bulgarian translator did a good job of translating...
I have the Friday night Team USA Press Conference video uploaded and will work on the Team Bulgaria press conference tonight after the 2nd match.
I will repeat for Saturday nights matches also...
Oh, I even didn't know. There is also the biggest community of Poles in Chicago
It is probably the most slavic city in USA.
Yes, I attended a USA vs. Poland womens national team friendly match held in Chicago in 2006. It was great. The USA national team thought they were the visiting team as largest majority of the fans were Polish. Red and white everywhere!
Photos I took from that match...
http://middlehitter.com/middle…Poland/USA_Women-2006.htm
http://middlehitter.com/middle…A_Women-2006-polextra.htm
We will see, but this games in Chicago, Hoffman Estates will be almost host matches for us, because in Chicago is the biggest community of bulgarians in USA, and most of them have already bought tickets... so will be a great matches...but lets first beat Spain twice in Varna and then we will make predictions.
Yes, I learned that a couple of weeks ago. One of the technicians who came to my house explained that fact. He will begin engineering school in the fall. He too heard that many Bulgarians in Chicago will be attending. I emailed the director of a Bulgarian news website in Chicago to provide me comments for my preview article but I did not get any response. It should be fun!
As you will tell I am not a professional writer but I prepared an article for the USA World League audience who mostly does not understand the format for World League or about many of the teams the US will be playing.
Finland: A very young team, but with big dreams...
Finland is currently ranked 22nd in the World by FIVB moving up from their previous ranking of 29th. Head Coach Mauro Berutto has big plans for the young team, “our target will be to make a wonderful experience, useful for our two next very important targets: European Championship finals (2009) and World Championship qualifications. We are a very young team, but with big dreams...”
I will predict if you say me the roster of your team for the matches because Bulgaria will be without some of the strognest players - Evgeni Ivanov, Vladimir Nikolov and captain Plamen Konstantinov. I want to 2 wins but maybe it will be 1-1 wins between the teams, of course i think it will also depends from Bulgaria - Spain and Finland - USA, mainly mentaly will depends. But of course you have to tell me USA's men team list, please.
Good question! I do not think the USA will be playing all of their top players throughout the World League either. As you know, the teams do not have to submit their 12 player rosters until the day before the first match of the weekend play and can change the following weekend. However, here is the list of 19 players the USA has to choose from:
1 Lloy Ball (S, 6-8, Woodburn, Ind., Indiana-Purdue, Fort Wayne)
2 Sean Rooney (OH, 6-9, Wheaton, Ill., Pepperdine)
3 Evan Patak (Opp, 6-8, Pleasanton, Calif., UC Santa Barbara)
4 David Lee (MB, 6-8, Alpine, Calif., Long Beach State)
5 Rich Lambourne (L, 6-3, Tustin, Calif., BYU)
6 Phil Eatherton (MB, 6-9, Glencoe, Mo., Ball State)
7 Donald Suxho (S, 6-5, Korce, Albania, USC bv)
8 Reid Priddy (OH, 6-5, Richmond, Va., Loyola Marymount)
9 Ryan Millar (MB, 6-8, Palmdale, Calif., BYU)
10 Riley Salmon (OH, 6-6, League City, Texas, Pierce College)
11 Brook Billings (Opp, 6-5, Santa Barbara, Calif., USC)
12 C Tom Hoff (MB, 6-8, Park Ridge, Ill., Long Beach State)
13 Clay Stanley (OPP, 6-9, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Hawai’i)
14 Kevin Hansen (S, 6-5, Newport Beach, Calif., Stanford)
15 Gabe Gardner (Opp, 6-9, San Clemente, Calif., Stanford)
16 Brandon Taliaferro (S, 6-5, San Clemente, Calif., UCLA)
17 Delano Thomas (MB, 6-7, Sacramento, Calif., Hawai’i)
18 Scott Touzinsky (OH, 6-6, St. Louis, Mo., Long Beach State)
19 Alfee Reft (L, 5-10, Oxnard, Calif., Hawai’i)
Even the Finland coach stated he was going with a try many younger players as he prepares for the future European championship play.
Let's have some fun. I wIll be at both of the USA vs. Bulagria matches here in the US. Do any Bulgarian fans wish to predict the outcome of these two matches???
for USA is my prediction!
ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 3, 2008) – A young U.S. Men’s National Team advanced to the semifinals of the Pan American Cup with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-16) victory over Mexico on Tuesday in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The U.S. Men improved to 2-0 in the tournament and will play next in the semifinals on Friday. Mexico (0-1) will play Costa Rica on Wednesday to determine second and third place in the group. In the other group, Canada picked up its second win by beating Puerto Rico, 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-13) and Dominican Republic also remained undefeated by beating Trinidad & Tobago, 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 27-25). Canada will play Dominican Republic on Wednesday to determine the group winner.
"For a team that did not practice a lot together before this tournament, we picked up a lot of things on the fly," U.S. Head Coach Alan Knipe (Long Beach State) said after the United States’ victory Monday over Costa Rica.
Team USA was led by team captain Andrew Hein (Carol Stream, Ill.), who scored 11 points on six kills, four blocks and one ace. Evan Patak (Pleasanton, Calif.) added 10 points on a match-high eight kills, one block and one ace.
For the second night, every player on the U.S. roster saw time on the court.
Tyler Hildebrand (Mesa, Ariz.), who started the first two sets at setter, scored five points on a match-high five blocks. Paul Lotman (Lakewood, Calif.) scored five points, including three on aces to lead the match.
Nate Meerstein (La Porte City, Iowa) and Robert Tarr (Cape Canaveral, Fla.) each scored four points. Matt Proper (Meadville, Pa.) added three. Jayson Jablonsky (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) each contributed two points and Nick Scheftic (Santa Barbara, Calif.) had one.
Setters Jonathan Winder (Irvine, Calif.) and Hildebrand shared playing time and helped the U.S. Men 38 percent of their attempts into kills.
Libero Alfee Reft (Oxnard, Calif.) was credited with 13 digs and 47 percent "excellent" service receptions.
Francisco Enriquez led Mexico with seven points scored on kills. Mexico was hurt by 28 errors as opposed to 18 for the United States. The U.S. Men out-hit Mexico 26-24, out-blocked it 15-4 and scored on six aces as opposed to one for Mexico.
The event Web site is http://www.volleyball.ca/index.asp?page=295.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 2, 2008) – Led by Evan Patak with 11 points and Nate Meerstein with 10, the U.S. Men's National Team defeated Costa Rica 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-17) on Monday in the first match of the 2008 Pan American Cup in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
A group of young players are representing the United States in Canada and they are now 1-0 in the tournament. On Tuesday, they will play Mexico (6 p.m., PDT).
In the tournament's other group, the Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico, 3-1 (25 20, 25-19, 22-25, 25- 21) and Canada beat Trinidad & Tobago, 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-13).
Every player on the U.S. roster competed Monday and everyone scored at least one point except libero Alfee Reft (Oxnard, Calif.).
Patak (Pleasanton, Calif.) scored his 11 points on 10 kills and the United States' only ace. Meerstein (La Porte City, Iowa) had eight kills and two blocks. Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) scored seven points.
Andrew Hein (Carol Stream, Ill.), who is serving as the team's captain, scored six points. Nick Scheftic (Santa Barbara, Calif.) added five. Matt Proper (Meadville, Pa.) and Jayson Jablonsky (Yorba Linda, Calif.) each contributed three points. Robert Tarr (Cape Canaveral, Fla.) and Tyler Hildebrand (Mesa, Ariz.) each scored two points and Jonathan Winder (Irvine, Calif.) and Paul Lotman (Lakewood, Calif.) each had one.
Reft was credited with 18 successful serve receptions in 19 attempts. Setters Winder – who started the first set – and Hildebrand – who started the second and third – helped the team convert 45 percent of their attack attempts into points.
Costa Rica, who was led by Orozco Calderon with nine points, converted 35 percent of its kill attempts into points. The United States out-hit Costa Rica 42-20 and out-blocked its opponent 8-2.
The event Web site is http://www.volleyball.ca/index.asp?page=295.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (May 30, 2008) – Volleyball fans may be getting a glimpse of the future of the U.S. Men’s National Team on June 2-7 at the Pan American Cup in Winnipeg, Canada.
The 12-man U.S. team competing at the seven-team tournament is comprised of 11 players who finished their college careers in the last three years and one who is still in college.
Among the players, 11 have played in at least one World University Games. Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.), who is entering his senior year at Penn State, has not played at the World University Games, but played for the 2007 Junior Men’s National Team at the FIVB Junior Men’s World Championship.
His Penn State team also won the 2008 NCAA men’s volleyball national championship on May 3.
Eight of the team members – Anderson, Evan Patak (Pleasanton, Calif.), Matt Proper (Meadville, Pa.), Jayson Jablonsky (Yorba Linda, Calif.), Jonathan Winder (Irvine, Calif.), Andrew Hein (Carol Stream, Ill.), Nick Scheftic (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Paul Lotman (Lakewood, Calif.) traveled to Japan in May to help the Japanese men’s national team prepare for its Olympic qualifying tournament.
The head coach of the team is Alan Knipe, who took his Long Beach State men’s volleyball team to the NCAA semifinals in May and who coached the U.S. Men to a bronze medal at the 2007 World University Games. He will be assisted by John Hawks of USC, who was his assistant coach at the World University Games and who also led the team that trained with Japan’s national team.
The United States was scheduled to play in a group with Cuba, Mexico and Costa Rica. However a notice on Canada’s Web site says Cuba pulled out of the tournament this week. The other group is scheduled to include Canada, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago.
The event Web site is at http://www.volleyball.ca/index.asp?page=295.
Redhawkvb if you give me your email I can send you the mail of the girl in the federation that can help you
Thank you. I just sent you a private inside-volley message...
You just sent a e-mail to the president of our federation Dancho Lazarov, I hope that he will be so kind to answer your e-mail.
I hope he will be kind enough to reply also. However, the email address I sent it to is the only email shown on the one page website! http://www.volleyball.bg
If he didn't want to receive an email I would guess he would not place his email address on the internet...
I just sent the email. I will let you know if I receive a reply...
Afroman, can you find a contact for a press person for the Bulgarian national team? I want to send some questions to the head coach and obtain their press kit for World League. I am writing articles for the World League matches in the US. I have been unable to find one.
Thank you in advance.
