The Problem with USA Mosconi Cup Team

B

Bigdogbret

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The USA continues to grasp to our past success. Players like Earl Strickland and Johnny Archer were once great champions. But this is NOT the 1990s. Europe's Team is primarily made up of young champions and up and coming players who have been tested in tournaments all over the world. The USA does not have many players other than Shane Van Boening, sometimes Rodney Morris that travel and play abroad. It is time to start bringing in some of our younger players and giving them the experience needed to compete on this stage. Players like Brandon Shuff, Chip Compton, Justin Hall, etc.
This years team would have been much stronger with Corey Deuel and Brandon Shuff, than Earl and Johnny.
 
Bigdogbret said:
The USA continues to grasp to our past success. Players like Earl Strickland and Johnny Archer were once great champions. But this is NOT the 1990s. Europe's Team is primarily made up of young champions and up and coming players who have been tested in tournaments all over the world. The USA does not have many players other than Shane Van Boening, sometimes Rodney Morris that travel and play abroad. It is time to start bringing in some of our younger players and giving them the experience needed to compete on this stage. Players like Brandon Shuff, Chip Compton, Justin Hall, etc.
This years team would have been much stronger with Corey Deuel and Brandon Shuff, than Earl and Johnny.
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YEP - living in the past ain't good
 
Bigdogbret said:
The USA continues to grasp to our past success. Players like Earl Strickland and Johnny Archer were once great champions. But this is NOT the 1990s. Europe's Team is primarily made up of young champions and up and coming players who have been tested in tournaments all over the world. The USA does not have many players other than Shane Van Boening, sometimes Rodney Morris that travel and play abroad. It is time to start bringing in some of our younger players and giving them the experience needed to compete on this stage. Players like Brandon Shuff, Chip Compton, Justin Hall, etc.
This years team would have been much stronger with Corey Deuel and Brandon Shuff, than Earl and Johnny.
Click to expand...

5 of the players this year also played in 2001, 12 years ago. 3 of them are on Europe's side. Not very young there.

None of the younger players in the US will be able to play in this format or can keep up with Appleton or Immonen.

What they should do is make a team of ALL NEW players on both sides that have not played in the Cup before, now that would be interesting.

Maybe with one veteran on each team for coach/player. Archer and Soquet maybe.
 
hang-the-9 said:
5 of the players this year also played in 2001, 12 years ago. 3 of them are on Europe's side. Not very young there.
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Just half the truth there

Archer
Born 1968

Strickland
Born 1961

Avg. age: 48,5
Avg. age in 2001: 36,5

Souquet
Born 1968

Immonen
Born 1972

Feijen
Born 1977

Avg. age: 40,6
Avg. age in 2001: 28,6


So the "old" Europeans were 8 years younger on average when they played in the 2001 Mosconi Cup. Souquet is the better player than Archer, both are the seniors (apart from Earl)
 
The other part of the problem is the young American players are more gamblers than tournament players. Guys like Justin Bergman Chip Compton, Joey Gray, etc. Europe has guys who only play tournament pool and won't bet a nickel. Not good for USA when Mosconi Cup comes around. The pressure is completely different.
 
The problem with the USA Mosconi Cup team is that our players are no longer of the same standard as the Europeans. We've been surpassed, plain and simple, and when you look at the current state of pool in the United States there's no reason to think we're going to catch up any time soon. We can make excuses all we want, but it is what it is. Aside from Shane, who do we have that's even relevant on the world stage?
 
post from earlier

bring in the young guns

Earl and Johnny A are great but man there is some talent that deserves a chance. Mike Dechaine or Joey Gray give then some experience and see if they can shine.
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Everyone talks about Chip because he is on Bonus Ball and the fight night shows. Now Chip and Joey are great friends, the best of friends, and both shoot amazingly good for being young. However I think Joey is the better player, he is just not as "popular" i guess.
 
Start with SVB and have the others play a tournament with a round robin at the end of it to determine the team.
 
This was "team-tournament" vs. "team-gambler" all the way. Results may have been a bit better for the US team if this tournament were held in a pool hall, with each player putting up their own $1000 per match. And in that environment, some of the behavior we witnessed from our side might be more excusable...

The format of Mosconi cup is more like what the European players see on a regular basis. To me, team USA seemed very out of their element on such a grand stage and in front of a camera.

The modified break rules, alternating break, "short" races to 6 and the shot clock were the same handicap to all players. IMHO, none of that was an issue to the outcome.

The European team was clearly in much better shape, both physically and mentally for this event. Why do so many people in other treads seem to think longer races would have changed the result?
 
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JoeyInCali said:
The Euros are too good.
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Let's face it the Euros are very good! Earl was his usual sharking talking self and it made team USA look bad. I hate to say that, but the truth is the truth. I was one of Earl's biggest fans, but after watching him act like he did in this year's Mosconi cup it just goes to show you that he shouldn't have been picked to play on the US team this year. If you are going to lose at least do it with class.
 
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