Meet America’s Newest Five-Goaler
By Alex Webbe
You might be surprised to learn that the newest 5-goaler in the United States is 30-year-old Brandon Phillips from Wellington, Florida. The fact that he has been around for years will have little influence on his status, as Phillips recently became a citizen of the United States.
“I’ve been playing polo professionally in the United States since 1995, and have been a resident of Wellington since 1998,” he offers, when asked why the switch in nationalities. “It just seemed like the right thing to do.”
Phillips admitted that he was influenced by the recent ruling by the United States Polo Association that required at least two US players on teams competing at or under the 20-goal mark.
“I am a professional polo player,” he added, “and it certainly helps my career to carry a US passport,” he said, “but that isn’t the only reason,” he admits.
His wife of five years, Erica, is a US citizen and he found himself a resident of Florida for the last twelve years before making the decision.
“It’s not as if I were denying my home country,” Phillips said, “the United States is a melting pot of people from all over the world, I just happen to be one that plays polo.”
The move is certain to be an asset in his career in these uncertain economic times, but the soft-spoken former Canadian national team captain hasn’t had any difficulty finding employment over the years as he has competed for USPA championship teams from coast to coast. He’s just going to be doing it under as a US citizen from now on.