Would you rather Tyler Styer get a wildcard slot over Lukas? Cause he's for sure not making the team on ranking points. Only asking because he's the most boring/non exciting player to watch. Lukas is the only American that has a WNT title under his belt this year.
Lukas Verner wins WNT Ranking Event
- Thread starter Kris_b1104
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If Lukas gets in based on ranking then good for him, non of them are existing to watch.
Tyler Played really well at the UK open but nothing interesting since.
Maybe send his wife instead
That's fair. I actually think Billy and Sky are exciting to watch, except for the fact that they suck compared to the Euros. It would be nice if they could be exciting while also winning at the same time. SVB can be electrifying at times when he's on. Fedor is a robot but plays extremely well and on par with the opposition.
The UK Open was a year ago, before Tyler shit the bed at the MC. He has yet to surpass that semi-finals achievement, not sure if he ever will.
At this point, I'll take Lukas, even if he may not be "exciting", just for the sole fact that he's a winner.
And I agree, Margaret over Tyler all day lol
Bergman is giving me hope. He's been playing exceptionally well at the PBS event, both in 8ball and mixed doubles 10ball. We will have to wait for the Arizona Open, US Open, etc to see which other Americans will be in contention for the slots. There's only 3 spots available, because SVB and Fedor are a given. After them, it's slim pickings.
This is a fair point and it's been hotly debated before, but the die has been cast. MR will be vindicated to some extent if/when Fedor becomes a citizen. Gotta say, though, Fedor acts ands thinks more like an American than many native-born people I know. He's is very attuned to our culture.
At any rate, the U.S. has no more six legit Mosconi players, if I include Hohmann. Only three of them, SVB, Gorst and Woodward, would have a chance to make a European team.
Then there's another handful of very borderline candidates, and that is being generous.
Lukas would be the youngest of the lot. His recent WNT win was his best ever. Let's see if he can build on that.
I've said before, the U.S. has lost the past two years more due to tactical, strategic or mental errors than other causes. They can hang with Europe in shotmaking, but not if they don't give themselves a chance by playing smarter. They need an edge simply due to the obvious though not insurmountable talent gap.
Bergman was one of the top three American players ten years ago, along with SVB and Dechaine.
Still, he, more or less, feel off the face of the earth as far as competing at the rotation pool majors, and that includes the ones played in the United States. As you rightly note, the reason he has always offered is that he does not like to travel, and that's a legitimate reason. Nonetheless, that decision, like all others, comes with consequences, and one of them is reduced access to sponsorship.
I'm not sure what you base the "he's still one of the best US players" comment on, as he has no noteworthy results at rotation pool in recent years. If he has those skills, let him show them. He has missed every single major championship in the four-year history of the WNT tour. There were about ten WNT ranking events in the United States last year (probably more this year) and he missed them all. To this point of 2026, he has yet to play in a WNT ranking event. Let's see if he plays at Super Billiards Expo, a WNT ranking event that starts this Thursday in Pennsylvania.
Scott Frost has been selling Justin Bergman for Mosconi inclusion like snake oil, but there's no evidence that Justin has any interest in demonstrating that he cares to qualify on points. If he is given a wild card that is not based on performance in rotation pool events, it will be yet another stain on the already embarrassing Mosconi Cup wild card selection process for Team USA, further proof that Team USA selection is about politics, not about playing excellence.
Also worth noting is that Justin has never played in an event having the Matchroom break, and the only way he will learn it is by playing in some WNT ranking events. As is his every right, he has shown no inclination to prepare himself for WNT play, so on what basis are any of us to take his Mosconi Cup candidacy seriously?
I like Justin a lot and consider him a friend. I'm rooting hard for him to recapture the magic of ten years ago, and we know that he is capable of outstanding play. I will not, however, go as far as saying that just because I am a fan of his, I want him to get a Mosconi Cup spot whether he earns it or not.
Last year, there were Matchroom ranking events in
Philadelphia PA
Jacksonville FL
Seattle, WA
Atlantic City, NJ
Orlando FL
Raleigh, NC
Front Royal VA
Roanoke VA
Boston MA
Wallingford CT
Ten opportunities in the US to earn WNT rankings points, including two WNT majors, made it easy to chase down a Mosconi spot in 2025 without ever leaving US soil.
In 2026, it will be even easier as a new US based, Matchroom major has been added to the calendar, namely the Arizona Open.
Bergman has said he plans to play in most WNT events in the US this year. He said he considered going to the European Open but had already committed to an Ultimate Pool event.
Yet he also reiterated in a weekend interview he did not like “living out of a suitcase.” Implied he doesn’t like to go to back-to-back events, either.
I am skeptical he will make it to a major overseas event. My guess is the WPC would be the most likely. Or the UK Open.
If he is really committed simply to trying, he will play in the Florida, Arizona and US opens. But he probably needs to play in a few of the smaller U.S. events, too. We will see.
As for the WNT break, sjm, he did get a chance to shoot it at the PLP. And he seemed to do quite well after some adjustment, I seem to recall.
Still, watching him play in the PLP and ongoing Predator event in St. Louis, he shows his absence from the tour with some bad misses on easy shots. He’s look great, then a mistake.
That can’t be overcome without more dedication to a tour. He said he just bought a new table with tight, MR style pockets to improve his consistency.
were he to reach the final in the world 8-ball i assume that would be enough WPA points for an invite to the WPC? but as i said before, things need to simmer down a lot over there for that event to even be feasible, not just for players who don't like air travel but for everyone..
overall my impression of post-reclusion bergman is quite positive. i was very impressed with the tony 1-p match. the ultimate pool is neither here nor there, but i would think it's been good for him in terms of shot clock management. now seeing him in a big table world tournament in a proper venue, i see a few more misses than i expected. but he's now beaten hoang, filler, wojciech. and done well in the side events (banks and mixed doubles). i guess we'll have to see.
This is great to hear. If he does this, he'll have every chance to prove his 9ball pedigree.
As noted, there is enough here in American for him to prove his Mosconi Cup worthiness. I don't see his unwillingness to travel overseas as a big problem.
If he plays in the WNT Florida, US Open 9ball, the Arizona Open and a few other ranking events, he might even have a chance to be an auto qualifier for Team USA.
Yes, but if the commitment is there and he is about to start competing a lot as you suggest, the consistency may come at some point. Like many, I hope that's what is coming. Wish him well.
Justin Hall's absence from the 8-Ball was strange. He played in the Bank Pool event on Wednesday, but didn't show up for the 8-Ball on Thursday. Anyone know why? Sick?
vintagecollectibles831
Well-known member
vintagecollectibles831
Well-known member
Okay, going way off topic, who on the recent US Mosconi Cup teams would play Bergman in a long race, other then SVB and Fedor? And, speaking of skill, and consistency, I thought this was pretty impressive.
Anyways, I just wonder who all in the US would play him even, in a long set, other then Shane or Fedor.
I see that he just beat Filler in the World 8 ball, so that was really cool.
I still just wonder what US players would beat him, in the long run, other then Fedor and SVB. Even playing an all around, in all games.
Would Styer beat him in a long set? Would Thorpe? Would Skyler beat him in a long set, of 9 ball, or an all around?
Anyways, I just can't get over the idea that he is still one of the best, even though he does not play in these majors.
I would love to see him win a major someday, and I believe that he has what it takes to do it.
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vintagecollectibles831
Well-known member
Lol, if Hohmann gets on the US team, then that will be basically 2 Euro players on the team, in my opinion. I still feel that Bergman is one of the best in the US though. I hope that he crushes a Major someday.
Thorsten is awful.
If he is in the Mosconi team, then USA done.
USA need Bergman, who is a very good doubles player and team man.
Who, other than you, knows his 9ball speed? It's funny that you are interested in a long race when Justin hasn't played as much as a race to nine in major 9ball competition in forever.
He hasn't competed in a full field 9ball event in a very long time. He tried his hand at the PLP, a sixteen-player invitational consisting of multiple races to five and failed to get out of the first round.
Based on what I have seen from him at the World 8ball, he struggles to pocket balls consistently on tight equipment, and WNT pockets are even tighter than what he is getting in St Louis. Skyler Woodward probably brought his "C" game at the World 8ball yesterday, but it was enough to beat Justin in Round 1 of Stage 2. On the brighter side, I considered Justin to be America's best defensive player ten years ago, and it is clear that he still has a very solid grasp of the game's tactical areas. He is still elite at winning safety exchanges.
Let him play in a WNT major and let's find out his speed on a 9-footer with really tight equipment. So far, he has skipped every WNT rankings event ever played, and his desire/intention to, once again, become a top 9ball player will be in doubt until this changes.
I didn’t see Bergman in his prime as sjm did, but I have watched almost every match he has played at the PLP and the St Louis events.
His tactics, strategy and safety play are very high level. He’s made some incredible shots, too. His only major shortcoming is with the short stick.
I am not sure if he’s struggled with tight pockets as much as sjm suggests. For long stretches he pockets balls with no problem. His cueball placement at times is unusually precise.
Yet Bergman has definitely been inconsistent. Out of the blue, he will miss some easily makeable shots. In many of those instances, though, the misses were bad enough that tight pockets weren’t the main issue in my view.
My suspicion is, the misses and lack of consistency stem mostly from not being a regular on tours that use tables with tighter pockets. You have to play on these tables a lot, under real world pressure, to truly become acclimated.
Can he get to that point? Oh, I think he can, but it won’t happen overnight. The best players on the tour have been playing under these conditions for years.
Still, what I saw at the PLP was very impressive.
Bergman started slow, losing four of his first five games.
Then he won four of five, losing only to Chris Melling, 5-4, in a match he should have won if not for one of those consistency errors. At that point he was in 7th place among the 16 invitees.
After that, Bergman did falter, losing the last five of six. All he had to do is win one more rack and he would have gotten through to Round Two.
Still, very impressive given his total absence from high-level play since the start of the WNT/ PBS (Predator Billiard Series) era in 2021.
My hope is the PLP and St. Louis have whetted Bergman’s appetite to compete more. Both orgs have lots of events in the US now.
There’s the rub. Bergman has hardly traveled outside the U.S. to play, period. He’s never played in a WPC or any major event outside the continental U.S, from what I could find.
Even if Bergman played more in the U.S., he probably would never rank higher than 25-50 globally under the most optimal conditions.
He is fun to watch, though, especially given the paucity of high-level American players.
His tactics, strategy and safety play are very high level. He’s made some incredible shots, too. His only major shortcoming is with the short stick.
I am not sure if he’s struggled with tight pockets as much as sjm suggests. For long stretches he pockets balls with no problem. His cueball placement at times is unusually precise.
Yet Bergman has definitely been inconsistent. Out of the blue, he will miss some easily makeable shots. In many of those instances, though, the misses were bad enough that tight pockets weren’t the main issue in my view.
My suspicion is, the misses and lack of consistency stem mostly from not being a regular on tours that use tables with tighter pockets. You have to play on these tables a lot, under real world pressure, to truly become acclimated.
Can he get to that point? Oh, I think he can, but it won’t happen overnight. The best players on the tour have been playing under these conditions for years.
Still, what I saw at the PLP was very impressive.
Bergman started slow, losing four of his first five games.
Then he won four of five, losing only to Chris Melling, 5-4, in a match he should have won if not for one of those consistency errors. At that point he was in 7th place among the 16 invitees.
After that, Bergman did falter, losing the last five of six. All he had to do is win one more rack and he would have gotten through to Round Two.
Still, very impressive given his total absence from high-level play since the start of the WNT/ PBS (Predator Billiard Series) era in 2021.
My hope is the PLP and St. Louis have whetted Bergman’s appetite to compete more. Both orgs have lots of events in the US now.
There’s the rub. Bergman has hardly traveled outside the U.S. to play, period. He’s never played in a WPC or any major event outside the continental U.S, from what I could find.
Even if Bergman played more in the U.S., he probably would never rank higher than 25-50 globally under the most optimal conditions.
He is fun to watch, though, especially given the paucity of high-level American players.