Mexico to Play US in Camacho Cup
By Alex Webbe
For the first time in 21 years Mexico compete against the United States for the Camacho Cup, the international series between the two countries that was last played in 1988. With the blessing of the USPA, Mexico and the USA will meet in the sixty-eight year-old competition on Friday, March 13 at The Villages Polo Club in Central Florida.
Carlos Gracida will serve as the captain of the team from Mexico while Mike Azzaro, America’s highest rated player will captain the US team.
Memo Gracida and Julio Gracida have been named as possible members of the Mexican team while the US team has yet to be named.
Named after General Avila Camacho, President of Mexico, 1940-1946, and an avid polo player, the cup was inaugurated in 1941 as a perpetual challenge trophy and has played for on eight different occasions.
Early competition success favored the United States as it won the first five series led by Michael Phipps and Cecil Smith, Winston Guest and Stewart Iglehart, Laddie Sanford and Dutch Evinger. Later U. S. teams would include Red Armour and Allen Scherer. The free ride ended in the 1976 contest, however, when Guillermo Gracida, Jr. joined his father on the team that scored three straight wins over the United States in Houston, Texas.
Five years later the series was revived at the Retama Polo Center in San Antonio, Texas where Memo, Carlos and Ruben Gracida were joined by Pablo Rincon Gallardo as they downed the Americans in two of three games.
The U. S. fared no better in a one game competition in 1988 at Palm Beach Polo and Country Club with Roberto Gonzales replacing Gallardo as Mexico kept the cup on the strength of a 9-6 victory.
This year will mark the ninth playing for the cup, and the first Camacho Cup play in over two decades. Brothers Memo and Carlos Gracida are that much older, but can the youth and athleticism of the young Americans overcome the Mexican bank of experience. That question will have to wait until March 13th.