Inside USA’s first win at the IHF Men’s World Championship: “Handball here is really improving”
14 Jan. 2023
A 25-match losing streak is not something any team wants, but the United States of America's learning curve at the IHF Men's World Championship has been steep. In six tournaments, the USA never came close to a win, losing all the matches they had played so far.
That is until Poland/Sweden 2023, when the work put in by the group of players and coach Robert Hedin finally yielded the positive results they had hoped for, with the 28:27 win over Morocco breaking the losing streak and securing the first-ever win in the competition.
Visibly emotional, the players celebrated on the court and in their locker room. The win against the African side edged the USA closer to a place in the main round and possibly the best result in the team's history in the world handball flagship competition.
"It was an amazing moment for all of us, but it was not easy. It was a roller coaster, with a lot of lead changes, a lot of emotions and tempers running high, but eventually we managed to stay calm and seal this very important win, which is a boost to our morale and a sign that we are doing things right," says USA's left back, Aboubakar Fofana, who scored six goals for his side.
Indeed, Fofana has been of the most reliable players in the USA for some time, thanks to his mix of natural talent and development in France, where his family moved when he was only eight years old.
With Ivorian heritage, Fofana, who was born in Newark, New Jersey, and therefore is a US citizen, was always fascinated by sport and was a football goalkeeper until he was 14. Then, he discovered handball and never looked back, entering the youth ranks of the renowned French side Fenix Toulouse.
His development matches his excellent physical skills, as Fofana became the true prototype of a modern back, displaying excellent strength and speed, but also a strong shot. In fact, the fastest two goals scored by the USA against Morocco came from Fofana's arm, clocked at 106 km/h and 103 km/h respectively.
"I always liked handball, but I was not a strong shooter in my youth. It is the product of hard work and I have always strived to be better and better because I love handball and I love playing," says Fofana.
While he might be the face of this newly-minted USA team, the youngest in the competition at the 2023 IHF Men's World Championship with an average age of 25.6 years old, Fofana has not been the only player firing on all cylinders at Poland/Sweden 2023.
"Handball in the United States of America has been really improving in the last few years. A few years back we had only two professional players; now, half of the team is playing professionally in Europe. It has been a huge help, it is going well, but we still need to get better," says the left back, who is currently playing for Angers SCO in France.
"But we also need to get better at the grassroots level, which is already happening, with serious expertise from Europe. We are all trying and striving to make the sport more popular in the United States, and this win, our first one at the World Championship, can only help".
The USA are not qualified for the main round. Still, with three teams progressing to the next phase, their chances have been immensely boosted, despite matches against Croatia and Egypt, two powerhouses, coming next. If they do make it to the next phase at Poland/Sweden 2023, a match against Denmark, the reigning world champions, might be on the cards.
"We are actually looking forward to play against the best teams in the world. At the Gjensidige Cup, we played against Norway, Brazil and Portugal in a friendly tournament before the competition, and even if we lost all three matches, it was great to feature against some excellent teams," adds Fofana.
The USA side have finished last in all but one edition of the IHF Men's World Championship, at Iceland 1995, when they lost all their matches but had a better goal difference than three other teams, ending up in 21st place out of 24 sides.
They might not finish higher, but avoiding the last place and not finishing lower than the 24th place in a 32-team competition, provided they make the main round, will be a huge success for a side that returned to the IHF Men's World Championship for the first time since 2001.
"I congratulate the USA. This match was the match they were concentrating on, and, of course, it means for handball that it's growing in such a big country as the USA. It's also a Swedish coach, so I'm happy for him as well. I know he's working really hard with the team. That's nice to know," said Staffan Olsson, the Netherlands' head coach, after USA's win against Morocco.
And Fofana remains upbeat about the USA's progress in the past year. With players featuring in Germany, Sweden, France, Denmark or Hungary, albeit not at the true powerhouses at club level, the USA side have something good on their hands.
The target? Get better and be competitive at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where the USA as the hosts will be directly qualified for the handball tournaments, both men's and women's.
"Of course, that is the aim, because if you look at our team, we are all young players. I think there are only four players aged 30 or older. Which really means that we have a plan and we must stick to it. Players are getting better and better, having more experience in Europe, and that will help us grow," concludes Fofana.
The mood is excellent on the USA side now, and this might just be the breakthrough they needed to make handball great on that side of the Ocean. Tougher moments will come, but together the team can navigate them.
This is only the beginning.