The tournament’s two remaining undefeated teams will clash in Santiago Wednesday April 1 at 4pm EDT to determine which nation will be the sport of polo’s world champion
The United States defeated England today 15-9 in a semi-final match at the 10th Federation of International Polo (FIP) World Polo Championship, being held in Santiago, Chile. Chile defeated Brazil 11-10 in the other semi-final match to set the stage for the tournament’s two remaining undefeated teams to meet in Wednesday’s final.
The United States national polo team, known as Team USPA consists of seven players, all under the age of 30. Taking the field today versus England is the same team that prevailed against defending champion Argentina and world polo power Brazil in the tournament’s opening round: Jesse Bray (5-goal), Remy Muller (2-goal), Patrick Uretz (3-goal), and Felipe Viana (4-goal).
The United States dominated the game from the outset and never trailed, leading 4-0 early in the second chukker and 7-1 by the end of the second chukker. The score was 10-3 by the beginning of the fourth chukker with back and forth scoring through the fifth and sixth, with the game ending in favor of the United States 15-9. All members of Team USPA scored, with the tournament’s leading scorer Jesse Bray scoring 7 (to raise his tournament-leading total to 19 goals in three games so far), Felipe Viana scoring 4, Patrick Uretz scoring 2 and Remy Muller scoring 2.
“I’m so excited for the guys – they just played their hearts out. They won I think about 90% of the plays they went to, they had their man, they were playing for each other,” said Joel Baker, Head Coach of Team USPA. “Our team has maintained a positive attitude throughout this world championship and it really showed today. Making it to the finals is truly amazing and our play throughout this tournament has earned us the right to be playing for the world championship tomorrow.”
“Today’s match is a true testimony of the hard work and dedication our team has put into this world championship tournament,” said Peter Rizzo, Chief Executive Officer of the United States Polo Association. “England is a strong competitor that has earned the respect of teams worldwide. We are extremely proud of our team and today’s accomplishment and look forward to a great final tomorrow.”
Click here to watch the Team USPA FIP World Championship Sendoff Video
Click here to watch the USA vs. Brazil Slideshow
Click here to watch the USA vs. Argentina Slideshow
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Jesse Bray
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(5)
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Indio, CA
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Age 22
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Felipe Viana
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(4)
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Charlottesville, VA
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Age 25
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Patrick Uretz
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(3)
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Malibu, CA
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Age 23
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Will Tankard
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(3)
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Aiken, SC
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Age 30
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Remy Muller
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(2)
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Santa Barbara, CA
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Age 22
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Cody Ellis
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(2)
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Wellington, FL
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Age 19
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Mason Wroe
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(4)
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Midland, TX
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Age 30
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Joel Baker
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Coach
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Highlights and updates will be posted on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so be sure to follow along using the hashtag – #GoTeamUSPA
FIP World Championship Finals
Wednesday, April 1
5:00 PM: USA vs Chile
This year’s field of six teams was divided by random draw into two brackets, one consisting of Chile, Pakistan, and England, and the other consisting of Argentina, USA and Brazil. In the FIP World Polo Championship, each team plays the other two in its bracket and the two teams with the best records from each bracket will advance to a single-elimination semi-final round, followed by the semi-final winners playing a single match for the world championship.
The FIP World Polo Championship is played every three or four years and was inaugurated in 1987. The United States has qualified for the final round of the tournament six out of the nine times it has been held, winning fourth place in 1992 and 1998 and winning the championship in 1989. The United States qualified for the 2015 final round in Chile by winning the FIP Zone A playoffs, going undefeated against regional rivals Canada, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.
