TEAM USA will enter the 2014 PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup with MARK WILSON captaining the side. The 58 year-old from Illinois will be taking full charge of every aspect of the team, including selection, over the months leading up to the event and is charged with changing America's declining fortunes in the transatlantic team tussle.
This year the Mosconi Cup takes place from Monday 1st to Thursday 4th December at the Tower Circus in Blackpool in North West England. With the Americans having been on the wrong end of a series of defeats, Wilson will need all his guile, experience, tactical nous and man management skills to turn things around.
As a player, the highlight of Wilson's career was when he represented the USA in the inaugural Mosconi Cup in 1994 and had the honour of pocketing the final 9 ball to give America a 16-12 victory.
Now based in St Louis, Wilson has always worked within the game, providing commentary and analysis for televised pool matches, giving instructional clinics, and he has recently written a well-received instructional book.
In addition he is currently the head coach of the highly-rated Lindenwood University Billiards programme in St Charles, Missouri.
"Pool has been my entire adult life and today I feel very honored and humbled to be named captain of the 2014 U.S. Mosconi Cup Team," said Wilson.
"I am very happy for the opportunity to return to this historic event which holds much more excitement and electricity than any other pool competition.
"The first year that I was a team member we were all shocked at the level of professionalism regarding the staging and presentation.
"We all banded together to emerge victorious and it is still a source of immense pride.
Today plans are already underway for the US team winning the Cup this December in Blackpool."
Wilson will be looking to recruit a larger squad of players in the very near future, with regular get-togethers over the coming months. Then, nearer the time of the tournament, he will reduce that down to the five players to travel to the UK for the Mosconi Cup.
He continued, "Interviews of potential team members that would love a chance to be part of something great, go after the biggest prize, and compete at the highest level have already begun.
"The time has come to present added professionalism in every facet of the sport, playing performance, attitude, and leadership. We will prepare like never before, we are looking forward and very inspired to meeting this competitive challenge.
"Trust will be an important theme this year; trust between the coach and players and between the players themselves. More importantly, we are going earn the trust of American pool fans everywhere, and united we can achieve our goal of winning again and making the sport shine.
"I am taking this very seriously indeed and this is all about the about the team and the future of the sport. Hopefully the entire U.S. billiards community will all rally together and not rest until we once again flourish on the world stage as the ultimate victory."
The 2014 PARTYPOKER.COM Mosconi Cup is sponsored by PartyPoker.com, the world's leading online poker site. The Official Table of the Mosconi Cup is supplied by Diamond Billiards, the cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith by Saluc.
Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport: luke.riches@matchroom.com
Notes: Matchroom Sport are one of the world's leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,000 hours of original programming across a range of sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the Mosconi Cup is one of a stable of pool events that include the World Cup of Pool and the World Pool Masters.