Questioned for fielding its “B team,” Team Europe responded with a solid performance in winning the Mosconi Cup in front of raucous American crowd.

By Keith Paradise
Photos by Taka Wu

Shortly after the inaugural Reyes Cup concluded in Manila two months earlier, Jayson Shaw stepped away and took in what had just happened.

His Team Europe squad was on the losing end of a decisive 11-6 defeat at the hand of the Team Asia and he had started hearing criticism of the Europeans' performance. The squad featured rookie Mickey Krause and conspicuously did not list Germany's Joshua Filler on the roster, having been removed by promoter Matchroom Pool from the event due to “contractual concerns and team integrity” issues. People on social media had begun referring to the squad as Europe's “B team,” and Shaw, who would be assuming the role of playing captain at the Mosconi Cup had heard about enough.

He got on the phone and started calling his teammates. He spoke to Eklent Kaci, runner-up at the World Pool Championship, and told him to get ready on the practice table. When he saw him a few weeks later, he was impressed by what he was observing.

“He got to the International Open and he was playing well,” said Shaw, who is never one to hold back his thoughts. “He looked like he had lost a little bit of weight so that was a good sign. It meant that he was doing something and not just sitting back and spending all the money that he's won.”

Shaw then called David Alcaide and Krause, who had earned a spot on this year's European team as a rookie when he won the European Open, and gave them a similar pep talk.

When Francisco Sanchez Ruiz was selected as the fifth and final member of the team, Shaw again called David, who coincidentally had his close friend and fellow Spaniard at his home at the time.




In the days leading up to this year's Mosconi Cup, the squad got together and got to work, spending nine days practicing for about 10 hours a day. They trained in doubles pairings to simulate the event's format, with Shaw using the old trick of putting silicon on the balls to make them extra slippery, similar to the balls would behave on a table with new cloth on it inside of the arena.

“It was about getting them together and getting them in the right frame of mind, doing the right things and playing in the same conditions that were going to be out there,” said Shaw.

The practice paid off, with Europe winning its fifth consecutive Mosconi Cup last month in front of a passionately partisan crowd at Orlando's Caribe Royale Resort, 11-6. The event was closer than the final score suggested and was without a doubt more competitive than the previous year's 11-3 blitzing across the pond at Alexandra Palace in London.

“I'm super proud and really excited and I couldn't have done it without these guys,” said Shaw after the event.

The doubles play would be pivotal for the Europeans, who won five of the six matches contested during the event.

As the European squad feasted on the fruits of its labor and Shaw's singular focus throughout the four-day, five-man team event, the American team couldn't buy a break — or at minimum, find one that worked effectively. Each time that the United States squad clawed its way into position to either steal a match in the race-to-five, alternate break format, a player would either scratch on the break or fail to land a shot and be forced to engage in a safety exchange.

“We played a lot better than we did last year,” said reigning U.S. Open and World Pool Champion Fedor Gorst, who was being counted on to be Team USA's ace. “I don't feel like the score reflects how close it was and a lot of matches could have gone the other way. A lot of breaks went funny.”

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Day One

One of the biggest changes at this year's rendition of the Cup was the venue, with the event relocated from the Las Vegas Strip for the first time since promoter Matchroom started alternating between the U.S. and England in 2003. With Vegas recently acquiring a Formula One race, scheduling for Mosconi Cup and other niche events became complicated and the decision was made to move the event to Orlando. Nestled about a 10-minute drive from Walt Disney World, the resort became the first east coast site for the Cup, and American pool fans responded with enthusiasm, gobbling up all available tickets in a matter of days.

“I think we have actually created a brand now,” said Emily Frazer, CEO of Matchroom Multi Sport. “It doesn't matter where the Mosconi Cup goes, the tickets will sell out and the arena will be full, purely on the brand and the event that we've created.”

The result was a heavily pro-American crowd of 2,500, with only a smattering of European spectators sprinkled in. The layout resembled a college football game of the Southeastern Conference, with the entire arena bowl being packed with face-painted, costumed, sign-waving Americans while one small section of visiting fans — the smallest support group that the Europeans have seen possibly ever on American soil at the Mosconi Cup — sat meekly in a corner.

They mocked David Alcaide's age. They heckled Alcaide fellow countryman Francisco Sanchez Ruiz in both English and Spanish. They blasted Kaci for how he wore his shirt. They mercilessly razzed the 23-year-old Krause of Holland for being young and nervous. And, for Shaw, they yelled any damned thing they wanted. When asked what the most memorable heckles of the event were for him, nearly all of them were unsuitable for print.

“Some of the things they're yelling are funny,” said Shaw. “Some of it is a bit over the top but it's the same way in London. If they sit there in silence, it is worse for me.”

The European team showed little signs of being intimidated by the crowd, jumping out to an early 2-0 advantage in the opening five-on-five match of the Cup and cruising to a 5-1 win.

Thorpe and Woodward then opened doubles play, taking on Alcaide and Shaw, who jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage. The Americans missed several opportunities to keep the match close, with Shaw and Alcaide coasting to a 5-2 in, giving the Euros an early 2-0 lead.

With America now trailing 2-0 in a race-to-11, there was a bit of a rumbling in the crowd with concerns if this would be another European domination. The team turned to Tyler Styer, who faced Krause in the first singles match of the event.

Krause looked to be in good position to win the opening rack but missed the 8 ball in the corner pocket, allowing the American to clear the table and give the team its first lead in a match. Despite the crowd's efforts to rattle the rookie, Krause fought back to gain leads of 2-1 and 3-2. But fouls in consecutive racks allowed Styer to seize control and tally Team USA's first point with a 5-3 win.

“We had some weird-looking run outs,” Styer said after the first day of play. “In the beginning of the match it was a little scrappy, but you have to keep grinding.”

“I wanted to get him out there and get his feet wet,” said Shaw. “To me, it was a free game. He didn't perform his best but I'm happy with how the team played.”

With Gorst and all-time Mosconi Cup appearance leader Shane Van Boening facing Kaci and Sanchez Ruiz in the fourth match of the day, the Americans appeared to be in good shape to tie the match. But the Euros rolled to a comfortable 5-2 win and a 3-1 overall lead.

Now trailing 3-1, the U.S. looked to team captain Woodward to stop the bleeding in a singles match against Kaci, who fans were imploring to tuck in his shirt. The two-time World 10-Ball champion pounced early, taking advantage of a missed combination shot by Woodward and a break and run to build an early 2-0 lead. The American responded winning three straight games to take the lead. Woodward cleared the table again in the sixth rack when the Albanian scratched on the break, then put an exclamation point on the comeback, breaking and running to secure a 5-2 win and cut the deficit to 3-2.


Team USA, led by captain Skyler Woodward, had the pro-U.S. crowd on its feet.

It felt like the Americans had dodged a bullet on the day.

“That's the goal, to win the day's session, right,” said Shaw. “You win every session, you're going to win. It could have been 4-1 or even 5-0. We knew Tyler and Mickey would be tight and they may not play their best.”

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Day Two

In an effort to liven up the tournament's format, Matchroom had the two five-man teams face off against each other in the opening match of the day, just as they had done to open the Cup the day before.

Leading by a match to start the day, the Europeans seized an early 2-0 lead, but the Yanks battle back to tie the score.

The fifth rack, with Krause facing Billy Thorpe, a surprise wildcard selection and the emotional leader of Team USA, offered a sense of what the 2025 Mosconi Cup crowd was waiting for.

Krause broke and played a safety that tucked the 2 ball near the corner pocket. Seeing a path to the object ball, Thorpe kicked the cue ball two rails and pocketed the 2, causing a roar from the crowd. The Ohio-bred banks master then banked in the 3 ball, sending the crowd into euphoria.

“My blood was pumping so much after I made the 3 ball that I got a little bit funny on the 5 ball,” said Thorpe. “The table is so touchy. It's not like what we are used to playing on all year.”

Still, Thorpe managed to the rack to give the United States team a 3-2 lead. As if by design, Thorpe's rack win ignited his teammates, who captured the following two racks for a 5-1 team lead, knotting the overall score at 3-3.

Up next was a singles battle between Gortst and growing Mosconi legend Shaw, who built an early 2-0 lead. Gorst grabbed a game back and then pushed out after the ensuing break. Shaw returned to the table to mull over his options. As he settled into his stance over the cue ball, an American fan yelled out a question.

“Have you ever been on Joe Rogan, Jayson?” said the spectator, a clear jab at Gorst's interview on the popular podcast two years ago.

Unaffected, Shaw banked the 2 ball, which sent the cue ball down table and into the 9 ball, which dropped into the corner pocket.

“I should be!” Shaw yelled back to the fan.

Shaw added another game to build a 4-1 lead when Gorst missed a jump shot, then traded breaks and runs with Gorst to seal the victory, 5-2, and give Europe a 4-3 lead.

“I don't care what happens,” said Shaw after the match. “You can shout whatever and I just play better.”

The crowd would have more opportunities to yell at Shaw in the next match, as he teamed up with Krause to take on Thorpe and Styer, who ran out in the opening rack after Shaw failed to land a jump shot. With Shaw offering coaching and encouragement, the European duo responded, winning three straight games and appeared poised to take a commanding 4-1 lead until Shaw missed an 8 ball, much to the delight of the crowd. The Americans cut the lead to 3-2, then tied the score when Krause scratched attempting to play a safety in the following game.


Team USA (top) stayed energized, while rookie Krause (above, right) felt the heat.

While the match went to a commercial break, the U.S. team started talking breaking strategy, analyzing which direction the 1 ball had been tracking and other variables.

Thorpe wasn't interested in any of it.

“Boys, I'm just going to go back to how I hit it,” said Thorpe.

When play resumed, Thorpe cut loose with a break that sent the 9 ball into the side pocket and sent a charge of electricity through the crowd. Shaw and Krause tied the score with a break and run but the Americans capitalized on a misplayed safety by Krause in the deciding rack to secure a 5-4 victory and again tie the score, 4-4.

“We just took our opportunities and took advantage of them,” Thorpe said. “The 9 on the break definitely helped.”

The fourth match of the day paired former World Pool champions Van Boening against Sanchez Ruiz. Despite American fans trying to will their hero and newly minted Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer to a critical win, Sanchez Ruiz controlled the match from the start, winning three consecutive games to secure the match, 5-1, as Europe regained the lead 5-4.

“I felt really good,” said Sanchez Ruiz. “I feel like that match gave me a lot of confidence. Playing against Shane Van Boening in the Mosconi Cup in America, I don't think you can feel more pressure than that, but I think it handled it well.”

Still, the Americans would have a chance to send the Mosconi Cup into Day Three knotted at 5-5 with a win in the concluding match, a doubles contest pitting the high-octane pairing of Gorst and Woodward against Kaci and Alcaide.

The Americans secured the first game when Kaci — who the crowd was now yelling at to untuck his jersey — missed a jump shot. After Alcaide broke and ran to tie the score, the pairings split the next four games to keep the score deadlocked, 3-3. Gorst and Woodward reached the hill first thanks to an Alcaide scratch, and had another opportunity to steal the match when the Spaniard missed the 6 ball in the corner pocket. Woodward made the ball into the side pocket but the cue ball gripped the cloth a bit more than he expected and it didn't roll down far enough down for Gorst to have a solid look at the 7 ball. He made the shot but bumped the 8 ball out of position in the process. After traded safes, Gorst was left with a long cut down the rail but missed, allowing Kaci and Alcaide to tie the match.

“Obviously when you're out there, you don't have a whole lot of time to think,” said Woodward, as he re-evaluated other available options on the remaining two balls. “The last shot Fedor missed down the rail, he had to shoot. There's not really a good safe there. I mean, you can lag the ball to the rail but why give them the opportunity?”


As expected, Woodward led the charge on the table (and with the crowd) in Orlando.

Still, with Gorst at the table with the break in the deciding rack, the Americans were positioned to clinch the match, win the day and head into the third day of play tied. That was, at least, until he broke the balls and watched the cue ball bounce off of two rails and into the side pocket. The Europeans used ball-in-hand to run out the rack and secure the match themselves, building a 6-4 lead in the process.

“He broke dead perfect and the cue ball goes two rails clean straight in the side and the balls were wide open,” said Woodward. “It's been good though. I think the team is still in good spirits and we are still fighting.”

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Day Three

The previous day's final loss still lingered in the air when the two squads met Monday afternoon for another opening round five-on-five match, in which Europe won the first rack in when Shaw fluked in the 9 ball on a carom shot then ran over to the wedge of European fans to celebrate. With a two-point lead in a race-to-11, this small contingent of spectators were beginning to make themselves heard, belting out the familiar and drawn out, “Euuuuurooope!”

Americans responded by yelling back, “Suuuuuucks!”

Team USA got on the board in the next rack when Sanchez Ruiz missed, and after splitting the next four games to keep the score tied, the Americans took the lead when Sanchez Ruiz scratched on the break. They closed out the set when Gorst won a safety exchange over Kaci to secure a 5-3 victory and trim Europe's lead to 6-5.

With Van Boening and Woodward meeting Sanchez Ruiz and Krause, the Americans look poised to once again tie the match. Krause had by far been the shakiest player in the event and the crowd knew it, relentlessly heckling and cat-calling him when he was at the table. Regardless, captain Shaw had paired the two in the Reyes Cup, saw that they had good chemistry and thought the combination could be successful again.

“Overall, their performance was pretty decent,” said Shaw. “We had a little chat last night and they were happy to go again because they were comfortable with each other. I just let them do their thing. I didn't even go out there. I'd rather they zone in on the table and do what they need to do.”

The audience wouldn't get many opportunities to attempt to rattle Krause, as the two Europeans played flawlessly while the Americans could not break effectively. After splitting the first two games, Krause and Sanchez Ruiz took the lead when Woodward scratched on the break. After the two broke and ran to build a 3-1 lead, they again found themselves at the table when Van Boening couldn't pocket a ball on the break in the following game. The European duo used another break-and-run to secure a 5-1 win which pushed the team's advantage to 7-5.


Sanchez Ruiz was unbeaten in two doubles matches and two singles matches.

“We just tried to play our game,” said Sanchez Ruiz. “He knows how to play so I didn't have to talk so much. But I think we had a good run. We both broke well so I think it was a good match.”

“That was a massive point because they were huge underdogs in that one,” said Kaci. Next up was the other Spaniard, Alcaide, who met Thorpe, who jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when the European missed a 7 ball. Alcaide responded by winning three straight, breaking and running twice while also taking advantage of a misplayed safety. Thorpe, who had been gaining confidence and composure as the event went on, won a safety exchange in the fifth rack then pocketed a combination on the 9 ball to tie the match, 3-3, reigniting the crowd.

Thorpe, who was now at the table with a chance to regain the lead, broke and watched the cue ball glance off of the 1 ball, charge towards one corner pocket then pinball across table into the opposite corner pocket. Alcaide ran out to take a 4-3 lead, then used a safety on the 2 ball to close out the match, 5-3.

Suddenly, a day that looked optimistic for the Americans had turned sour, with the Europeans now leading 8-5 and needing only three more points for to retain the Cup. Shaw and Kaci met up with Gorst and Styer, who used two missed shots and a break-and-run to win three of the first four games to build an early 3-1 lead in what had become a must-win match. After Kaci missed the 3 ball in the following game — leaving the ball in the jaws of the corner pocket — Styer jacked up the butt end of his cue and tried to make the ball and draw the cue ball back down table for position on the 4 ball. He missed wildly, handing the Europeans an opening which they climbed through and cut the lead to 3-2. When the Americans had the break in the next game and a chance to hold serve and increase their lead back to two racks, Gorst broke and watched the cue ball get kicked down table into the corner pocket, handing Kaci and Shaw an open table. As they worked their way through the balls, the crowd tried a different approach on the two-time World 10-Ball champion.

“I love you, Kaci,” yelled a woman in the crowd as he crouched down to shoot the 5 ball, which he then made.

“I hate you, Kaci,” yelled someone else in the crowd.

Love or hate aside, the tandem ran out the rack to tie the set. As Kaci prepared to break the balls in the seventh game, a man in the crowd yelled out that he broke like, well, a part of a female's anatomy. The Albanian promptly broke and made the 9 ball on the break, causing Shaw to jump up and flex his muscle at the heckling fan.

The energy in the hall at Caribe had taken a stale turn. A crowd that had treated the first two days of the tournament like it was the Florida versus Florida State football game that had also taken place that weekend was now struggling to put together a decent “U.S.A.!” chant.

The Americans had a chance to tie the score in the next game but missed the 3 ball and lost a safety exchange on the 4 ball, as Europe closed out the match, 5-3, and build a commanding 9-5 lead.

“I'm a lot more relaxed than I was the first two days,” said Shaw after the day. “I'm just happy with the guy's performance.”

Despite the disastrous day, captain Woodward was unwavering in his optimism in the post-round press conference.


Shaw talked the talk and walked the walk all the way to the Cup's MVP trophy.

“They're getting more shots after the break than we are,” said Woodward after the day concluded. “It's how pool goes sometimes, you just never know. I feel like my lineup has been way better than theirs but five matches I feel like I'm the favorite to get points and we lost all of them. It's all singles tomorrow and tomorrow is going to be a big day.”

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Day Four

Opening the final day of play down by four points, Team USA was in need of making a move — and fast. With the final day reduced to only singles matches, Woodward and Shaw faced off. Shaw looked to dash any American hopes, and he got a lot of help from Woodward, who failed to pocket a ball on the break in the second game, scratched in the third game, scratched on the break in the fourth game and fouled in the following rack, as the Scotsman won in a 5-0 whitewash, with the two-time Most Valuable Player extending his arms at the American crowd, which had fallen silent.

Meanwhile, the small contingent of European supporters had made its way down to the railing around the table and was dancing and celebrating to the music, as their victory appeared imminent.

“We're in control now,” said Shaw after the match.

The Americans sent Gorst out to face Krause, a matchup that on paper favored the Americans to secure a point and keep any comeback hopes alive. Escorted to his seat by teammates Thorpe and Woodward, Gorst executed his best break of the week, running out to take an early lead, then adding to it when he fluked in the 3 ball in the next game to run out. When he broke and ran then capitalized on a missed combination by Krause in the fourth game, Gorst appeared in total command.

That is, until he attempted a touchy combination shot on the 6 and 7 balls in the fifth game, which he missed.

“You have to shoot it,” Gorst said. “You play so many safeties and I don't want to give another opportunity to get back to the table. I'm trying to finish the job as soon as I can.”

Krause won the rack, then halved the lead when he won a safety exchange and won a third straight when the American fouled. When Gorst missed the 2 ball on a jump shot in the eighth rack, Krause ran out to the 8 ball, which he missed but watched it travel two rails and into the opposite pocket. He then tried to bank the 9 ball in, which missed but rolled across the table and into the side pocket. Suddenly the match was tied, 4-4.


(L-r) Krause, Alcaide, Shaw, Sanchez Ruiz and Kaci were more than capable representing Europe.

“The first one, I didn't know what was going on,” said Krause, who wasn't aware the 8 ball went in the pocket originally. “Then I was having to shoot the 9 and I was like, ‘What do I do?' I only had 20 seconds.”

Gorst appeared on his way to victory in the deciding game, but missed the 4 ball. The ball rolled to a safe position which forced Krause to lunge at the ball from an awkward stance, resulting in a foul that he called on himself before referee Marcel Eckhardt had the opportunity.

Gorst, after a certain sigh of relief, rolled in the remaining balls to secure the match, 5-4, and trim Europe's lead to 10-6.

Woodward was now tasked with extending the afternoon for the United States as he met Sanchez Ruiz. The native Kentuckian responded with some of his best play of the event, forging a 4-3 lead. After pumping up the crowd behind his seat during a commercial break, Woodward traded safeties with the Euro until Sanchez Ruiz left a bank shot for a player who grew up in the bank pool capital of the world. The American banked the ball towards the side and watched it hit the tip of the pocket and kick down table instead.

“I had two different safeties that I could play,” said Woodward. “But I told myself it's a pretty dead bank and then I can play safe if I don't like the shot. I went for it. I'm up 4-3 and I felt like it was best to go ahead and shoot and take my chances.”

Sanchez Ruiz ran out the rack to tie the score. Then pocketed three balls on the break and ran out in the following game to secure the match, 5-4, and the Cup.

“I'm super happy,” said Shaw after the event. “To be honest, I'm hoping that he was able to get it done so that so we could get the match over and go celebrate. But obviously, if I had to go out again in the next match I would have taken care of business anyways.”

“We had to hear so many bad things on social media, like, that we aren't ready after the Reyes Cup,” said Sanchez Ruiz. “We prepared a lot. Almost 10 days. We were like family and I'm very proud of the whole team.”

Shaw was named the Most Valuable Player of the event for the third time in nine appearances, beating out Sanchez Ruiz on the final day on points. The two entered the final day tied, but Shaw's 5-0 blanking of Woodward earned him the honors when Sanchez Ruiz needed all nine games to defeat Woodward, 5-4 in the winning match.

“Not one time did we mention it,” said Shaw of the award. “We were just going out there and trying to win the Cup. We just go out there and play our game and whoever gets it, gets it.”

While the jubilant Europeans drank beers, celebrated and answered questions, the American team packed up its cues in the adjacent practice room, pondering what went wrong and what needed to be improved up.

“I'm proud of my guys,” said Woodward. “Every day, I learned more and more about these guys. It's a learning experience for me and a growing experience for me. These guys are all amazing and I'm happy to say I was captain for these guys and I'm happy with the team I had, no matter what. The balls didn't roll right for us. It happens.”

 

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