2025 Reyes Cup, Oct 16-19, Manilla. Team Asia vs Team World

[jbart65]

what can you say. asia is far too strong for anything not including the absolute best, like filler. and even then. who can beat biado in manila? or chua? it's always been the ultimate test to go to the philippines and play pinoys. this is the same, just amplified

Team ROW should be doing a lot better.

You have to ask questions about Jeremy Jones.

If Johan was coach for ROW, this would be a contest.

Team Asia, imo, is not far too strong. Nor was it great on Day 1. Chua was superb and Biado was excellent. Yapp and Duong struggled a bit. Manas played to par.

The big difference was a series of major mistakes by experienced players on World Team - FSR, Woodward, Neuhausen and Shaw. The most mistakes I have ever seen in one of day of Reye/Mosconi matches.

Even Johan would not have been able to stem the tide.

 

[jbart65]

I totally get where Darren is coming from on this matter, though as a virtual railbird, my opinion is irrelevant. On his thread, he is not fond of the Skyler pick to be on Team ROW. But USA as a small pro-caliber pool to pick from. Sky is in the lead as far as Reyes Cup rankings. I still have not found where and what those are.

Thoughts?

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Yes, some politics is involved in the wild card and captain picks. MR is naturally rewarding players who have been loyal to the pro tour the company is trying to build.

I don't think their rules for qualifying to an MR invitational should be quite as strict as they are now, but I understand why they are doing it and I don't really object.

After all, players can't get an invite to events like the WPA World 10-ball tournament unless they earn enough points through WPA events to quality. That's why FSR did not get an invite - his WPA points were wiped out because he played in Hanoi last year.

Filler has or is skipping Peri, Hanoi and The Philippines Open. Why should MR then reward him with slots on Reyes/Mosconi? Is it fair to players who play in all big WNT events and help the tour get established?

Appleton mentioned Ouschan, by the way. He has not been especially good the past two years. Putting him on Team World definitely would have been political, too.

As for Team Asia, both Ko brothers are playing in an ongoing heyball tourney in China. They weren't available for selection anyway.

 

[Taxi]

I think a vote among AZB Forum members would've produced a more competitive ROW team than we saw today. There's no excuse for Sky to be there instead of Filler, regardless of the fact that he's a native born American.

 

[jbart65]

I think a vote among AZB Forum members would've produced a more competitive ROW team than we saw today. There's no excuse for Sky to be there instead of Filler, regardless of the fact that he's a native born American.

Again, Filler was not eligible under reportedly existing MR/WNT rules. Perhaps the rule should be changed, but it will have to wait for the 2026 season.

I've already said Sky should not have been picked, but the options weren't much better. SVB and the Kacis were rendered ineligible by skipping Hanoi.

The next best choices would have been Pijus Labutis, David Alcaide, Mickey Krause or Jonas Souto. MR could have even reached into the bag for Niels Feijin. He hardly ever wilts under pressure.

 

[datnodude]

Team ROW should be doing a lot better.

You have to ask questions about Jeremy Jones.

If Johan was coach for ROW, this would be a contest.

I believe the coaches are just there for decoration. What can JJ realistically tell them to improve the team? They have to execute the shots

 

[pt109]

I’d like to see both teams come straight off the FargoRate list.

 

[jbart65]

I’d like to see both teams come straight off the FargoRate list.

So Ameer Ali should be on Team World? He is No. 2 on FargoRate. He has played in exactly two WNT tournaments in his life.

 

[Rocket354]

Disappointing day for the ROW portion of the crowd. Manas certainly really showed what he can do. And the crowd showed why he was picked: he got the largest ovation, by far, of any player during introductions, and was the only one to get his name chanted by the crowd, which happened on multiple occasions. "AJ! AJ! AJ!" The folks here in Manila love him.

As a baseball fan, I can see the similarities in these exhibitions and the MLB all-star game. The latter has fan votes and so it's not always the best players who play in it (although it very often is) but rather it will be the most popular. Certain players, for various reasons, will be voted in--take for example, Cal Ripken during the last five or so years of his career when he was a shadow of his former self, but was still quite beloved.

I see Manas as a fan favorite vote. The crowd here wanted him, and that's what they got. He's everyone's son/little brother/nephew. He's everyone's prodigy. These exhibitions exist for the fans. So I am now, despite my previously voiced reservations, completely on board with his inclusion, even if he knocks every ball straight into a rail the rest of the tournament. (But I highly doubt he will.)

 

[VVP]

How is it the rookie AJ Manas' first time on the big stage in a team event and he's still playing better than the seasoned Woodward who's been here many times. People who thought Manas was gonna crumble under the pressure are hilarious, this guy gambles with monsters regularly in the Phillipines in the toughest of conditions.

It's people like Sky and Billy who you have to worry will crumble under the pressure.

Actually, you can replace Manas with literally any other Filipino who isn't even on the rankings and they will play better under pressure than those two. But they are given chances and chances again as opposed to young new blood. Politics indeed.

Do you think they will put him up in a singles match? Oh yeah, against Sky that would be the greatest match on earth for the wnt groupies.

Was Reyes there today? The teams picked are the greatest insult to that great man and just as insulting to players who deserve to be on the team. As far as I am concerned people like Sky and Jayson are just wnt welfare recipients.

 

[jbart65]

Was Reyes there today? The teams picked are the greatest insult to that great man and just as insulting to players who deserve to be on the team.

The only suspect pick on Team Asia is Manas. And he has performed quite well. The Ko brothers are in China for heyball and were not available anyway.

As far as I am concerned people like Sky and Jayson are just wnt welfare recipients.

Sky did not deserve to be on this team, but Shaw did. He is still one of the best performers in the world and has been a Mosconi standout. Pool needs great players who are also showman. That's Shaw.

WPA/Predator have their own "welfare" recipients, too. Lot of guys high in the WPA rankings would haven't done squat on the WNT tour, but they get auto invites to most big WPA events.

I see your point, though. These two groups have to learn how to play nice, esp MR.

 

[jax_joe]

Have they had any mention during the broadcast of the new US event? There was a post from last week's event that it would be announced this week....

 

[sjm]

Sky is ranked #4 in WNT rankings for America. He was a captain's pick by JJ because they are buddies, not based on merit or performance.

Actually, the most impressive performance by an American not named Shane in a WNT major in 2025 was by Tyler Styer, who was phenomenal at the UK Open, beating Filler on route to a bronze medal.

 

[jbart65]

No word on future U.S. tournament yet. Those announcements tend to come on the second to last or last day of an event.

Day 2 lineups aren't out yet, but the format we do know:

1)Team match.
2) Single
3) Doubles
4) Single
5) Doubles

 

[sjm]

Even Johan would not have been able to stem the tide.

Agreed 100%. I have always felt that the role of the coach is near zero once this kind of event begins. The coach's work is to prepare the team to succeed prior to the event.

I can't blame Jeremy in any way for having to go to bat with a team featuring nobody that has won a Matchroom major in 2025 while Filler, the 2025 European Open champion, and Labutis, the 2025 Hanoi Open, sit on the sidelines. Asia has three guys who are in peak form right now in Biado (World 9ball champ in July), Chua (bronze at the US Open 9ball in August), and Yapp (3 WNT major titles in WNT, most recently at the US Open 9ball in August). That's a little too much to fade.

The best thing that could happen is a blowout here, as it might prompt Matchroom to take the Reyes Cup selection process a little more seriously a year from now. This year's team match is a referendum on nothing.

I'd really like to see this event succeed in a big way. The idea is a great one, but to this point, the event is failing to live up to its potential. I have complete confidence that the good folks at Matchroom will figure out how to fix this.

 

[VVP]

The only suspect pick on Team Asia is Manas. And he has performed quite well. The Ko brothers are in China for heyball and were not available anyway.



Sky did not deserve to be on this team, but Shaw did. He is still one of the best performers in the world and has been a Mosconi standout. Pool needs great players who are also showman. That's Shaw.

WPA/Predator have their own "welfare" recipients, too. Lot of guys high in the WPA rankings would haven't done squat on the WNT tour, but they get auto invites to most big WPA events.

I see your point, though. These two groups have to learn how to play nice, esp MR.

Jayson Is not nearly what he used to be. Let's see his showmanship when he gets his butt kicked. Matter of fact, he is known to make excuses whenever he loses. BTW, MVP for Mosconi is based on a point system and Jayson played most matches in the those he won MVP, nothing spectacular about that.

 

[jbart65]

Bustamante has a choice to make. He could play AJ in a singles on Day 2 given the 4-0 lead. Put Manas out there when the pressure is less. If he won, vs, a Shaw or Fedor, it would really deflate Team World. They'd be toast.

But what if ROW wins the team match? At 4-1, does Busty still put AJ out there? He loses, and it's 4-2.

If I were Busty, I might put out Manas if Team Asia has a 5-0 lead.

If 4-1, I'd go with Chua. Try to keep that lead. Chua was clearly the best player on Team Asia on Day 1. Then follow up with Yapp with the other singles match of the day.

I expect ROW to put out Fedor for the first singles match and Shaw for the second singles match. Moritz and FSR would be the first doubles pairing. Sky and Shaw/Gorst would be the second.

 

[Swighey]

I think a vote among AZB Forum members would've produced a more competitive ROW team than we saw today. There's no excuse for Sky to be there instead of Filler, regardless of the fact that he's a native born American.

a vote on AZB would have led to Sky being on the team.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... I'd really like to see this event succeed in a big way. The idea is a great one, but to this point, the event is failing to live up to its potential. I have complete confidence that the good folks at Matchroom will figure out how to fix this.

I think it takes time. It took the Mosconi Cup over 20 years to turn into a real financial success.

 

[jbart65]

Jayson Is not nearly what he used to be. Let's see his showmanship when he gets his butt kicked. Matter of fact, he is known to make excuses whenever he loses. BTW, MVP for Mosconi is based on a point system and Jayson played most matches in the those he won MVP, nothing spectacular about that.

Shaw has had a solid year. Not great. No big wins. But fairly consistent.

9th in the Scottish Open
5th in the UK Open
Final 32 WPC
Final 32 Florida Open
Final 16 US Open
Final 16 WPA 10-ball World Championship
Final 16 Hanoi Open

Is he dropping off? I am not sure. He earned at least $450,000 in tourneys from 2022-24.

Next year will be big for Shaw. He just turned 38, and he probably is past his prime.

Truth is, it’s been an up and down year for almost all European players. The most consistent player has probably been Neuhausen.

Filler has had a very good year, but inconsistent by his standards. Souto, Labutis and Lechner have had their moments.

 

[jbart65]

I think it takes time. It took the Mosconi Cup over 20 years to turn into a real financial success.

Selection is one issue, and we've beaten that to death. The other is timing.

Last year, the event took place just two days after the finals in Hanoi. This year it's four days away from Hanoi. Ideally it would be a week away.

Not sure that will be doable if the Philippines Open turns out to be a success and MR brings it back next year.

Surprised by the lighter crowds this year and last, at least early in the Reyes event. We'll see what the weekend brings.

Got to wonder what kind of attendance the Philippines Open gets next week, The Philippines might be producing more great players than fans these days!