Poroto Cambiaso was 17 years and 4 months old on Sunday, March 26, 2023. That date will be circled in red for him and the entire polo community from now on, as that was the date when he won his sixth prestigious title. That day, he won a very special tournament, the USPA Gold Cup.
Polo has eight big titles globally: the C.V. Whitney, the USPA Gold Cup, the U.S. Open Polo Championship, the English Queen’s Cup and Gold Cup and the Tortugas Open, Hurlingham Open and Argentine Open.
Until Sunday, March 26, Poroto had won five of those tournaments. The first was back in 2020, when he won the English Gold Cup playing for Next Generation. The following year, it was his first double: he won the USPA Gold Cup and the U.S. Open Polo Championship playing for Scone. 2022 saw his first Argentine double, winning the Hurlingham Open and Argentine Open playing for La Dolfina.
Of course, all of these titles had a noteworthy footnote: he won these playing alongside his father, Adolfo Cambiaso. However, this time, Poroto won the USPA Gold Cup as his team’s leader. This year, his father returned to Valiente in their comeback to the U.S. high-goal scene. And his son played for Scone, alongside Pelon Stirling.
Scone’s David ‘Pelon’ Stirling and Cambiaso.
Someone might argue that the responsibility of leading the team would then fall on the experienced Stirling. However, he was injured and had to sit out in the semifinals and the final, being replaced by Tomas Panelo, who had a great performance and was even the MVP of the final. Poroto shared, “We worked quite well. I’m sad Pelon was injured and couldn’t play, but Tomy Panelo did an amazing job replacing him.” However, the leading role and the biggest responsibility was on Poroto’s shoulders.
He had already had strong performances without his father by his side in 2020, when La Dolfina Brava won the Pilar Cup, the Cámara de Diputados and the play-offs for Palermo. And last year, he won the Jockey Open alongside his cousins Camilo and Bartolome Castagnola.
Cambiaso rejoices following his historic USPA Gold Cup victory on U.S. Polo Assn. Field One at the National Polo Center – Wellington.
Six top titles while under 18 is something not even his father had achieved. And now, he’s already winning without his father. An incredible winning streak, coming from an amazing player.
Moving forward, Poroto feels confident in Scone’s chances in the U.S. Open Polo Championship. He commented, “After winning [the USPA Gold Cup], we are very confident going into the U.S. Open, but we’ve got to go step by step.”
All photos courtesy of ©David Lominska.