SJM Slant on the 2018 Mosconi Cup
- Thread starter sjm
- Start date
Speculation yes...nonsense no.
However please check the post I was replying to...I was merely pointing out it was ridiculous to state all the claims about the American team beforehand were inaccurate. BEFORE the event, they were based on the information available and seemed appropriate.
If you re-read my post I think you'll see that I actually agree 100% with what you are saying and was trying to make the same point to the previous poster.
Ouch! That might be a dealbreaker for me. Now I definitely have to find a way to attend the US Open in April to see a great new event and to support the best event producer in pool —— Matchroom Sports.
I will cover all these matters in my write up at length.
You just like Bad Boys, Jammie.The last day was a nail-biter! Man, I thought to myelf, please, please let us win after coming this far. And it was very fitting that it was Shane to sealed the deal.:lovies:
There was a lot of smack talk in the chat rooms about Jayson's behavior. As usual, the keyboard cowboys went out of their way to insult his looks, calling him names, sometimes vulgar, and insulting the man's wife, knowing she was in the chat. It went too far, as far as I am concerned. They even insulted Klenti Kaci's looks, and, I mean, come on. This kid is very easy on the eyes for the ladies.
Love him or hate him, Jayson Shaw is a major attraction. I liked it when he was pumping up the audience, even though he was on the other side of who I was rooting for. I enjoyed his team spirit and hearing the roar of the audience each time he raised his arms. This is the Mosconi Cup and exactly what it is so cool about it.
Of course, the pool purists seem to want to watch pool in silence, much like the ambience of a snooker audience, where you can hear a pin drop. That might be okay for snooker, but not for the Mosconi Cup. The Mosconi Cup is all about the audience involvement, IMO.
Back to Jayson, when players like him show any sort of bravado, some folk, especially men, don't like it and want to slam him down at every turn. They don't like to see a man with such power in his personality and on a field of tournament blue. It reminds me of my brother who doesn't like to watch Tom Cruise movies, calling him a "pretty boy." Well, I like Tom Cruise and enjoy his movies, but I think my brother, in some strange way, is jealous of Tom Cruise. I can say that because my brother doesn't read this forum. :grin-square:
I guess the Mosconi Cup is now on my bucket list. Vegas or bust in 2019.
"If you can do it, then it ain't bragging"...said Muhammed Ali.The last day was a nail-biter! Man, I thought to myelf, please, please let us win after coming this far. And it was very fitting that it was Shane to sealed the deal.:lovies:
There was a lot of smack talk in the chat rooms about Jayson's behavior. As usual, the keyboard cowboys went out of their way to insult his looks, calling him names, sometimes vulgar, and insulting the man's wife, knowing she was in the chat. It went too far, as far as I am concerned. They even insulted Klenti Kaci's looks, and, I mean, come on. This kid is very easy on the eyes for the ladies.
Love him or hate him, Jayson Shaw is a major attraction. I liked it when he was pumping up the audience, even though he was on the other side of who I was rooting for. I enjoyed his team spirit and hearing the roar of the audience each time he raised his arms. This is the Mosconi Cup and exactly what it is so cool about it.
Of course, the pool purists seem to want to watch pool in silence, much like the ambience of a snooker audience, where you can hear a pin drop. That might be okay for snooker, but not for the Mosconi Cup. The Mosconi Cup is all about the audience involvement, IMO.
Back to Jayson, when players like him show any sort of bravado, some folk, especially men, don't like it and want to slam him down at every turn. They don't like to see a man with such power in his personality and on a field of tournament blue. It reminds me of my brother who doesn't like to watch Tom Cruise movies, calling him a "pretty boy." Well, I like Tom Cruise and enjoy his movies, but I think my brother, in some strange way, is jealous of Tom Cruise. I can say that because my brother doesn't read this forum. :grin-square:
I guess the Mosconi Cup is now on my bucket list. Vegas or bust in 2019.
The ubiquitous "they" trashed him too. But "they" sure didn't draw straws to get in there against him.
Shaw has proven over and over and over that he "can do it".
So, he had a bad tournament, so what? I wouldn't bet the ranch on his opponents in any matches upcoming though.
I like all that woofing and carrying on....it brings life to an otherwise pretty dull game (except to pool enthusiasts, of course, which don't find the game to be so dull).
"AND HIS HAIR WAS PERFECT"...etc. etc.
:thumbup:
OK, I’ve made it home and I’ve had a chance to reflect on the Mosconi Cup at length
The Big Picture
As a fan, this one delivered. All four days consisted of five matches, and each session was won by three matches to two. As Team USA won three of the four sessions, it added up to an 11-9 final score. Great stuff! Did I see it coming? No, I didn’t. The five main questions I had coming in were these and I’ll give my after-the-fact answers.
Q1. Would Tyler Styer contribute? His competitive form in 2018 did not seem to merit his selection. A1. Tyler played very well, especially in the first two sessions. His game fell off in the later stages, but overall, Tyler exceeded expectations and was a solid contributor.
Q2. Would SVB finally find his form at the Mosconi? A2. Shane played better but below his top form. That said, though, he delivered the eleventh and winning point, and like other fans of Team USA, I was delighted by it,
Q3. Which Skyler Woodward would we get? Skyler was the worst player at the Mosconi in 2017, but his recent success at the International 9-ball Open was an encouraging sign. Skyler credited that success to work with Johan. A3. We got the very best of Skyler, and he was the star of the 2018 Mosconi Cup.
Q4. Billy Thorpe’s 2017 Mosconi started slowly but he played well in the second half of that event. Would he pick up where he left off? A4. Billy played well for the first three sessions and really was not at fault in Match 15 as he first shot at 3-0 down, He struggled against Feijen on the final day, but on balance, Billy had a solid Mosconi Cup.
Q5. In my view, Team Europe’s three top performers in 2017 were Filler, Souquet and Alcaide. Europe would go to bat this time without any of them. In particular, Mosconi rookies Kaci and Kazakis had good years, but the Mosconi Cup moment might or might not be too big. Would this be a problem? A5. Despite Kaci’s solid win in Session 4, Kaci and Kazakis both had very poor Mosconi Cup debuts and were a big part of the reason that Europe fell so far behind. From my vantage point, Filler, Souquet and Alcaide were sorely missed.
What changed from a year ago?
American play went according to a new script. Both teams broke well. American offensive execution was fairly comparable to Europe, pattern play was comparable to Europe, and defense, kicking and jumping were, for the first time in about a decade, above Europe. On the forum, we all jumped for joy when Jeremy Jones was added to the coaching staff, and his tactical imprint was observable. Team USA was a bit below Team Europe in defense, but better than Europe in both kicking and jumping. I sat about five feet from Jeremy, and saw firsthand that he had been a very hands on coach and the players trusted and listened to him.
How Much of this Win Was Due to Europe’s Poor Play?
Europe played pretty poorly in this Mosconi. I’d say we got their “C” game. Albin Ouschan was superb, but the other four players were anywhere from ordinary to terrible relative to expectations, They will need to regroup.
At Long Last, USA Succeeds at Singles
In years gone by, Team USA had played itself out of Mosconi contention with poor play in singles. This was the year that this changed, but two singles matches defined this Mosconi Cup, and that would be Skyler’s double hill win over Shaw in Match 14 and Skyler’s double hill win over Ouschan in Match 16 (my nominee for the greatest Mosconi match ever played).
Competitive in the Team Matches
Team matches were very competitive in this Mosconi Cup.
Individual Members of Team USA
Skyler Woodward
Skyler was the star of this Mosconi Cup and he was the reason the team won. His play in singles was magnificent and his win over Albin Ouschan in Match 16, where he jumped in the one ball at double hill and ran out is one that I won’t soon forget.
Shane Van Boening
Shane played a little better than he did last year. He split his two singles matches with Shaw. He beat Kazakis to end the Mosconi Cup. Shane was a solid contributor.
Billy Thorpe
Billy may well have been Team USA’s best player over the first two days, but his game leveled off in the latter part of the event. Billy’s solid play had much to do with the lead Team USA built up early.
Corey Deuel
Corey had a forgettable Mosconi Cup and was the weakest player on Team USA. Still, in his doubles match when teamed with Shane, he was the star of the show, as Shane misplayed position a couple e of times and Corey bailed him out.
Tyler Styer
Thorpe and Styer were the stars of the first two sessions of the Mosconi, before turning the stage over to Skyler. Tyler looked surprisingly comfortable out there and his win over Feijen was particularly impressive. With fine safety play, Feijen tested Styer often, but Tyler’s kicking was superb and kept him in the match. Tyler’s play declined over the last two sessions, but he had a fine debut at the Mosconi.
What Team USA Did Well
Team USA broke the balls pretty well, The jump shots executed by Team USA were superb and the kicking was pretty solid, too.
What USA did Just Passably
I’d rate Team USA defense as satisfactory for the first time in a decade. Ball pocketing was passable, but certainly not excellent. There’s still room for improvement in pattern play, but it was acceptable.
The Coaching
After a lost 2017, Johan deserves props for his effort in 2018. It appears that all facets of the game are finally being emphasized at last, not just offensive execution, and this needs to continue if Team USA is to continue its success in the coming years. Tactical conceptualization went up a whole level this year, and this is likely a dividend of the brilliant addition of Jeremy Jones, one of America’s finest ever tacticians, to the coaching staff.
The Mosconi Event From a Fan's Perspective
Delightful as usual. Matchroom puts on better events than anyone in pool. Neutral racker, no reracks, short races, shot clock, and very short breaks between matches ensure that the excitement is maintained for the length of every session. Alexandra Palace is a great venue for pool and the crowd was great. Thanks to all at Matchroom. You guys are a credit to our game and set the standard for producing events.
Sizing It Up for Next Year
Team USA got over the hump but can’t rest on its laurels. Europe played poorly this year and the better team won for sure, but Team USA must continue to develop the skills with which it succeeded.
There you have it! Another Mosconi Cup is in the books. Hope you enjoyed it.
The Big Picture
As a fan, this one delivered. All four days consisted of five matches, and each session was won by three matches to two. As Team USA won three of the four sessions, it added up to an 11-9 final score. Great stuff! Did I see it coming? No, I didn’t. The five main questions I had coming in were these and I’ll give my after-the-fact answers.
Q1. Would Tyler Styer contribute? His competitive form in 2018 did not seem to merit his selection. A1. Tyler played very well, especially in the first two sessions. His game fell off in the later stages, but overall, Tyler exceeded expectations and was a solid contributor.
Q2. Would SVB finally find his form at the Mosconi? A2. Shane played better but below his top form. That said, though, he delivered the eleventh and winning point, and like other fans of Team USA, I was delighted by it,
Q3. Which Skyler Woodward would we get? Skyler was the worst player at the Mosconi in 2017, but his recent success at the International 9-ball Open was an encouraging sign. Skyler credited that success to work with Johan. A3. We got the very best of Skyler, and he was the star of the 2018 Mosconi Cup.
Q4. Billy Thorpe’s 2017 Mosconi started slowly but he played well in the second half of that event. Would he pick up where he left off? A4. Billy played well for the first three sessions and really was not at fault in Match 15 as he first shot at 3-0 down, He struggled against Feijen on the final day, but on balance, Billy had a solid Mosconi Cup.
Q5. In my view, Team Europe’s three top performers in 2017 were Filler, Souquet and Alcaide. Europe would go to bat this time without any of them. In particular, Mosconi rookies Kaci and Kazakis had good years, but the Mosconi Cup moment might or might not be too big. Would this be a problem? A5. Despite Kaci’s solid win in Session 4, Kaci and Kazakis both had very poor Mosconi Cup debuts and were a big part of the reason that Europe fell so far behind. From my vantage point, Filler, Souquet and Alcaide were sorely missed.
What changed from a year ago?
American play went according to a new script. Both teams broke well. American offensive execution was fairly comparable to Europe, pattern play was comparable to Europe, and defense, kicking and jumping were, for the first time in about a decade, above Europe. On the forum, we all jumped for joy when Jeremy Jones was added to the coaching staff, and his tactical imprint was observable. Team USA was a bit below Team Europe in defense, but better than Europe in both kicking and jumping. I sat about five feet from Jeremy, and saw firsthand that he had been a very hands on coach and the players trusted and listened to him.
How Much of this Win Was Due to Europe’s Poor Play?
Europe played pretty poorly in this Mosconi. I’d say we got their “C” game. Albin Ouschan was superb, but the other four players were anywhere from ordinary to terrible relative to expectations, They will need to regroup.
At Long Last, USA Succeeds at Singles
In years gone by, Team USA had played itself out of Mosconi contention with poor play in singles. This was the year that this changed, but two singles matches defined this Mosconi Cup, and that would be Skyler’s double hill win over Shaw in Match 14 and Skyler’s double hill win over Ouschan in Match 16 (my nominee for the greatest Mosconi match ever played).
Competitive in the Team Matches
Team matches were very competitive in this Mosconi Cup.
Individual Members of Team USA
Skyler Woodward
Skyler was the star of this Mosconi Cup and he was the reason the team won. His play in singles was magnificent and his win over Albin Ouschan in Match 16, where he jumped in the one ball at double hill and ran out is one that I won’t soon forget.
Shane Van Boening
Shane played a little better than he did last year. He split his two singles matches with Shaw. He beat Kazakis to end the Mosconi Cup. Shane was a solid contributor.
Billy Thorpe
Billy may well have been Team USA’s best player over the first two days, but his game leveled off in the latter part of the event. Billy’s solid play had much to do with the lead Team USA built up early.
Corey Deuel
Corey had a forgettable Mosconi Cup and was the weakest player on Team USA. Still, in his doubles match when teamed with Shane, he was the star of the show, as Shane misplayed position a couple e of times and Corey bailed him out.
Tyler Styer
Thorpe and Styer were the stars of the first two sessions of the Mosconi, before turning the stage over to Skyler. Tyler looked surprisingly comfortable out there and his win over Feijen was particularly impressive. With fine safety play, Feijen tested Styer often, but Tyler’s kicking was superb and kept him in the match. Tyler’s play declined over the last two sessions, but he had a fine debut at the Mosconi.
What Team USA Did Well
Team USA broke the balls pretty well, The jump shots executed by Team USA were superb and the kicking was pretty solid, too.
What USA did Just Passably
I’d rate Team USA defense as satisfactory for the first time in a decade. Ball pocketing was passable, but certainly not excellent. There’s still room for improvement in pattern play, but it was acceptable.
The Coaching
After a lost 2017, Johan deserves props for his effort in 2018. It appears that all facets of the game are finally being emphasized at last, not just offensive execution, and this needs to continue if Team USA is to continue its success in the coming years. Tactical conceptualization went up a whole level this year, and this is likely a dividend of the brilliant addition of Jeremy Jones, one of America’s finest ever tacticians, to the coaching staff.
The Mosconi Event From a Fan's Perspective
Delightful as usual. Matchroom puts on better events than anyone in pool. Neutral racker, no reracks, short races, shot clock, and very short breaks between matches ensure that the excitement is maintained for the length of every session. Alexandra Palace is a great venue for pool and the crowd was great. Thanks to all at Matchroom. You guys are a credit to our game and set the standard for producing events.
Sizing It Up for Next Year
Team USA got over the hump but can’t rest on its laurels. Europe played poorly this year and the better team won for sure, but Team USA must continue to develop the skills with which it succeeded.
There you have it! Another Mosconi Cup is in the books. Hope you enjoyed it.
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I believe you are correct. I don't remember Albin missing a single ball in the entire tournament.
He did get outplayed in some safety / counter-safety play, but these were some tough scenarios that required perfect speed.
I agree, Ouschan vs Woodward was one of the best if not the best MC match I've seen.
Always look forward to your reports
Stu,
As always a fine analysis of the event. I always try to wait on your reports before having much to say about an event, they are the most accurate play analysis we get I believe. I always like Jennie's reports when she used to make it to events for color and people, yours for technical breakdowns.
Team USA played better this year but I have to think that the euro's let down their guards a bit after our nine year stall.(grin) I suspect that both teams will be well prepared next year. The biggest problem for the cup is the venues in my opinion. One year is in europe, home field to the europeans. The year that should be home field advantage for the US players finds them in vegas, party town and the place to gamble half the night or more instead of resting for the next day. Hopefully our captains have proven the benefit of a well organized team this year and the team will hold together better than usual in vegas next year or we will get rolled over.
Hu
Stu,
As always a fine analysis of the event. I always try to wait on your reports before having much to say about an event, they are the most accurate play analysis we get I believe. I always like Jennie's reports when she used to make it to events for color and people, yours for technical breakdowns.
Team USA played better this year but I have to think that the euro's let down their guards a bit after our nine year stall.(grin) I suspect that both teams will be well prepared next year. The biggest problem for the cup is the venues in my opinion. One year is in europe, home field to the europeans. The year that should be home field advantage for the US players finds them in vegas, party town and the place to gamble half the night or more instead of resting for the next day. Hopefully our captains have proven the benefit of a well organized team this year and the team will hold together better than usual in vegas next year or we will get rolled over.
Hu
Great analysis Stu! You pretty much covered everything, except one other important aspect of this year's event. That was how well the Team USA players held up under pressure. I didn't watch all the matches, but from what I did see the Team USA players handled the pressure much better than they had in past MC's. Last year for instance we witnessed several player meltdowns where they just seemed to give up, even looking lost out there. There was none of that this year. In other words they were mentally tough this year, unlike in past year's. I attribute that to good coaching, both by Johann and Jeremy.
Yes, this critical moment is not to be overlooked. Had Team USA fallen 3-0 behind, it might have been different. Winning Day 1 by three matches to two established the momentum that Team USA rode to victory, and if Styer doesn't beat Feijen, Europe sleeps on the overnight lead.
Another moment that appeared critical when it occurred was when Shaw beat SVB in Match 6, labeled the fan's choice match. It erased the lead on which Team USA slept, and made SVB/Woodward vs Feijen/Ouschan in Match 7 absolutely crucial (Ouschan vs Deuel was to follow in Match 8, so a loss here might well have resulted in a 5-3 lead for Team Europe). With solid play, Feijen/Ouschan gave the Americans a stiff test in this match, but Shane and Sky rose to the challenge to put the Americans back on top by four matches to three.
Stu, thanks for your observations. I know it's nearly a year away, but what players do you think might be replaced on the US Mosconi Cup team for 2019, and by whom? I'd summize that SVB, Woodward and Thorpe are all virtual locks, assuming they have decent showings in 2019 events, with the other two spots up for grabs. Styer has a chance at returning if he can continue to show improvement and record some strong finishes in 2019 events. Obviously the coach believes in him to have picked him in the first place. I don't likely see Corey returning to next year's team unless he continues to dedicate himself to getting his game back to where it was 10+ years ago, which he seems to be attempting to do at least for this past year. I certainly hope they plan to bring Jeremy Jones back as the assistant coach, and I have full confidence Jeremy could eventually take over as head coach if Johann ever chooses to step down.
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Stu;
As expected, your observations and analysis provided in this report did not disappoint. Thank you for this great breakdown.
I want to add one thing and also get your thoughts on another aspect of MC 2018.
I think Team USA did much better this year with the oft-overlooked lags and I believe this can influence outcomes in short races to 5. I wonder did they actually practice lagging? Might not be practical given they are practicing on different tables than when they come out onto the big stage. But still I do wonder about it.
It seemed to me that this MC the raucous fans were less inclined to honor the referees' requests to settle down (be quiet) at very critical times when players were actually down on their shots. My impression is that in years past the fans would woop and holler until players got down to shoot then for the very most part they'd be quiet but this year was different. You having attended many MC's, did you find this to be the case? If so, do you think these offenders who shouted or screeched when players were in the act of shooting, that they should have been ejected or just put up with it?
One final thought of mine and you also covered it nicely was just how HUGE Tyler's play was. Aside from achieving that all important first win and despite his falling off in the later stages, this young man was a solid contributor and he always looked comfortable on the big MC stage.
Again, thanks very much for your fine trip report.
:thumbup: best,
brian kc
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Stu;
As expected, your observations and analysis provided in this report did not disappoint. Thank you for this great breakdown.
I want to add one thing and also get your thoughts on another aspect of MC 2018.
I think Team USA did much better this year with the oft-overlooked lags and I believe this can influence outcomes in short races to 5. I wonder did they actually practice lagging? Might not be practical given they are practicing on different tables than when they come out onto the big stage. But still I do wonder about it.
It seemed to me that this MC the raucous fans were less inclined to honor the referees' requests to settle down (be quiet) at very critical times when players were actually down on their shots. My impression is that in years past the fans would woop and holler until players got down to shoot then for the very most part they'd be quiet but this year was different. You having attended many MC's, did you find this to be the case? If so, do you think these offenders who shouted or screeched when players were in the act of shooting, that they should have been ejected or just put up with it?
One final thought of mine and you also covered it nicely was just how HUGE Tyler's play was. Aside from achieving that all important first win and despite his falling off in the later stages, this young man was a solid contributor and he always looked comfortable on the big MC stage.
Again, thanks very much for your fine trip report.
best,
brian kc
As you suggest, practice, to my knowledge, was not on the TV table, so lag practice was unavailable .... but speed control drills are critical to becoming a good lagger and I'd bet the house that Team USA did some of those. Of course, the most important double hill win for Team USA was the one in which it lost the lag, and that's Skyler's Match 16 win over Albin Ouschan.
You're right about the crowd, but there were very few times where crowd noise interrupted a shooter that was already positioned over the cue ball.
Nigel Reese, in particular, had a hard time controlling the crowd noise. I can tell you with great certainty that Skyler was sharked out of a nine ball by the crowd at 3-3 vs Shaw in Match 14, as he had to hurry the shot once the crowd calmed down. This rubbed me the wrong way, as it would have been within the referee's discretion to stop the shot clock in such a situation. Had Shaw not had a bad miss at double hill in Match 14, this match would have gone the other way and I'd have been pretty disgusted. To be fair, Europe was also distracted unfairly at times by the crowd noise.
Tyler Styer, as you suggest, had a big part in this victory, one I didn't see coming.
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