29 Nov 2013
WELLINGTON, FL-Nov. 28, 2013—The much-anticipated international match for the coveted USPA International Cup, pitting Team USA against the Chile national team will highlight a full day of polo on Saturday at Grand Champions Polo Club.
The featured six-chukker match, part of a polo doubleheader, begins at 3 p.m.
The opening game, the Legends of Polo at 1 p.m., features some of polo’s greats including Hall of Famer and former 10-goaler Carlos Gracida and brothers Julian and Howard Hipwood in the four-chukker match.
Gates open at 12:30 p.m.
The Chile national team and its contingent arrived on Thanksgiving Day and was scheduled to practice on Friday.
Both teams have strong lineups to challenge for the Cup which has become the biggest fall polo event of Wellington.
The final fall game at Grand Champions Polo Club is expected to be one of the most competitive. It will be Chile’s first appearance on U.S. soil in more than 20 years.
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| Eight-goaler Nic Roldan will be heading Team USA. Photo by Scott Fisher. |
Eight-goaler Nic Roldan, a Cardinal Newman High School graduate from Wellington, heads Team USA.
Roldan will be joined by 7-goaler Jeff Hall, 3-goaler Carlitos Gracida and 1-goaler Marc Ganzi. All four players have extensive international experience.
Roldan and Ganzi are coming off the Westchester Cup in July which Team USA narrowly lost to Great Britain, 12-11 in overtime on British soil.
Hall, 33, one of America’s top-rated players, has competed against Chile for the U.S.
“They are going to be good, they are always good,” Hall said. “We played them once in Santiago and lost by a goal. We were over there and on their horses.”
Chile, former FIP Polo World Champions, won the 2013 BMW International Polo Series on August 25th. It was Chile’s first victory in six tries on South Africa soil in Johannesburg. Chile won, 9-7.
In March 2012, Chile knocked off England, 11-9, in the Alfonso Rozas Ossa international match in Santiago, Chile.
It will be the second time Grand Champions Polo Club will host a major international men’s game in its eight-year history.
The 20-goal men’s championship game is sanctioned by the United States Polo Association and Chile Polo Federation.
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| Marc Ganzi will also be playing as part of Team USA. Photo by Scott Fisher. |
The U.S. roster is:
Marc Ganzi, 1 goals: Ranked 49th in the World Polo Tour rankings, Ganzi is one of the world’s top amateur players. The Audi team captain is coming off back-to-back 20-goal tournaments wins in the USPA North American Cup and USPA National 20-Goal Tournaments. He has won nearly every major U.S. polo tournament including the 2009 U.S. Open.
Carlitos Gracida, 3 goals: The son of Hall of Famer and former 10-goaler Carlos Gracida, is a rising young star. He is one of the youngest players to qualify for the U.S. Open semifinals at 15, was third in the World Cup in Mexico and is coming off back-to-back 20-goal tournament wins this past fall.
Nic Roldan, 8 goals: The highest ranked American player on Team USA has represented the U.S. in several matches including the Westchester Cup. At age 15, became the youngest player to win the U.S. Open with Escue in 1998. The following year the Cardinal Newman alum was named polo’s Young Player of the Year.
Jeff Hall, 7 goals: Another top American player, Hall has competed in every major tournament in the U.S. including the U.S. Open in 2003 with C-Spear, competed internationally including the Argentine Open and represented the U.S. including a match against Chile in Santiago.
The Chile roster features:
Matias Vial, 6 goals: A former shot putter in track and field, he is one of Chile’s top players and known for his agility and horsemanship. He was a member of the winning national team that knocked off England, 11-9, in the Alfonso Rozas Ossa international match.
Jose Antonio Iturrate, 5: Has been ranked as high as 8-goals. Known as a tactician and astute passer. Is technical director for the Chile selection committee. Was a member of the Chile team that defeated England in 1998.
Juan Sanchez, 5: Was a member of the Chile team that defeated the U.S., 6-5, in the 2011 FIP Polo World Cup. Was featured on ABC’s The Bachelor earlier this year. Named MVP at the NSLM Polo Match in Middleburg, Va. in September.
Max Silva, 4: One of his country’s young up-and-coming players was a member of the winning team in the Alfonso Rozas Ossa international match and played in last year’s World Polo Championships.
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| Carlos Gracida will be leading the Grand Champions Light Blue Team in the opening Legends game. Photo by Scott Fisher. |
In the opening Legends game Gracida will be joined by brothers Julian and Howard Hipwood, two of Britain’s top players once rated at 9-goals, and cousin Ruben Gracida on the Grand Champions (Light Blue) team. The team carries a 17-goal rating.
Hector Galindo, Joey Casey, Juan Bollini and Peter Rizzo make up the Grand Champions (Gray) legends team with a total rating of 16 goals.
In last year’s game in front of a sellout crowd, Team USA defeated England, 8.5-6. Roldan was named Most Valuable Player.
Jim Sackett, former news anchor for WPTV NewsChannel 5 who retired after 33 years at Florida’s top-rated television station, will present awards to players in the Legends of Polo match.
Juan Luis Nilo, Consul General of Chile based in Miami, will present the coveted USPA International Cup to the champions and awards to all players from the featured game.
Source: Phelps Media Group
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