It was an emphatic rout for Europe at London’s Alexandra Palace and their third 11-3 drubbing of the Americans during a six-year Mosconi Cup dominance.
Despite the tournament being something of a damp squib and maybe a matter of course, rookie Moritz Neuhausen made a name for himself and Jayson Shaw created history in the British capital.
Shaw is Europe’s greatest showman
Jayson Shaw equalled Niels Feijen’s record of eight Mosconi Cup victories and now stands one victory away from matching USA greats Earl Strickland and Johnny Archer on nine wins. He underlined his status as arguably Europe’s greatest ever player and unequivocally the most suited to the environment.
Shaw lives and breathes for the Mosconi Cup and pulling on the European jersey, sometimes becoming too embroiled in the whole rivalry as was seen when he had an altercation with a crowd member. His passion and fervour galvanises his teammates, and his presence has been an essential aspect of Europe’s dominance.
Neuhausen belongs in European colours
Aside from embarrassingly following the cue ball into the middle pocket in a doubles match alongside Joshua Filler and getting relatively fortunate against Tyler Styer in singles, it was a calm and composed debut for Premier League champion Moritz Neuhausen, one which saw him emulate Filler in sealing the MVP award at the first time of asking.
Neuhausen’s game appeared to be flawless on occasions. His table-length jump on the two ball when behind against Styer received a raucous reaction from the Alexandra Palace, yet the rookie remained as cool as a cucumber and showcased experience beyond his years. The young German could become a staple on the European team.
Alcaide’s influence is underappreciated
One of the first things European skipper Shaw did as an eight-time Mosconi Cup champion was praise the influence of Spanish stalwart David Alcaide. His experience was perhaps essential in a team involving two rookies, hence why Shaw was so quick in selecting him following his Philippines Open win in October.
Alcaide was always first into the arena to praise his teammates or offer some guidance, and he appeared to develop an especially strong relationship with Lithuania’s Pijus Labutis. He embraced being the patriarch of the group – an undervalued yet quintessential role in Europe’s emphatic success.
Cut Styer some slack
It was a four days that Tyler Styer will want to erase from his memory. A brace of missed nine balls at crucial junctures were the tip of the iceberg in a catalogue of errors, and the two-time champion will presumably take no positives away with him from a disastrous campaign.
Nevertheless, it was a one-off event that certainly didn’t truly reflect Styer’s ability. He does have Mosconi Cup pedigree, as was proven when he played crucial roles in the USA’s wins in 2018 and 2019, and you’ve got to get yourself into that position to even have the opportunity of missing the important shots.
USA are a million miles away
It’s rapidly developing into an annual anticlimax, perhaps it’s already reached that stage. Hope is everything and the USA triumphs in 2018 and 2019 provided just that, yet those back-to-back wins are now a distant memory – the American team has since become hopeless and in desperate need of rejuvenation.
There doesn’t appear to be any form of cohesion or solidarity within the American ranks. Perhaps the return of the vastly successful Johan Ruijsink, the intellect behind their most recent victories, could help restore any sense of optimism, because right now Europe emerging victorious is virtually a forgone conclusion.
