Team Europe won the 2022 Mosconi Cup beating the USA 11-7 at Bally’s Las Vegas as Cuetec MVP Joshua Filler sunk the winning balls in the third match of the day to secure the cup for a third straight year.
Going into the final day of play, Europe had a two-point buffer on the USA at 8-6 but that lead was soon cut to one as the World Cup of Pool winning duo of Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and David Alcaide struggled for mojo as the US’s duo of vice-captain Skyler Woodward and world champion Shane Van Boening rallied to an important 5-3 win.
Skyler Woodward｜©Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
Alcaide had struggled with the table conditions and cue ball control in the opener but something seemed to click in his singles action with Woodward in red-hot form and gunning for an MVP crown. Woodward made light work of the early racks to lead 3-1. The turning point came in the next rack with Woodward missing a costly five and Alcaide finding a groove to run through to victory 5-3 and put Europe two away from the title.
The Mosconi Cup rivalry for the ages lived up to all expectations as Jayson Shaw clashed with Shane Van Boening to potentially put Europe on the hill, something he has done previously. Shaw and Van Boening looked nervy for large parts in the rowdy atmosphere in Sin City. Van Boening scratched in the third rack but managed to get back to the table from a Shaw error to be ahead at 2-1. It was the case of whoever settled first would come good and that did prove to be Shaw who did so to lead 4-2 after Van Boening slipped on the six. It was mission complete for Shaw who ran out a 5-3 winner. One away for Team Europe.
Jayson Shaw｜©Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
As it was in 2017 and 2021, it was left up to German superstar Joshua Filler to bring it home and sink the winning balls this time against Tyler Styer for a memorable win in Las Vegas, the first time Team Europe has achieved such a feat since 2017. Styer looked out of it for large parts but could’ve made it hill hill. It looked as if Styer would have a routine run out only to run aground on the eight to leave it in ample range for Filler to step up and seal the Cuetec MVP title and the 2022 Mosconi Cup crown.
Filler said: “I am so overwhelmed right now but let’s go, we did it again! I was so nervous but then I was something in between, relaxed and nervous. It’s amazing to be MVP. It’s incredible. I started always pretty good but this year, yesterday I wasn’t 100% there. Being MVP is great, to win with this team and togetherness is a dream.”
Joshua Filler｜©Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
Captain Lely said: “It was some show. I want to thank the American fans. It was amazing There was a lot of heat. From now to the future, the home-court advantage is massive. Two years from now will be bigger crazier, and more intense than ever. I have a lot of appreciation for how the Americans handled themselves. They put them under a lot of heat. The team is special. It’s a team of champions. Finding a way to get it together with all the egos in sync is quite a challenge but we’ve been working together for a few years. Jayson Shaw as the vice-captain was brilliant.”
The 2023 Nineball Schedule will begin with the 2023 World Pool Championship set to take place from February 1-5. More news is to follow ahead of the next season getting underway in January with Diamond Billiards’ Derby City Classic Nineball Division and the Turning Stone Classic. See more here.
Team USA 7-11 Team Europe
Woodward/Van Boening 5-3 Alcaide/Sanchez Ruiz
Skyler Woodward 3-5 David Alcaide
Shane Van Boening 3-5 Jayson Shaw
©Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
莫斯考尼盃歐洲三連冠 Filler打下致勝9號球再獲MVP稱號
歐洲隊在美國的拉斯維加斯以11-7 擊敗美國隊，贏得了2022年莫斯考尼盃冠軍。約書亞·菲勒打進制勝9號球，第二次加冕MVP，歐洲隊實現莫斯考尼盃三連冠。
莫斯考尼盃比賽進入最後一天，歐洲隊以 8-6 領先美國隊兩分，但雙打世界盃冠軍 Francisco Sanchez Ruiz 和 David Alcaide 的雙打組合卻在開場負于 Skyler Woodward 和 Shane Van Boening 的組合，歐洲隊的領先優勢被縮小到一分。但作為美國隊副隊長的 Woodward 和世界冠軍 SVB 卻在單打中以兩個3-5分別輸給了歐洲隊的 David Alcaide 和 Jayson Shaw。
SVB｜©Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
Alcaide 在首場雙打比賽中一直受困於對球桌的適應和母球的走位不准，但在他與 Woodward 的單打比賽中，他的表現似乎有所改變，使得他成為MVP的有力競爭者。Woodward 在比賽之初輕鬆得分並以3-1領先，轉捩點出現在第五局，Woodward 打丟5號球從而給 Alcaide 留下機會。Alcaide 憑藉第五局的取勝，乘勝追擊最終以5-3獲勝，再次在大比分上讓歐洲隊領先美國隊兩分。
莫斯科尼盃多年來的競爭對手 Jayson Shaw 和 Shane Van Boening 之間不負所望打出了一場火花四濺的比賽，期間一度讓歐洲隊十分被動。在拉斯維加斯攢動的觀眾群中，Shaw 和 SVB 都顯得有些緊張。SVB 在第三局開球後沒有下球，但他設法憑藉 Shaw 的失誤又回到了檯面上並以2-1領先。可以說，誰最先從緊張氣氛中平靜下來誰就有可能取得勝利，事實證明是 Shaw 接手 SVB 在六局的失誤後以 4-2 領先。最終 Shaw 以 5-3 戰勝 SVB，完成了得分任務，歐洲隊以10-7拿到冠軍點。
David Alcaide｜©Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
與 2017 年和 2021 年的情形一樣，這次依舊是德國名將 Joshua Filler 擊敗 Tyler Styer，打進制勝球並兌現了冠軍點。Styer 想要挽救主場作戰的美國隊於水火卻似乎在關鍵時刻掉鏈子，他在第八局中於袋口8號球上的重大失誤將球權拱手讓於 Filler。Filler 頂住壓力將8號球和9號球打進，兌現了冠軍點並為自己贏得了賽事MVP。
賽後 Filler 說：“我現在有些手足無措，但慶祝吧，我們又做到了一次！我很緊張，但後來我開始將心態調整到介於兩者之間，既放鬆又緊張。成為 MVP 真是太棒了。這太不可思議了。我開始總是表現的很好，但在今年，昨天我的狀態不是 100% 的好。成為 MVP 很棒，與這支團隊一起獲勝，團結一致協力拿下冠軍簡直如夢似幻。”
Filler and Lely｜©Taka G Wu/Matchroom Multi Sport
歐洲隊隊 Alex Lely 說：“這是一屆精彩的比賽。我要感謝美國球迷。這裡太棒了，現場人頭攢動、呼聲滿天。每一年都比前一年更熱鬧一些，美國隊的主場優勢是巨大的。我相信兩年後的美國主場會更大也更瘋狂，而且競爭會比以往任何時候都更加激烈。我非常欣賞美國隊控制比賽的方式，他們給我們帶來了很大的壓力。我們的團隊很特別，這是一支冠軍隊伍。想方設法讓所有的人團結起來從而實現團隊同步協調是一個非常大的挑戰，但好在我們已經有了幾年的合作經驗。作為副隊長的 Jayson Shaw 表現的非常出色。”
2023年9號球賽程將以2月1日至5日舉行的2023年9號球世錦賽作為揭幕戰。明年1月份將舉辦德比城經典賽和旋石經典賽，更多的比賽消息將在下個賽季開始之前陸續發佈。