Mosconi Cup USA Selection changed.

[Donny Lutz]

It's team play, folks

I think this is a better way to go and will eliminate some issues of players feeling they should have been picked for the team. Although I still believe in a more "Ryder Cup" format where the team is made up of more then 5 guys - I would think 7 players on each side with 4 players making it in on rankings and 3 captains picks, as well as team (pairs) play on days 1 and 2, and then singles only on day 3 with 8 points available that day and all seven players on each team must play a singles match and if the last point needs to be played then captains choose their best player to play the final singles match #8 of day 3...the only player on each side to play 2 singles matches that day to decide the winning team if necessary.

After reading all the comments, today and over the past years, it's clear to me that few people understand that great individual players do not necessarily make great team players. I repeat: Great individual players do not necessarily make great team players!

Mark Wilson gets this and has a history of coaching winning teams. If you think it's a good idea to break up a team because they didn't win in their first appearance at the MC, you know little about team play. Changing players every year will not make the US team suddenly better than the Euros, who (though they don't always have the same players) play as a team, practice together, support each other...and get along with each other.

Just my opinion, but I do have experience in team play going back to 1966, and have captained, coached or played on scores of championship teams, including at the state and national level.

 

[Palmerfan]

ok....

After reading all the comments, today and over the past years, it's clear to me that few people understand that great individual players do not necessarily make great team players. I repeat: Great individual players do not necessarily make great team players!

Mark Wilson gets this and has a history of coaching winning teams. If you think it's a good idea to break up a team because they didn't win in their first appearance at the MC, you know little about team play. Changing players every year will not make the US team suddenly better than the Euros, who (though they don't always have the same players) play as a team, practice together, support each other...and get along with each other.

Just my opinion, but I do have experience in team play going back to 1966, and have captained, coached or played on scores of championship teams, including at the state and national level.

I never said great individual players make great team players...I repeat I never said great individual players make great team players. I gave my opinion based on success of other successful team events. I don't know why you would qoute my post and then rant about ideas that have zero to do with what I posted but whatever it is you need to do....go nuts.

Nothing you wrote has anything to do with anything I wrote, but if you feel the need to state how much experience you have " in team play going back to 1966, and have captained, coached or played on scores of championship teams, including at the state and national level"....says more about your need to preach and be noticed rather than contribute to the subject.

 

[bfdlad]

Ok guys and gals, I think this should clear up some of the questions. I spoke with Luke Riches the man who runs the Mosconi Cup to get some clarifications for everyone. Below is what he wrote to me so these are not my words or my interpretation.

The ranking will comprise a number of events culminating in the US Open in October.
The series of events and the points system to be used will be announced in the near future.

- There will be points awarded to players eligible for Team USA, who finish in the top 32. 'Eligible players' simply means players eligible to represent USA in international sports competition ie not overseas nationals who live in the USA.

- The top three players at the close of the ranking series will qualify for the Mosconi Cup side.

- The remaining two spots will be wild cards selected by the team captain, who will once again be Mark Wilson.

 

[Celtic]

What you guys think?

I think it is a good move for Matchroom.

At the end of the day for Matchroom the Mosconi Cup is about entertaining their fans and keeping interest in the event alive on both sides of the pond. Having well known figures on the team on both sides is important to keeping the interest.

Mark Wilson tried to do something and went with a largely unknown young team. That was a novelty last year and the fans watched, but if Team USA keeps being a bunch of young unknown players who never travel internationally for events and who are largely unknown outside of their regional tours or the USA gambling scene that would seriously start to hurt the interest in the event, especially in Europe where most of the fans are, and where they do not know who a guy like Justin Hall or Jeremy Sossei even is.

I am all for the younger new players getting a chance to be on the Mosconi Cup team, but I think ANYONE that wants to play in that event and get the very nice free paycheck should be someone who had international recognition, and that means someone who actually puts themselves out there and competes on the world stage.

There are a tremendous number of people from countries WAY poorer then the USA that travel the world playing pool. They come to the USA to play the Derby, the US Open, the CSI events, and they go to the major events in Asia, and they play any key events in Europe. They are not swimming in money, but they do this because that is what it takes these days to be a true professional pool player. The game is international and the professional tour in pool is international and if you are not traveling abroad to play events then you are not a true professional pool player. Matchroom should be picking professional pool players for their event. The guys who commit to the game and compete on the global stage.

I hope Team America is chosen based on points from events all over the world, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and America. Get these American players like Hall or Bergman to finally realize that if they want to be pro pool players they need to stretch their wings and get out there and play on the global stage.

 

[vagabond]

'By Rank&Merit' is the right way to do things and it is the RIGHT way to earn the RIGHT to represent USA. I am pleased to know that USA`s Mosconi Cup Team will include three players that are ranked in Top Three in USA. I don`t have problem with the concept of "two wild cards"

 

[itsfroze]

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[BRussell]

I think it is a good move for Matchroom.

At the end of the day for Matchroom the Mosconi Cup is about entertaining their fans and keeping interest in the event alive on both sides of the pond. Having well known figures on the team on both sides is important to keeping the interest.

Mark Wilson tried to do something and went with a largely unknown young team. That was a novelty last year and the fans watched, but if Team USA keeps being a bunch of young unknown players who never travel internationally for events and who are largely unknown outside of their regional tours or the USA gambling scene that would seriously start to hurt the interest in the event, especially in Europe where most of the fans are, and where they do not know who a guy like Justin Hall or Jeremy Sossei even is.

This new system won't change that fact. It will be mostly the same players, maybe remove one or two and add in people like Mike Dechaine who are not any better known. It's not like Johnny Archer or Earl Strickland will make it under this system.

 

[bfdlad]

It's the U.S. team only players born in the U.S. have ever been eligible.
Everybody knows that.

There was no mention of eligible players in the article on how Euro players are chosen,
just in the article on how U.S. players will be chosen.

Which makes me still ask the question.
Are there any U.S born players who are ineligible for the 2105 Mosconi Cup Team ?

Which hasn't been answered yet.

I think maybe it wasn't mentioned in the Euro team selection press release because it is a non issue. To my knowledge there are no American players living in Europe. However there are a number of Euros living in the USA. Maybe that the reason it was not said. That makes sense to me. I will ask Luke if there are any players born in the USA that are not eligble

 

[Donny Lutz]

whoops!

I never said great individual players make great team players...I repeat I never said great individual players make great team players. I gave my opinion based on success of other successful team events. I don't know why you would qoute my post and then rant about ideas that have zero to do with what I posted but whatever it is you need to do....go nuts.

Nothing you wrote has anything to do with anything I wrote, but if you feel the need to state how much experience you have " in team play going back to 1966, and have captained, coached or played on scores of championship teams, including at the state and national level"....says more about your need to preach and be noticed rather than contribute to the subject.

Wow! Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers! You may not have noticed that I said, "After reading all the comments today and over the past years..."

I was not claiming that you said anything about the point I made, just the opposite, - I was making the point that nobody talks about the difference between team play and individual play. I posted in response to your comment only because your comment was the most recent.

It's not unusual for people to offer their qualifications to comment on a specific subject. "Preaching" is in the eye of the beholder.

I certainly apologize if my comment offended you!

 

[itsfroze]

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[DogsPlayingPool]

- ...'Eligible players' simply means players eligible to represent USA in international sports competition ie not overseas nationals who live in the USA.

That makes sense to me. I will ask Luke if there are any players born in the USA that are not eligble

Sounds like it's not limited to US born players.

 

[BRussell]

On ABR this week Jayson Shaw was talking about how he'd like to be on the Mosconi Cup team, and he was talking about the American team. ??? I mean, I don't think you have to be a natural born citizen or anything, but you should have to be here longer than a few years and at the very least NOT SOUND SCOTTISH!

 

[itsfroze]

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[DogsPlayingPool]

Has a non U.S. born player ever been on any U.S. Mosconi Cup Team ? NO
How did you get that from what Mark (bfdlad) posted ?

Originally Posted by bfdlad View Post

- ..".'Eligible players' simply means players eligible to represent USA in international sports competition ie not overseas nationals who live in the USA."

Because I don't believe you must be born in the U.S. to be eligible for international competition such as the Olympic Games. U.S. citizenship will suffice. That's how. :thumbup:

 

[itsfroze]

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[BRussell]

The whole idea behind the Mosconi Cup is Europe against the U.S., so if you have
European players on the U.S. team it kind of defeats the whole idea.

We're not talking about the Olympics this thread is about the Mosconi Cup.
It is a Matchroom event and their rules, which have always been U.S. born
players on the U.S. team.

You're wrong about Matchroom's rules. I can think of at least one US Mosconi Cup team member born outside the U.S.

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

The whole idea behind the Mosconi Cup is Europe against the U.S., so if you have
European players on the U.S. team it kind of defeats the whole idea.

We're not talking about the Olympics this thread is about the Mosconi Cup.
It is a Matchroom event and their rules, which have always been U.S. born
players on the U.S. team.

So again how does that as you put it "sound like it's not limited to U.S. born players" ?

I'm going by Mark's quote of Matchroom's statement and it said players eligible for international competition, it didn't say US born players.

How is it that you get US born players only based on what Matchroom has said? Just because they haven't had any non-native born US citizens in the past? That's you interpreting what they mean but it's not what they stated. It would have been very easy for them to have simply said U.S. born players. The fact they didn't suggests they deliberately allowed for the possibility of including any US citizen on the American side.

 

[itsfroze]

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[Diego Lugano]

I hope the best in USA can be in Mosconi team

My Dream Team USA

Earl Strickland (Team Captain)
Johny Archer
Rodney Morris
Corey Deuel
Shane Van Boening

Coach: Mike Sigel or Jim Rempe.

I hope it can be happened this year

 

[leto1776]

You guys ljust enjoy confusing yourselves. Even after clarification, still speculating.