SJM Slant on the 2018 Mosconi Cup

Tin Man said:
I found the shot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV_qn5E4qqM 24:49 is a good place to pause to see the layout.

I actually like Tyler's selection. If the cue ball was a little further to the right as we look at the screen so it was even with the object ball or slightly on the other side of it, then I think the soft shot is better. Maybe he could then even draw the cue ball to the side rail.

As positioned the rolling shot is certainly possible, but it is a 3/4 table shot on a cut shot that is less than a half ball hit, so slow rolling that isn't super easy. Meanwhile the 4 rail route is nearly automatic, the cue ball patch 'self corrects' and regardless of where it hits the 3rd or 4th rail the ball reverses to the middle of the table with a high level of consistency.

I actually think this improves his make percentage. If this was the 9 ball, how many pros would roll it in at pocket speed versus how many would hit it with 3-4 rail speed? Most would stroke the ball firmly as that improves make percentage. Of course if you have to hit it extra hard to get the distance you need then it starts dropping again, but on tournament diamonds that usually isn't a problem.

It really comes down to how soft vs how hard he'd have to hit it each way. I think he's a little longer and thinner than he'd want to be to slow roll it, and I think the 4 railer isn't far from the preferred speed at which you'd cinch that ball. Most of my life I lagged that ball, but I guess I've been avoiding that more of late. As always this is just how it seems to me, not saying it's definitive.
Click to expand...

If he had slow rolled it, his chance of scratching is almost zero but he might miss the ball or end up with tough shape on the next ball anyway. Then people would be saying "He should have hit it hard and gone extra rails" :grin-square:

I was impressed with his nice cut on the 1 ball previous to that scratch. And with his handling of the pressure overall.
 
shinobi said:
If he had slow rolled it, his chance of scratching is almost zero but he might miss the ball or end up with tough shape on the next ball anyway. Then people would be saying "He should have hit it hard and gone extra rails" :grin-square:

I was impressed with his nice cut on the 1 ball previous to that scratch. And with his handling of the pressure overall.
Click to expand...
The cloth was not playing that fast - slow rolling was clearly the best option to pocket the 2-ball and bring the cue ball back towards the middle of the table. These are pro players and on those pockets, that shot is not that hard for them. The defensive shot to consider if he was not confident with the slow roll cut is playing the safety by over-cutting the 2-ball in to the side rail and hiding it behind the 4/9, bringing the cue ball back up to the opposite end rail. For an experienced player with a complete arsenal, if you're afraid to slow roll it, the drag draw shot would have been the best option in that situation to assure the best shape on the 4-ball - but under that type of pressure for young player, I realize that's asking a lot.
 
jay helfert said:
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.
Click to expand...

I really want to agree with you here, Jay, but I'm not sure you're right. On Day 4, Skyler's great victory over Albin Ouschan set the stage for Team USA to win the cup. In the next three matches, though, Tyler, Corey and Billy all struggled mightily with the immense pressure of delivering the eleventh and clinching point. SVB's win in Match 20 amounted to a pardon for these three, but the fact remains that Team USA played pretty nervous on Day 4.

The biggest differences between 2017 and 2018 at the Mosconi were a) by kicking and jumping well, the US earned far more chances to run out this year than last, b) tactical decision making was far better in 2018 than in 2017, c) in 2017, Team USA didn't shoot very straight, and d) winning the race to the shot so often on such easy equipment paid bigger dividends on the almost absurd "bucket" table used in 2018 than it would have a year ago.

I feel Team USA still needs to become more acclimated to the pressure of the Mosconi Cup if it hopes to build on this success. One step at a time.
 
Looks like this thread has run its course. Thanks to all who participated and I look forward to comparing notes with you during a future pool event.

If you missed my tournament summary, you can check it out in Post #29.
 
Last edited:
sjm said:
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.
Click to expand...



Great write up.

During Woodward Ouschan match at hill hill, I was so nervous I had to leave the room and get something to eat. I also thought if Europe won that point, it would be a big momentum turn for them.

Something I see you left off likely purposely but I’m not are the classless fans from Team Europe. I’ve been playing team sports my entire life and played 4 years of college baseball and still I’m involved in sports as a high school official so I understand the back ad forth from fans and the other team. Like Golf however pool, has moments where the game demands respect and consideration from the fans while a player is swinging/shooting.

Too many times the fans went way overboard with Team USA over balls and in the middle of their stroke. All it would have taken was for the ref to remove a few people and this would have silenced the many times Team Europe fans crossed the line.

I wasn’t necessarily surprised as the way European fans are with soccer leaves some connotations describing their behavior that will remain nameless.

Was very happy that Team USA fans in the arena never stooped to that level and showed the respect to the opposing team. Bravo to TeamUSA fans!!!!

You also heard this indirectly from TeamUSA players as some commented about how they respected their opponents even though they weren’t getting that from the fans. I was however surprised that nobody off Team Europe didn’t try and address this while they were playing a TeamUSA opponent.

Lastly, the biggest sore loser, jerk, and disrespected player Shaw showed the World his true colors. The behavior is very consistent from him and speaks truly to the type of person he is. Shaw was coming into this event with this label and leaves with it securely around his neck.

Loved how Thorpe and Woodward responded to how Shaw acted with their celebrations. Same for SVB. And kudos for Styer standing up for SVB and basically calling out Shaw!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
sjm said:
I really want to agree with you here, Jay, but I'm not sure you're right. On Day 4, Skyler's great victory over Albin Ouschan set the stage for Team USA to win the cup. In the next three matches, though, Tyler, Corey and Billy all struggled mightily with the immense pressure of delivering the eleventh and clinching point. SVB's win in Match 20 amounted to a pardon for these three, but the fact remains that Team USA played pretty nervous on Day 4.

The biggest differences between 2017 and 2018 at the Mosconi were a) by kicking and jumping well, the US earned far more chances to run out this year than last, b) tactical decision making was far better in 2018 than in 2017, c) in 2017, Team USA didn't shoot very straight, and d) winning the race to the shot so often on such easy equipment paid bigger dividends on the almost absurd "bucket" table used in 2018 than it would have a year ago.

I feel Team USA still needs to become more acclimated to the pressure of the Mosconi Cup if it hopes to build on this success. One step at a time.
Click to expand...

They did get weak on Day Four. I won't disagree with that. But I think they held it together well the first three days, much better than they had in past years. I saw much more confident play by Team USA this year under pressure. Confidence leads to good execution and doubt leads to failure.
 
Let's take in the latest evidence of something most of us suspect. Mosconi Cup pressure is just different. The two players that struggled the most at the 2018 Mosconi were surely Alex Kazakis and Corey Deuel.

.... but check out the World 9-ball Championships. Corey Deuel finished tied for fifth and Alex Kazakis is on to the semifinals, still in with a chance to become the World 9-ball champion.

Yup, Mosconi pressure is just different.
 
sjm said:
Let's take in the latest evidence of something most of us suspect. Mosconi Cup pressure is just different. The two players that struggled the most at the 2018 Mosconi were surely Alex Kazakis and Corey Deuel.

.... but check out the World 9-ball Championships. Corey Deuel finished tied for fifth and Alex Kazakis is on to the semifinals, still in with a chance to become the World 9-ball champion.

Yup, Mosconi pressure is just different.
Click to expand...
I'm guessing the struggles at the MC for both of them has proven to be a valuable learning experience which has helped / fueled both of them to strong performances at the World Championships. It would be awesome if somehow Shane could win this event!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top