I like this team. I think they may have a good chemistry together. Taking a look at the other side, this may be a lot closer than people think. I will take that 3-1 this time around. :groucho:
BREAKING NEWS: Mosconi Cup Team USA
- Thread starter JAM
- Start date
I like this team. I think they may have a good chemistry together. Taking a look at the other side, this may be a lot closer than people think. I will take that 3-1 this time around. :groucho:
I like this team a lot. It's a good mix of youth and experience. I think they have the right mix to bond as a team. SVB is having a stellar 2017 and has less pressure to hold the team up. He can just do what he does best and let his preparation speak for itself on the table. Sky has elevated to the core of American pool. He's not the new kid, he's the pervasive threat. You can't blink against him. Billy has erupted with a passion and talent that you know will feed off the pressure rather than be intimidated by it. We all know what Dennis can do and he's not past his prime. He rekindled his fire this year and it's apparent he will bring experience and confidence. Oscar is another that has tasted victory before and jumped out hungry in 2017.
Europe will still be tough. But high stakes and short sets. Anything can happen. This isn't a year that you'll see anyone buckle under the pressure. EU can bank on Shaw and Ouschan. But I doubt they can keep relying on the rest of the players they used to. I love Appleton, Souqet, Feijen, Van den Berg, Melling and Boyes. Big fan. Maybe they win and maybe they don't. But the clock ticks for everyone and age catches up. Focus on life shifts. The balance ebbs and flows. If US shows more hunger in 2017, tides can turn.
I don't need to be overly cocky and insist either side will win. But I am confident both sides will showcase talent to their capabilities and billiards fans have nothing but entertainment to gain from it.
Europe will still be tough. But high stakes and short sets. Anything can happen. This isn't a year that you'll see anyone buckle under the pressure. EU can bank on Shaw and Ouschan. But I doubt they can keep relying on the rest of the players they used to. I love Appleton, Souqet, Feijen, Van den Berg, Melling and Boyes. Big fan. Maybe they win and maybe they don't. But the clock ticks for everyone and age catches up. Focus on life shifts. The balance ebbs and flows. If US shows more hunger in 2017, tides can turn.
I don't need to be overly cocky and insist either side will win. But I am confident both sides will showcase talent to their capabilities and billiards fans have nothing but entertainment to gain from it.
As a European, I like the picks from Johan. That´s a good team with experience and young blood.
I think and hope that this year will be a tight fight between USA and Europe.
I see a little advantage for the team USA because some of the "big dogs" from Europe are not in the points (Appleton, Shaw, Boyes) or injured (Feijen). If Napoleon picks the guys after points, I think Europe will have a problem to win. Filler, Souquet, van den Berg, Sanchez Ruiz an Ouschan are all very good players but Van den Berg has allways problems with preasure and Sanchez-Ruiz is not consistence enough at this point. My picks would be Souquet, Filler, Ouschan, Shaw and Feijen (if his ellbow is ok) or Ruslan Chinakhov. But no Brits in the the Mosconi Cup in an Matchroom event....i don´t think so. I think Matchroom will make the wildcard pick with a british player.
I think and hope that this year will be a tight fight between USA and Europe.
I see a little advantage for the team USA because some of the "big dogs" from Europe are not in the points (Appleton, Shaw, Boyes) or injured (Feijen). If Napoleon picks the guys after points, I think Europe will have a problem to win. Filler, Souquet, van den Berg, Sanchez Ruiz an Ouschan are all very good players but Van den Berg has allways problems with preasure and Sanchez-Ruiz is not consistence enough at this point. My picks would be Souquet, Filler, Ouschan, Shaw and Feijen (if his ellbow is ok) or Ruslan Chinakhov. But no Brits in the the Mosconi Cup in an Matchroom event....i don´t think so. I think Matchroom will make the wildcard pick with a british player.
Agreed; but we don't put someone on our Olympic Team because they won gold in the last Olympics. They still have to qualify like everyone else.
You make a strong point, although Shaw is a Scotsman which could be viewed as close-enough-Brit. He's more than good enough as a player to get the crowd behind him.
As a Dutchman, I sure hope Feijen's elbow problems will clear up soon but from what I've read, it seems to be a serious problem that has taken a while already. Fingers crossed there, Niels is always a very strong member of the Euro-team.
Souquet and Ouschan: both strong players with tons of experience and mental toughness. And I am really looking forward to see what Filler can do in MC!!
Lololololololol:rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:
My opinion to your statement.
Interesting.
He seems to me to be under appreciated. Going down European opponents by Fargo Rating...
In the past 12 months, he's played 113 games against Shaw, Feijen, Filler, Ouschan, and Gray --and he has a winning record of 58 wins 55 losses...
Add in Appleton, Kaci, Vilmos, Alcaide, Van Den Berg, He, and Hohman and his record for the last year becomes 151 wins and 136 losses.
And by the way, his record against top-rated non Europeans is also impressive. Against this crowd below (again just in the last year) Ruiz's record is 102 wins and 86 losses.
Shane Van Boening
Jung Lin Chang
Carlo Biado
Haitao Liu
Lee Vann Corteza
Mike Dechaine
Kun Lin Wu
Johann Chua
John Morra
Francisco Bustamante
Naoyuki Oi
Ramil Gallego
Corey Deuel
Seems like every year there's always one European that flies under the radar, and then surprises the heck out of everyone when the MC rolls around.
I call it the 'Mark Gray' effect.
Statistics don´t lie but I don´t see him in the Team. Only my opinion
The same 3 out of 5 players that were on Team USA when they last won in 2009? COUNT ME IN! Oscar might be their good luck charm.
Hatch hasn't had a drink now for almost 800 days.
Saw him on New Yesrs a few yrs back, might have been right before he quit. Ended up with me, hatch, tony Coleman, and Jeremy Edwards all at the same casino - still havent recovered from the beating we took in Black Jack. Lol
Jason
Tournaments near Mosconi Cup
CSI will be presenting
The US Bar Table Championships on December 10-16, 2017.
Held at the Westgate in Las Vegas.
$20,000 added.
10-ball-----9 ball------8 ball
Originally planned to be the next day after Mosconi Cup but they moved by 2 days, and we can't.
Mark Griffin
CSI will be presenting
The US Bar Table Championships on December 10-16, 2017.
Held at the Westgate in Las Vegas.
$20,000 added.
10-ball-----9 ball------8 ball
Originally planned to be the next day after Mosconi Cup but they moved by 2 days, and we can't.
Mark Griffin
