NEWS

The third edition of the All Pro Polo League (APPL) USA tournament kicked off Tuesday, March 20, at Santa Clara Polo Club, in Wellington, Florida, with two qualifying matches. Young, up-and-coming American players took to the field to play full speed polo, while 10-goal superstars Facundo Pieres, Sapo Caset, Gonzalito Pieres, and Hilario Ulloa watched closely. The top twelve local players, as chosen by the four high goalers and APPL directors, will continue on in the tournament, playing alongside these polo legends in Friday’s finals.

The five Team USPA players who played in the first round of games spoke highly of the APPL style of play as a welcome addition to the traditional format. After competing with Valiente during the 20-goal season and in past years, Santi Torres is no stranger to playing alongside the world’s best. Torres commented, “Playing the APPL is always fun. The faster polo we [American players] are exposed to, the better. We are always looking to get into higher level polo, and the best way to get there is to play the fastest polo you can, as often as you can.”

“The new APPL rules are fun to play, as the games turn out very open and fast,” shared Tommy Collingwood, who played the second match of the day. “Everybody is well mounted, and nobody is turning the ball or taking their time. Every player is hitting the ball straight away, and you have to be in a position to stop the opponent. I find it to be a lot of fun, and very competitive. I particularly like the rule that if you get fouled, you get a spot hit, and an open field to the goal. It’s an interesting rule and it makes you think twice about fouling the other player. I would use that rule in traditional polo, for sure.”

“I am very happy with how things turned out today,” said APPL Founder Javier Tanoira. “The American players appear to be very motivated, as do the 10-goalers who support this project, who came out and watched every game. This is a new format, and we had to adapt to external circumstances: there is a lot of polo on at the moment, it hasn’t rained much this season, and we struggled to find fields to play on. But I am pleased and encouraged by everyone’s attitude towards the project, from the American’s who played, to the USPA who help us out and is now a part of this all. I have high expectations for Friday’s finals. There will be four teams; of the sixteen American’s who competed, twelve will play alongside the 10-goalers.”

APPL USA concludes on Friday, March 23, 2018, with Open Polo and La Z facing off first at 2:00pm ET, followed by Santa Maria de Lobos against La Hache - Villa del Lago immediately after at Outback Polo in Wellington, Florida. Full team rosters below.

La Hache – Villa del Lago
Hilario Ulloa
Jason Crowder
Jared Zenni
Justin Daniels

La Z
Facundo Pieres
Kris Kampsen
Juan Monteverde
Lucas Escobar

Open Polo
Gonzalito Pieres
Santi Torres
Nano Gracida
Wesley Bryan

Santa Maria de Lobos
Sapo Caset
Pelon Escapite
Tommy Collingwood
Nico Escobar

For more information on line-ups and timings, follow the All Pro Polo League on social media, @allpropolo.

*Santi Torres, Jared Zenni and Felipe Viana are members of Team USPA. Team USPA is a USPA program designed to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the United States by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and pro players and the resultant giveback to the sport of polo.

All photos ©David Lominska/polographics.com