Matchroom Sport can announce the final two players to make up the teams for the 2006 PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup which takes place at the Cruise Terminal, Rotterdam, Holland from December 7 – 10.
They are reigning US Open Champion John Schmidt for Team America and Spain's David Alcaide for the Europeans.
With the event set to start a little over three weeks away, the annual USA v Europe 9 ball clash promises to be as tightly contested as ever. The Americans are defending champions but following some bitter defeats over the past few years, it is make-or-break time for Team Europe.
Schmidt, the 33 year-old from Hesperia, California, broke clear of the pack in October with a fabulous run at the US Open that culminated in an 11-6 win over Rodolfo Luat for the title. He now becomes the second debutant in the American side after Mike Davis.
Alcaide, the 28 year old from Malaga, Southern Spain had a good run at the recent Philippines World Pool Championship reaching the last 16. He joins Imran Majid as the second newcomer on the European team.
Barry Hearn, Chairman of promoters Matchroom Sport, said “Good luck to John and David. They've earned it and I'm sure both of them will cope with the pressure of the Mosconi Cup.
“They've both got a lot of experience in their respective sides so hopefully they can draw on that when the going gets tough.”
The teams are:
USA
Johnny Archer (Georgia)
Rodney Morris (Hawaii)
Earl Strickland (North Carolina)
Mike Davis (Maryland)
Corey Deuel (Ohio)
John Schmidt (California)
EUROPE
Mika Immonen (Finland)
Imran Majid (England)
Ralf Souquet (Germany)
Thomas Engert (Germany)
Nick van den Berg (Holland)
David Alcaide (Spain)
This is the 13th running of pool's answer to the Ryder Cup and the current score stands at 10 – 2 to the Americans.
The official sponsors of the 2006 PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup are Brunswick Tables, Simonis Cloth, Super Aramith Pro Balls and Predator Cues.
The event's official website is www.mosconicup.com
