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Schmidt Rounds Out Team USA for Upcoming Mosconi Cup
Nov 15, 2006, 9:12 AM

Matchroom Sport has announced the final two players to make up the teams for the 2006 PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup, set to take place Dec. 7-10 in Rotterdam, Holland.

The reigning U.S. Open champion John Schmidt will join Team USA, and Spain’s David Alcaide will round out the European roster.

The annual USA vs. Europe 9-ball clash promises to be as tightly contested as ever. The Americans are the defending champions, and Team Europe is hungry for redemption after a few bitter defeats.

Schmidt, the 33-year-old from Hesperia, Calif., broke clear of the pack in October with a fabulous run at the U.S. 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, 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.

“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," said Barry Hearn, Chairman of promoters Matchroom Sport.

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 in favor of the Americans.

Visit www.mosconicup.com for the most up-to-date information.