2025 Mosconi rosters - Euro changes a coming

J

jbart65

Well-known member
Very early in the year, but things are getting interesting on the Euro side for the Mosconi Cup for the top three auto spots.


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Filler looks like a shoo-in, assuming the WPA-WNT deal goes thru as the WPA president suggested this week. He has double the points as anyone else and is sure to rack up plenty more.

Lo and behold, sitting at No. 2 ... is four-time Mosconi MVP Neils Feijin! Winning the Diamond Tourney last weekend puts him in good position.

For a guy who says he is just a part-time pro now, the allure of one more Mosconi will be hard for Feijin to pass up. He is playing in the Taom event and has a good chance to rack up more points. Pretty strong field, but he has one of the highest Fargos of the players in the event.

Nos. three to five are bunched up: Labutis, Neuhausen and FSR. Kaci at No. 6. Shaw at 9.

Really wide open. If any Euro player wins the WPC in Saudi, that person becomes a lock.

Notable names with tons of work to do: Krause at 19 on the list, Albin Ouschan at 31.

If MR goes with player captains again - I hope they don't - Shaw is the guy who would likely get the nod again. Might be only one wild card for Team Euro.

Event is Dec. 3-6 at Alexandra Palace.
 
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Team USA far from settled in terms of points, but almost impossible to see anyone outside the group of Gorst, SVB, Sky, Tyler, Thorpe, Woolford and Dominguez.

Assuming everyone is healthy, that is.

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jbart65 said:
Filler looks like a shoo-in, assuming the WPA-WNT deal goes thru as the WPA president suggested this week. He has double the points as anyone else and is sure to rack up plenty more.
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Why does this deal matter...?

If memory serves. Filler got axed from the invitational because he didn't support the organization he signed a contract to do so. I don't understand how any agreement MR will have with the WPA will change how they invite players to invitational events.
 
The_JV said:
Why does this deal matter...?

If memory serves. Filler got axed from the invitational because he didn't support the organization he signed a contract to do so. I don't understand how any agreement MR will have with the WPA will change how they invite players to invitational events.
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The top three spots for each Mosconi team are supposed to automatic based on points earned in WNT events in a normal year. Obviously last year was not normal.

Assuming a WNT-WPA deal, Filler will be able to play in any/all major WNT events and earn an auto bid. Matchroom won't take away his auto spot like it did last year if the conflict goes away.
 
jbart65 said:
The top three spots for each Mosconi team are supposed to automatic based on points earned in WNT events in a normal year. Obviously last year was not normal.
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Well is that written somewhere...? I don't think it a right to be invited to an invitational. Regardless of where they finished on the points list. I find the narrative that Filler was wronged in some fashion entertaining. It seems the only thing that trumps Filler hate on AZB is MR hate...lol
jbart65 said:
Assuming a WNT-WPA deal, Filler will be able to play in any/all major WNT events and earn an auto bid. Matchroom won't take away his auto spot like it did last year if the conflict goes away.
Click to expand...
...and what deal..? You aren't talking about that fake news posted on FB by some Vietnamize news org are you..? There wasn't anything stopping Filler from playing in regular WNT tournaments. MR chose to exclude him from their invitational event(s) because Filler chose to compete in a competitor's event rather than the one he should have. Contractually speaking....

MR/WNT does not require any deal with the WPA. Not sure why they would bother.
 
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The_JV said:
Why does this deal matter...?

If memory serves. Filler got axed from the invitational because he didn't support the organization he signed a contract to do so. I don't understand how any agreement MR will have with the WPA will change how they invite players to invitational events.
Click to expand...

he just won a MR major for one.. and will likely win more
 
The_JV said:
Well is that written somewhere...? I don't think it a right to be inviting to an invitational.
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This has been the format for at least several years. I don't know when it started. From Matchroom:

"Each team is composed of five players, with the top three qualifying through the World Nineball Tour Rankings. The remaining two players are selected as Captain’s Wildcards."

The_JV said:
Regardless of where they finished on the points list. I find the narrative that Filler was wronged in some fashion entertaining. It seems the only thing that trumps Filler hate on AZB is MR hate...lol
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I did not comment on whether Filler was wronged or not. He did what he thought was in his best interest and MR did the same. I, for one, would be happy to see him play again in the Mosconi. Not casting judgment one way or the other.
The_JV said:
...and what deal..? You aren't talking about that fake news posted on FB by some Vietnamize news org are you..?
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I don't make a habit of regurgitating "fake news." If you look at the front page of AZB, you will find the following article.

WPA Sanctions the UK Open​

www.azbilliards.com

WPA Sanctions the UK Open - News - AZBILLIARDS.COM

The World Pool Association (WPA) has decided to sanction the 2025 UK Open. “We are in the final stages of the negotiations with Matchroom Pool regarding official WPA recognition to events in the World Nineball Tour (WNT),” said Ishaun Singh, WPA President. “While the process is taking longer tha
www.azbilliards.com www.azbilliards.com

The_JV said:
There wasn't anything stopping Filler from playing in regular WNT tournaments.
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Actually, there was. If he played in Vietnam, he would have been suspended by the WPA. As was Shane Van Boening, Fedor Gorst and 243 other players.

Thus Filler would not have been able to play in many events of Predator, his sponsor.

The_JV said:
MR chose to exclude him from their invitational event(s) because Filler chose to compete in a competitor's event rather than the one he should have. Contractually speaking....
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No one knows the exact reasons why MR removed Filler, but it wasn't because he chose to play in a competitor's event.

The trigger was Filler declining to play in the WNT Hanoi Open because it wasn't sanctioned by the WPA. He also reneged on a promise to join other top players in boycotting WPA events after the WPA threatened player bans.

The initial MR statement removing Filler from the Mosconi implied his presence on the Mosconi would anger other players. That part of the statement was quickly removed, but several high-profile players expressed dismay about players reneging on their promise to boycott WPA events. They included Jayson Shaw, Sky Woodward, Fedor Gorst and Johann Chua.

The_JV said:
MR/WNT does not require any deal with the WPA. Not sure why they would bother.
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Both WNT boss Emily Frazer and WPA President Ishaun Singh have said publicly they are close to a deal to resolve their conflict.

I assume Matchroom knows why it is bothering.
 
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skogstokig said:
he just won a MR major for one.. and will likely win more
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Ya, and I'm certain he'll continue to win more. The point was made that some deal between MR and the WPA would make Filler a "shoo-in" to play in the Mosconi. My argument is that any deal between the two orgs has zero bearing on whether he can or not. His exclusion last year was not dependent on any deal, and won't be this time
 
The_JV said:
My argument is that any deal between the two orgs has zero bearing on whether he can or not. His exclusion last year was not dependent on any deal, and won't be this time
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I know you are argumentative, but really, this is ridiculous. Filler was excluded from the Mosconi 2024 ENTIRELY because of the WPA-WNT conflict.

Had there been no conflict, Filler would have played in both the Mosconi and inaugural Reyes. He qualified for both on points.

Whatever the case, moving on. The point of the post was that the 2025 Mosconi Team for Europe could be very different, especially if Shaw is not named captain again.
 
jbart65 said:
This has been the format for at least several years. I don't know when it started. From Matchroom:

"Each team is composed of five players, with the top three qualifying through the World Nineball Tour Rankings. The remaining two players are selected as Captain’s Wildcards."
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The MR points standings is the guideline for player qualification. That doesn't translate to an uninhibited right to be on the team.
jbart65 said:
I did not comment on whether Filler was wronged or not. He did what he thought was in his best interest and MR did the same. I, for one, would be happy to see him play again in the Mosconi. Not casting judgment one way or the other.
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I apologize. You did not. However that is the narrative most chose to chant on AZB. Insinuating that a potential deal between MR/WPA would allow Filler to play this Mosconi follows the same tune. Even though it was not explicitly spoken.

Regardless, I will recant the accusation.
jbart65 said:
I don't make a habit of regurgitating "fake news." If you look at the front page of AZB, you will find the following article.

WPA Sanctions the UK Open​

www.azbilliards.com

WPA Sanctions the UK Open - News - AZBILLIARDS.COM

The World Pool Association (WPA) has decided to sanction the 2025 UK Open. “We are in the final stages of the negotiations with Matchroom Pool regarding official WPA recognition to events in the World Nineball Tour (WNT),” said Ishaun Singh, WPA President. “While the process is taking longer tha
www.azbilliards.com www.azbilliards.com
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Did you read that article...?

First line: "The World Pool Association (WPA) has decided to sanction the 2025 UK Open"
Third sentence: "While the process is taking longer than expected, the WPA Board wants to reassure athletes that they are welcome to compete in this year’s UK Open"
Fourth sentence: "Because the UK Open is not sanctioned"

So at best they're working on "a deal". However haven't managed to just yet. Guessing this amounts to WPA "allowing" sanctioning to MR for their normal fee, and MR telling them to piss in the wind...lol. Well at least this is better than the other account I thought it was. Still have no clue how it has any bearing on Filler and the Mosconi.
jbart65 said:
Actually, there was. If he played in Vietnam, he would have been suspended by the WPA. As was Shane Van Boening, Fedor Gorst and 243 other players.

Thus Filler would not have been able to play in many events of Predator, his sponsor.

No one knows the exact reasons why MR removed Filler, but it wasn't because he chose to play in a competitor's event.

The trigger was Filler declining to play in the WNT Hanoi Open because it wasn't sanctioned by the WPA. He also reneged on a promise to join other top players in boycotting WPA events after the WPA threatened player bans.
Click to expand...
Filler made choices based on WPA restrictions to play in the predator 10b worlds rather than play in a WNT event presented by a org he signed a contract with. However you did prove my point. Nothing was stopping him from choosing to play in that MR event. He opted to go after the nearly top-pro vacant 10b worlds. His call, doesn't bother me in the slightest.
jbart65 said:
The initial MR statement removing Filler from the Mosconi implied his presence on the Mosconi would anger other players. That part of the statement was quickly removed, but several high-profile players expressed dismay about players reneging on their promise to boycott WPA events. They included Jayson Shaw, Sky Woodward, Fedor Gorst and Johann Chua.
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Sry, I was paying attention and don't recall this statement of supposed anger. Not saying you're wrong. 99% of the time MR gets chastised for being extremely brief in their press releases. I struggle with the notion that they originally had bloat during the Filler exclusion.
jbart65 said:
Both WNT boss Emily Frazer and WPA President Ishaun Singh have said publicly they are close to a deal to resolve their conflict.

I assume Matchroom knows why it is bothering.
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Can you cite that MR statement..? I'm wildly indifferent to the WPA in grand scheme of things. However I'm ok with being wrong.
 
jbart65 said:
I know you are argumentative, but really, this is ridiculous. Filler was excluded from the Mosconi 2024 ENTIRELY because of the WPA-WNT conflict.
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No... To have a conflict there needs to be opposing sides. MR does not care about the WPA. The actual conflict was with Filler and the WNT/MR.

He made a commitment to MR, and then opted to break said commitment to maintain WPA status. Basically, Filler took an unapproved vacation from his contractual obligations and then was punished for doing so. Other people missed the same WNT events he did, but did so not in a manner which undermined the MR product. The very product Filler agreed via contract to promote.

Can you recall why the WPA and MR had their original 'falling out'...? It wasn't about sanctioning.
 
The_JV said:
Ya, and I'm certain he'll continue to win more. The point was made that some deal between MR and the WPA would make Filler a "shoo-in" to play in the Mosconi. My argument is that any deal between the two orgs has zero bearing on whether he can or not. His exclusion last year was not dependent on any deal, and won't be this time
Click to expand...

it's not as complicated. suppose he wins the the US open, in addition to the European open and DCC he already won. now MR would look like total clowns if they didn't include him
 
azhousepro said:
As a fan of Team USA, I would rather he didn't.
As a fan of Niels, I think it would be great.

Mike
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Neil’s is a great guy. It’s a conflicting thing seeing him play for Europe and hoping he does well yet his team falters.

Having said that, yes I really hope he plays on Mcup. I saw him play a match or 2 in the last couple months and he looked dialed in good as ever.

Best
Fatboy
 
The_JV said:
No... To have a conflict there needs to be opposing sides. MR does not care about the WPA. The actual conflict was with Filler and the WNT/MR.

He made a commitment to MR, and then opted to break said commitment to maintain WPA status. Basically, Filler took an unapproved vacation from his contractual obligations and then was punished for doing so. Other people missed the same WNT events he did, but did so not in a manner which undermined the MR product. The very product Filler agreed via contract to promote.

Can you recall why the WPA and MR had their original 'falling out'...? It wasn't about sanctioning.
Click to expand...

We don’t agree. I’ve said my piece and have nothing else to add. Looking forward now to Mosconi 2025.
 
The_JV said:
...Filler made choices based on WPA restrictions to play in the predator 10b worlds rather than play in a WNT event presented by a org he signed a contract with. However you did prove my point. Nothing was stopping him from choosing to play in that MR event. He opted to go after the nearly top-pro vacant 10b worlds. His call, doesn't bother me in the slightest. ...
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The 2024 World 10-Ball event was in February/March. Filler finished out of the money. Biado won.

I imagine you are talking about the World 8-Ball Championship in September, which Filler won. But calling it "nearly top-pro vacant" is not exactly correct, either. Observe: https://www.azbilliards.com/tournam...orld-8-ball-championship-2024/?action=results. And a few entrants who finished out of the money: Biado, Grabe, Szewczyk, He, Maciol, Souquet,
 
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