MOSCONI CUP LIVE (Score Updates)
- Thread starter PoolChump
- Start date
It's starting to look like the last several Mosconi Cups (ugly). Will there even be a Day Four? Our youngest player (Skyler) is clearly the team leader, and the only one (along with Justin) performing at his normal level.
I don't see a lot of energy in the American players. They look lethargic to me. It's interesting how long these Races to Five are. Pressure changes everything and every game takes on added importance.
P.S. It ain't about the "rolls", don't buy into that line of BS.
I edited this to include Justin. Our two youngest are our two best.
I don't see a lot of energy in the American players. They look lethargic to me. It's interesting how long these Races to Five are. Pressure changes everything and every game takes on added importance.
P.S. It ain't about the "rolls", don't buy into that line of BS.
I edited this to include Justin. Our two youngest are our two best.
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Rough day....Hopefully day 2 goes better.
Pathetic Shark
Banned
Bergman is the star of your show. He's actually a really good player.
You're correct, the problem is in the 8x6 sitting on top of their necks. Free your mind and your ass & game will follow
I didn't get to see Shane and Rodneys game. But I thought Sky and Justin played as expected, near perfect. I've heard a lot of people knock Marks choice in Justin but once again they have been proven wrong. (no disrespect to Dennis) but Justin plays just as well and is a perfect partner for Sky.
USA is still in the fight, if the rest of the team can follow the young guns lead and stay loose they will do fine.
USA is still in the fight, if the rest of the team can follow the young guns lead and stay loose they will do fine.
All of the USA guys are good players and stars in their own right. Problem is, only one or two of the USA guys are playing like one right now. This has been a growing problem for USA players for years, since 2011 in fact.
All 5 matches of Day 1 now on Youtube
Team Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpu7N_y6Lxk
Van Boening/Morris vs Ouschan/Gray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onp9JtmvtrM
Niels Feijen vs Mike Dechaine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3vtVXx52CM
Shaw/Appleton vs Woodward/Bergman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cb1Tg7ihew
Shane Van Boening vs Darren Appleton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR4Dc54AaLM
Team Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpu7N_y6Lxk
Van Boening/Morris vs Ouschan/Gray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onp9JtmvtrM
Niels Feijen vs Mike Dechaine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3vtVXx52CM
Shaw/Appleton vs Woodward/Bergman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cb1Tg7ihew
Shane Van Boening vs Darren Appleton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR4Dc54AaLM
Europe has the better team and all of them know how to play together. Team U.S.A hasn't got bad rolls for 8 years. The table is the same for both teams. I didn't see one skid from either team like on the over priced Simonis. All was fine and dandy the first dozen years, when the U.S was the world leader in pool, because most other countries were just starting to play pool. Johnnyt
iLLCON
Registered
Observations: Mark Wilson's lackluster approach bothers me. This American team seems to really lack the FIRE when it comes to this event. I just don't see any raw determination. If I were Mr. Wilson, security would have to pry me from the players corner.
SVB is everyone's hero come tournament time. Though there is no debate he stands alone in his ability to outperform near all his competition in tournament style individual play, he is not a team player... and it's not because he doesn't want to be. At no fault of his own, he doesn't play or train to think as part of a team collective. He wins AND losses alone. That's a lot of pressure to have on anyone with this type of personality. Not to mention the effects it has on the team when he doesn't win.
My growing concern for Rocket's aggressive-style is yet again being confirmed. Highlight-reel pots and kicks aren't going to intimidate Europe. They are not your average USA tournament players. They'll break you with containment shots until you get impatient, especially in short-races, alternate-break format.
Should USA be victorious, player IQ execution from Woodward and Bergman will lead the charge and Dechaine to follow.
I don't see USA playing safeties when they should. They are making the amateur mistake of trying to force shot-making to gain confidence. You can't breathe intimidation into the Europeans. They know how much each American player wants to bite the bait. Each game, They're just waiting to land the hook.
Lastly, the break. My GOD the break.. its killing us. If I were each of those players, My head wouldn't hit that pillow until I broke 500 times tonight.
For now, I'll join in with the "It ain't over until it's over" speech, but if the play doesn't change by game 3 if tomorrows session, you can tally another year up for Team Europe.
SVB is everyone's hero come tournament time. Though there is no debate he stands alone in his ability to outperform near all his competition in tournament style individual play, he is not a team player... and it's not because he doesn't want to be. At no fault of his own, he doesn't play or train to think as part of a team collective. He wins AND losses alone. That's a lot of pressure to have on anyone with this type of personality. Not to mention the effects it has on the team when he doesn't win.
My growing concern for Rocket's aggressive-style is yet again being confirmed. Highlight-reel pots and kicks aren't going to intimidate Europe. They are not your average USA tournament players. They'll break you with containment shots until you get impatient, especially in short-races, alternate-break format.
Should USA be victorious, player IQ execution from Woodward and Bergman will lead the charge and Dechaine to follow.
I don't see USA playing safeties when they should. They are making the amateur mistake of trying to force shot-making to gain confidence. You can't breathe intimidation into the Europeans. They know how much each American player wants to bite the bait. Each game, They're just waiting to land the hook.
Lastly, the break. My GOD the break.. its killing us. If I were each of those players, My head wouldn't hit that pillow until I broke 500 times tonight.
For now, I'll join in with the "It ain't over until it's over" speech, but if the play doesn't change by game 3 if tomorrows session, you can tally another year up for Team Europe.
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Yes, Skyler looks to be having the best outing.
It's hard to have energy when you're playing a far better team and your team's stars are not performing up to spec and you're getting beat to death. Of course there's also the issue of the home court advantage, with hundreds of drunks in the stands chanting, yelling, and screaming mocking you, while you're walking to the next shot and studying the table but I digress.
And, at least to a certain (spelled: huge) degree, the Europeans have been getting a *big* percentage of the rolls. Even the abysmal commentators have been able to pick up on that. Not saying that's it, the Euros are the better team, but the rolls for USA have been brutal and in race to five, tough to outrun.
Lou Figueroa
This is a spot on analysis and exactly my thoughts.
The only chance the USA team has for the victory is that the three younger players to step up and take the leadership and SVB and Morris to embrace it, not fight it. As it stands, it simply doesn't work. I always was of the idea that Wilson is there only for holidays and a paycheck (did any of you even see him after the introduction? I did see Chamat, for sure), but this is the time to prove me wrong and make the needed changes.
I'm all for Europe, but I do believe there is a window for the USA team to sneak in. Appleton is with his B game at best, Jayson is clearly feeling it a bit too much up to now. Fejen and Albin have been solid but not flawless. Mark Gray is by far the best player out there at the moment. The only chance you get with him is on the break, nothing else.
maybe europe had some rolls, like every year since they dominate lol...... wasnt it arnold palmer who said "the more i practise, the luckier i get"? and that it is, not the rolls, not the races, not the pocketsices, just look at the gamedifference last 10 years!
europe became better in every department of the game (and outside) over the last 15 yrs, they have built structures, most have a team around them and they travel to the biggest tourneys worldwide while most US players are still lonewolfs and prefer to play some bartable tourney instead for whatever reason! the truth is probably that europe could send 3 or 4 winning teams.....
and the sad thing is, there wont be a change soon, the competition isnt good enough anymore in the bigger US tourneys (when they are not filled with sharks from all over the world) + the fargo ranked handicap tourneys will do the rest to level the playingfield down! theres a long way back and i dont see it coming soon! pray for shane to have a very long career, he covers alot........(and put fargo in a bin)
Good grief.
I understand what you're saying however I'm just talking about today. Anyone who knows jack about pool knows Europe got a disproponate amount of rolls.
Lou Figueroa
Cool story, bro!
Agreed, the two young guns are our best players.
What were you watching?
Justin played better than everyone else. Not even close.
He won his single game. He played flawless with Skylar.
Skylar dogged position in his single game to lose it.