Mosconi Cup 2025 Preview: Will Europe Retain the Title
The Blue Machine Rolls Into December
Every December, Team USA walks into the arena like college freshmen stepping into an organic chemistry final — hopeful, nervous, and wildly unprepared for what’s about to hit them.
Waiting on the other side?
Team Europe.
Five men.
One purpose.
Infinite trauma.
Europe hasn’t just dominated the Mosconi Cup — they’ve turned it into a generational tradition, like Christmas markets or pretending warm beer is charming. They’ve won 14 of the last 16, many of them in ways that would qualify as cruel and unusual punishment in 47 states.
And this year’s roster?
Oh boy. This is less a lineup and more a Bond-villain henchman roll call.
Let’s meet them…
Joshua Filler — The Human Laser Pointer
If enthusiasm, caffeine, and German engineering had a baby, it would be Josh Filler.
Nobody plays faster.
Nobody plays looser.
Nobody plays more like a guy whose bloodstream is 80% Red Bull and bad decisions.
He is chaos in its purest form — and yet somehow also the best player on Earth when he hits that anime power-up mode. There’s some baggage with Filler. After initially joining a protest of the WPA, he played in the WPA World 8 Ball Championship, breaking the boycott and leading to his removal from Europe’s Reyes Cup squad. Are bygones bygones, or will he be a distraction? Time will tell, but one thing beyond doubt is that when he’s on his game, it’s poetry on a pool table.
Why the U.S. Should Lose Sleep:
Most explosive offensive game in the sport
Mosconi Cup veteran with icewater DNA
Turns pressure into confetti
Possible Weakness:
Occasionally forgets that he is mortal. Yeah. In other words, there aren’t any. He doesn’t always play his best. Nobody does. But even off his game, he’s a handful, and he can turn it on at any time.
If he shows up locked in, Europe might not just win — they might win early.
Jayson Shaw — Pool’s Patron Saint of Madness
Shaw is the most fun player on Earth when he’s on, and the most terrifying when he’s off. Either way, popcorn is advised.
He talks.
He chirps.
He preens.
He plays to the crowd like a WWE villain cutting a promo.
And here's the thing: he feeds off the noise. Shaw in a silent room is a sports car in neutral. He appears to go through the motions. He makes mistakes uncharacteristic of a player at his level. His body language is crap. You’re left asking yourself, THIS guy is a Mosconi Cup captain? But Shaw in a Mosconi arena is a 747 at takeoff thrust. While other players might falter under the spotlight, he doesn’t just feed off of it. He consumes it and turns it into jet fuel. It’s something to behold.
Why Europe Loves Him:
Emotional spark plug
World-class ball potting
Clutch gene the size of a Viking axe
Why He Scares His Own Team:
Will attempt shots no sober person would (which makes him decidedly our kind of guy)
Occasionally tries to win the Pointless Heroism Trophy
But make no mistake: Shaw has buried Team USA more times than we can count. The pool community is generally a fraternal one where everyone gets along well, regardless of where they’re from. But this isn’t a community event. This is for more than money. This is for pride. And the U.S. doesn’t want this smoke.
Pijus Labutis — The Silent Sniper
Lithuania’s finest export not named Šarūnas Jasikevičius.
Labutis is quiet. Methodical. Always looks like he’s calculating tax deductions mid-match. But beneath that unassuming exterior is a monster of a player. Fresh off his first major title at the Hanoi Open, he’s also in top form.
He doesn’t rush.
He doesn’t tilt.
He doesn’t even breathe loudly.
And his shotmaking? Pure. Cold. Surgical. He’s also new to the Mosconi stage, potentially the only ding in his armor.
Why He’s Dangerous:
Emotionally stable (unlike Shaw)
Flawless positional play
Underrated safety game
Weakness:
Experience. There isn’t a thing Labutis can’t do on the table, but he’ll never have played in the raucous environment of a home Mosconi crowd. Golf, it will not be, Yoda would say. Or something like that anyway.
Labutis is Europe’s ultimate wild card. If he folds under pressure, they’ll be fighting an uphill battle. If he rises to the occasion, just engrave their names on the trophy now.
David Alcaide — The Old Assassin
If Europe has a master tactician, it’s Alcaide.
He’s the veteran.
The grandmaster.
The man who’s forgotten more about pattern play than most pros have ever known.
Alcaide’s game isn’t flashy. It’s correct. Every shot choice is what your coach would want you to do — if your coach had 30 years of international hardware and ice in his veins. He’s also in a neck-and-neck race with countryman Franciso Sanchez Ruiz (surprisingly on this year’s squad) for the nicest guy in the sport. No, really. He’s genuinely a peach of a human. That might not have much of an impact on match outcomes… or maybe it’s just slightly more difficult to beat someone who you’d rather hug than punch.
Strengths:
Industry-leading cue-ball control - he almost never breaks pattern
Brilliant in pressure moments
Outstanding doubles player who can mold his approach to suit his partner
Weakness:
Shot-making. Really. Of the ten competitors in this year’s Mosconi Cup, his ball potting is the least reliable. It’s still excellent, but he’s the most likely to miss something you wouldn’t expect.
Lowest floor. Anyone can play poorly on any given day, but when he’s off he can be way off.
All of this said, he’s unflappable. If you need someone to close a hill-hill match with the weight of a continent watching? David’s your guy.
Moritz Neuhausen — The German Prodigy
Moritz is the future. He’s also the current. Don’t let his youth fool you. Like Labutis, Neuhausen also bagged his first Matchroom major in 2025 and his confidence is at an all-time high.
He's young, fearless, mechanically flawless, and climbing the rankings like he’s trying to sprint up an escalator.
When other players experience pressure, their cue action stiffens. Their breathing becomes irregular. They second guess.
When Neuhausen experiences pressure, he becomes scarier. Like he drinks the adrenaline and metabolizes it into perfect cue-ball paths. He’s Europe’s closest facsimile to the U.S.’ Gorst - capable of unfathomable magic from impossible positions.
Why He’s Terrifying:
He’s an executioner. If he gets a lead, it’s not being given back
Momentum. If this feels like a copout, it might be. But nobody is hotter
Immaculate fundamentals. There’s no place too awkward for him to escape from
Possible Weakness:
Youthful inexperience…You can also argue that the lack of scars works in his favor, but for now we’ll stick with there being no substitute for having been there
Aggression. There’s no shot he can’t make, so he attempts them all, even when a safety might be the more prudent play
Doubles. There’s limited material to work with here but he didn’t look great in Reyes Cup partner play
Bold prediction, Neuhausen will be the breakout MVP if this thing goes Europe’s way again.
Close: Europe Isn’t a Team — It’s an Institution
This roster isn’t a lineup of five players.
It’s a pipeline. A dynasty. A multi-decade physics experiment designed to torment American pool fans.
USA rolls in hoping for a puncher’s chance. Europe rolls in expecting victory — because why wouldn’t they?
They have:
The superstar (Filler)
The emotional catalyst (Shaw)
The tactical general (Alcaide)
The silent killer (Labutis)
The prodigy (Neuhausen)
It doesn’t really seem fair… but then again, it’s not supposed to be.
Torsten / 120 Proof Ball
Proof that the internet was a mistake.
