The 2013 Mosconi Cup was hyped up in the months and weeks before the tournament started. The United States had selected their top players, bringing back the fiery Earl Strickland, veteran team captain Johnny Archer, top US players Shane Van Boening, Dennis Hatch, Rodney Morris, and even the legendary, Buddy "The Rifleman" Hall as a non-playing co-Captain. The all-star team was set...and they went down in the worst loss ever. The previous worst loss by Team USA was 11-5 in 2008.
So what went wrong? You just about could not put together a more veteran team of professional pool players. Each of the Team USA players are some of the best in the world. Billiards Digest has an extensive article in the January 2014 issue which discusses in length the differences in Team Europe and Team USA's approach to the 2013 Mosconi Cup. This, I feel, made the difference.
Team Europe were a cohesive team. The team Captain, Johan Ruijsink, didn't play. He was there to coach. He communicated with his team months before the tournament. They collectively discussed the tournament. They arrived together several days before the tournament. They ate together. They practiced together...get the picture here?
Now let's look at Team USA. Johnny Archer, arguably one of the best players in the US and a veteran of the Mosconi Cup tournament (16 consecutive appearances) was again team Captain. But the difference being Johnny was also playing in the tournament and he's a pool player, not a coach. Then there are the other players...Dennis Hatch, Shane Van Boening, who appears to be a pretty nice guy, but does seem to have an air of arrogance (just my opinion here, folks), and we all know the reputation of Earl Strickland. Lastly, there is Buddy Hall. I've watched some interviews online and he appears to be a super nice guy. He's obviously a great pool player, probably one of the best ever. Here's a quote from the Billiards Digest article by Buddy Hall when asked what he would tell the Team USA players, "I'm not going to say much. I'm here if they need me." It sounded like he wasn't even utilized. Johnny Archer was reported to say that he, "couldn't speak to his players in any authoritative way as a captain, because they were all champions just like he is." Team USA was doomed before the tournament even started.
How can Team USA solve this problem? It needs to start now and I believe the first step in the solution is a team coach. No offense to Johnny Archer, but the team Captain needs to be a non-playing, motivational coach. This coach needs to be determined...not a few months before the tournament...now. This coach needs to find a way to bring 5 of the top professional pool players together as a team. The second and more difficult step is the team itself. Who is going to play? AZBilliards.com has a list of the all-time career money earners, since, at least in my mind, more money equals more tournament wins, so just for fun let's pick the team based on the top career money list. We would have Johnny Archer, Shane Van Boening, Rodney Morris, Corey Deuel, and Earl Strickland...wait, what? Except for Corey Deuel, this was the 2013 team!!!!!
Is this the best way to pick the team? Who else is there? Continuing down the career money list let's throw some more names out there. Charlie Williams, John Schmidt, Jeremy Jones, Mike Davis, Gabe Owen, Shannon Daulton, Tony Robles, Mike Dechaine. I skipped a few that I'm not sure how well they play and after these names the players I'm familiar with start to rapidly dwindle. The US has a talent problem. There are a lot of great players in the US, but at Mosconi Cup level? Probably not. The talent is pretty vast in Europe and Asia since they have more tournaments and a more structured pool world.
The article from Billiards Digest quotes Barry Hearn, promoter for the Mosconi Cup tournament, as saying, "There's no leadership in American pool. Someone has to come up to the plate and figure out how to improve the lot. American pool is too centered on individual needs."
Team USA needs help and needs help fast.
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