Almost a month ago they had lived a very special day. The first face to face final, each with their organization, for the American Triple Crown. They are polo players, they love the same sport, they are fascinated by horses, they have incredible talent, they have won together, abroad and also in Argentina, including the Palermo Open, the most important tournament in this sport on the planet. But going out to beat each other contained a different feeling. That’s why, Adolfo Cambiaso (h.), The star who continues to show his hierarchy at 48 years old, took it differently than others. He had conquered for the ninth time the CV Whitney Cup, the third most important tournament in the United States, but it was strange. It is that, as part of the organization, Brave He had surpassed his son Poroto Cambiaso, another star, and his club, La Dolfina.
“It is a source of pride, it is very nice to see the name of La Dolfina competing here. It’s tremendous because of what she represents for the organization. What is not very comfortable is playing the final against… La Dolfina and against Poroto. Yes, it is uncomfortable no matter how you look at it: It is the first final that we have played against here,” Adolfito pointed out from Palm Beach to LA NACION that time, after winning 12-10. Somehow, he didn’t like celebrating when his son was on the other side. Although she was clear that when the opposite happened, she would most likely “get one of those fevers.”
Only 30 days passed. Now, with the USPA Gold Cup in dispute, the second largest competition in Palm Beach. For a long time it was the main tournament organized by the United States Polo Association (USPA), until the US Open emerged, the competition that closes the circuit. Again La Dolfina and Valiente face to face for the title. Huge privilege for both organizations to be in both definitions. Once again the Cambiasos face to face. And that omen from Adolfito had substance, because Poroto went for revenge. And he took it. La Dolfina, in its first international foray, already has a title. He achieved it by defeating Valiente 12-9 in a final with ups and downs, passages of rain, discussions about mistakes, players sanctioned with cards. Of everything.
Polo in the United States, like that developed in England and Spain, is different from the high-handicap polo in Argentina, which has no limits of appreciation. They are teams of up to 22 goals, made up of a pattern that normally has 0 goals and then each team chooses its distribution: whether two figures of 10 or 9 goals and two low handicaps or if it distributes the numbers among three players. Then, in itself, The game has a different speed, it is more tangled and less attractive than what is seen in Palermo, Hurlingham and Tortugas. It’s more about possession than long passes. Nobody risks the ball. The aim is for each attack to end in a goal or, failing that, in a foul that allows the advancing team to have a penalty. This is professional polo that is played with the bosses on the field.
Great goal from Poroto
The match was a balanced development, although La Dolfina seemed more compact, with the driving of Poroto Cambiaso and the support of Tomás Panelo. Without a doubt, a combination that has been working for several seasons and was born back in 2021 when both were teammates in La Dolfina Brava. The two of them, more Rufino Merlos providing their mobility. La Dolfina led the first half 5-4. Then, she took advantage of a good clean and jerk to go up 7-4 in the fourth and seemed to take off. But Adolfo Cambiaso brought out his self-esteem, provoked two successive attacks that ended in goals and Valiente got within one (7-6). It was the psychological moment. Where he could put all the pressure on La Dolfina based on his experience.
Contrary to what the manuals indicate in these cases, He protested against the referees for a sanction against his teammate Paquito de Narváez in the action that led to goal No. 13. “The ball hadn’t gone in yet and Paquito hit it hard and scored the goal. The judges gave him a yellow card, arguing that he had hit the ball very hard from near the goal and that he could not do that because he was on probation. And there I went crazy. Because with that card the boy cannot play the US Open. That’s why I got out. They left him out for the entire upcoming tournament. I got very angry. That’s what happened,” Cambiaso told THE NATION.
It was an extensive complaint, judges and players came and went. One could see from a distance that it was not a simple matter. The story ended with technical and penal infraction for the rival. That it was 8-6 in a run, 9-6 in another attack, and given the continuity of Cambiaso’s protests, The referees gave him the second yellow card, which temporarily took him off the field. Plus another technician that Panelo capitalized on in a goal. Suddenly, From 7-6 they went to 10-6 and without Adolfito on the court: 3 against 4. A catastrophe for Valiente. An excess of misconduct by their leader that ended up harming Brave himself.
Adolfito’s anger and the sanction
However, Paquito de Narváez and Peke González, Cambiaso’s flankers in Valiente, managed to hold out in the match until Adolfito returned to action. They didn’t score goals, but they didn’t score goals either. The captain returned, Valiente reacted with courage and scored two goals in a clearly adverse context. The truth was that they went into the last chukker with a real chance of fighting for what seemed lost for any team: they were 10-8 for La Dolfina.
However, it was Brave’s last reaction. For La Dolfina, in advantage, it was an ideal situation to manage the times and play with the rival’s desperation to score and beat the clock. And he took advantage of all that to seal the final 12-9. The one who gave that long-awaited title to the Cañuelas team and the revenge against Poroto Cambiaso.
The morning had started with a heartfelt post by Adolfito on Instagram, in a photo in which he is with Poroto as a boy. “Final of the 2024 Gold Cup… Wow, time has passed, but here we are. Another final that we have in different palenques, but happy and very proud of the entire process experienced to achieve it. I congratulate you and admire you @porotocambiaso.” The afternoon in Miami also found them separated on the podium, one happy and the other not so much. Sage, He had anticipated that he would surely have to go through one of those fevers when he lost, except that it happened on the field and in the middle of the game. Right to him, who won this championship 15 times in three decades. A monstrosity for his usual large numbers.
But late into the night, he surely became a happy father again. Nothing more beautiful than seeing your pollo taking more leaps of quality and following the route that marked him since he was a child. Maybe from before that photo. And that Poroto, at 18, still extremely young, continues it in a big way. As family and La Dolfina tradition dictate.
The summary of the final
La Dolfina: Jeff Hildebrand, 0; Rufino Blackbirds, 3; Poroto Cambiaso, 10, and Thomas Panelo, 9. Total,
Brave: Bob Journey, 0; Paquito de Narvaez, 5; Peke Gonzalez, 7, and Adolph Exchange, 10. Total,
Progression: La Dolfina, 2-1, 3.1, 5-4, 10-6, 10-8 and 12-9.
MVP: Tomás Panelo, from La Dolfina
Best horse of the final: Antu Walung Rumba, played by Paquito de Narváez.
9 teams with up to 22 goals and players participated in the competition, in addition to those in this final, such as Facundo and Polito Pieres, Lucas Criado (h.), Hilario Ulloa, Juan Britos, Diego Cavanagh, Matías Torres Zavaleta, Francisco Elizalde, Lucas Díaz Alberdi, Kristos Magrini, Julián de Lusarreta, Santos Merlos and Santi Torres.
La Dolfina began by losing in its debut, 10-9, against Tamera. She then topped Clearwater 14-6, Dutta Corp 14-8 and Pilot 12-8, all in the qualifying round. In the semifinal, she beat Park Place (Ulloa and Britos) 12-11. Meanwhile, Valiente beat Dutta Corp 11-10, La Fe 13-9, Clearwater 7-6 and lost to Park Place 13-12. In the semifinals, she beat Coca Cola (Polito Pieres, Julián de Lusarreta and Kristos Magrini) by 12-10.
