Mosconi Cup standings after the US Open

uk_9_ball_convert said:
I think the complete skill sets is a key part of it. Feel often in the early stages of the Mosconi the differentiator has been Europe being better in safety battles. I know there have been some big American misses at key points, but those are normally after they are already behind and under extra pressure because of it.
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Yes, and half of defense is good decision making. For over fifteen years, Europe has tended to beat the US to the shot in tactical sequences, with Woodward, a superb defensive player, the one clear exception. This has always meant extra runout chances for Team Europe.

This particular gap in performance is too often overlooked, but you've hit the nail on the head here.
 
sjm said:
In my Mosconi Cup writeup, I wrote this:

Fargo fails to account for who is in form. For example, Moritz Neuhausen is playing as well as anyone in the world not named Yapp. In the last three months alone, he medaled at three elite events, winning the Peri Open, getting silver at the Hanoi Open, and getting bronze at the Qatar 10ball. He came in on fire and, unless his Fargo was taken at face value, nobody should have been too surprised that he was Mosconi MVP.

The debutante argument is not applicable here. Neuhausen came in playing as well as any of the ten players at the Mosconi. He had also just played in the Reyes Cup, so he had experience playing with crowd noise. Europe had no weak links, just five players in some serious form.

I have often suggested that over 90% of the job of the coach is done before the players arrive at the Mosconi. Winning is about proper preparation and developing a competitive pedigree, and unless the team members show up with enough of these, nothing a coach does at the Mosconi will compensate for it.
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insidespin ratings are heavily weighted to recent form ;)
 
sjm said:
Yes, and half of defense is good decision making. For over fifteen years, Europe has tended to beat the US to the shot in tactical sequences, with Woodward, a superb defensive player, the one clear exception. This has always meant extra runout chances for Team Europe.
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Woodward was poor defensively the past two years as captain, taking big risks (bank shots) when a good safety was the better play. Sent a bad message imo.

All the American players (SVB, Sky, Ty, Gorst, Bergman) individually are good defensively. Team USA, alas, has not been.

sjm said:
This particular gap in performance is too often overlooked, but you've hit the nail on the head here.
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Having watched the past three Mosconis more than once, I was struck by how many times the U.S. was in a position to take an early lead or turn the tide, only to make critical and avoidable errors/choices at key moments.

The margin of error is thin enough. Team USA would stand a decent chance to win if it avoided bad decisions and made routine plays.

Johan could help at the margins, which is all you can ask. First thing he will want the players to focus on is winning the lag. I am sure other things will be different, too.

Yet players win, or lose, games in the end.
 
jbart65 said:
Woodward was poor defensively the past two years as captain, taking big risks (bank shots) when a good safety was the better play.
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Woodward is probably America's best 9ball defensive player of the past decade. That doesn't mean he always gets it right. I realize that he's not in the conversation with a Reyes, Pagulayan, or Varner, but who is?

I believe he reached Day 6 a few times in a WNT major, and was twice Mosconi MVP. His excellent defensive play was always a big part of the reason. Matchroom playing conditions and equipment specs always favored Skyler because of his fine tactical skills.
 
BasementDweller said:
Gorst, SVB, Tyler, Bergman, and .... Skyler.

It doesn't matter if they earned it or not, Matchroom needs the most competitive U.S. team to try an keep this train on the rails.

The team listed above, if given a month or two to get dialed in....ahem...Skyler...ahem.... would actually have a fighting chance. We still haven't seen a comfortable Gorst in MC play. If he plays well, the pressure would minimize for everyone else. Gorst is the key. If he plays like the number one player in the world, the U.S. could actually win. Still underdogs, but maybe +150 or so.
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SVB is an automatic loser every year - worst record in MC history
 
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