WITH THE 2018 Mosconi Cup now six months away, the initial group of 14 American players has been announced. The 16 will attend a series of team get-togethers, training camps and tournaments as they work towards victory at the 25th annual partypoker Mosconi Cup which takes place at Alexandra Palace, London this December 4-7.

Of the 16 players named, over half of them have previous Mosconi Cup experience with Corey Deuel at ten appearances being the most seasoned. There are six players in the squad who have yet to taste the fiery atmosphere of the event. The final team of five will be announced at the end of October.

The players are:

1. Corey Deuel (10)

2. Dennis Hatch (5)

3. Skyler Woodward (3)

4. Justin Bergman (3)

5. Oscar Dominquez (2)

6. Billy Thorpe (1)

7. Brandon Shuff (1)

8. Justin Hall (1)

9. Donny Mills

10. Josh Roberts

11. Mitchell Ellerman

12. Chip Compton

13. Chris Robinson

14. Tyler Styer

15. Shane McMinn

16. Robb Saez

(Number of previous Mosconi Cup appearances in brackets)

Commented Ruijsink, “Myself and Jeremy have chosen a big group to start with because we want to have options. We know what we are looking for in a player that represents the United States in the Mosconi Cup; professionalism, maximum commitment and focus, and a good team-spirited mentality.

“Because of the heavy loss last year, every player starts at zero, blank. Credits don’t come from an 11-4 loss, so every player in this group has an equal chance to show his skills and abilities.

“We will have to see which players will actually show the motivation and discipline to do the work and which players will be able to handle the pressure best to make sure they perform to the best of their abilities in London.

“It will be a tough but rewarding journey to get there, but myself and Jeremy are looking forward to it and will be doing everything in our power to make this successful.”

From early July, there will be a series of training camps and team gatherings mainly in the USA but with a trip to Russia to compete in the star-studded Kremlin Cup, as well as play a Mosconi Cup-style match against a team of local aces.

Most of the USA-based gatherings will be centred around tournaments while the team travel to Europe for the Cup on the 20th November to include the final boot camp in Holland and then a team match against the UK’s finest before the Mosconi Cup breaks off on Tuesday 4th December.

Tickets for Mosconi Cup XXV are on sale now priced from £25 per session, with season tickets available priced £90. Premium seating in rows 4-7 is available at £49 per session or £175 for a season ticket, with VIP Hospitality packages from £155 per person per session with a season ticket priced at £549.

2018 Mosconi Cup is sponsored by Rasson Billiards who supplies the Official Table; the cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith by Saluc. Predator is the Official Cue of the event and Ultimate Team Gear provide all Mosconi Cup apparel. APA are the Official Team Sponsor of Team USA.