Five years after its Newport debut, Team Switzerland returned to BD Field with purpose, defeating Team USA 11–5 before the sixth-largest crowd of the season. The final international match of Newport Polo’s historic 150th Diamond Jubilee season paired relentless American pressure with calculated Swiss finishing, and the scoreboard rewarded precision.
The Newport International Polo Series, presented by Turkish Airlines in partnership with Aston Martin Boston, welcomed the Swiss delegation back to Glen Farm for only its second campaign in Newport. Official Lodging Sponsor Forty 1 North hosted the visitors on Newport Harbor, while an Alpine Picnic celebration brought Swiss-inspired style, food and festivities to the sidelines.
Following the Swiss Psalm and U.S. National Anthem, the Opening Ceremony introduced a formidable Swiss lineup: patron Philipp Mueller at #1, the colorful Cedric Schweri at #2, rising star Janik Oertli at #3, and Thomas Wolfensberger at #4. Representing USA were Anna Dwyer at #1, Roger Souto at #2, Dan Keating at #3 and Rory Torrey at #4.
Trevor McComb, Rhode Island representative for Surfside Vodka Cocktails, performed the Official Coin Toss, with Switzerland winning the toss and choosing its initial direction of attack.
From the opening bell, the difference was not opportunity, but accuracy. Wolfensberger struck first from the field, followed by Oertli’s successful Penalty 2 from the 40-yard line. USA actually outshot Switzerland 3–2 in the opening chukker, but all three American attempts sailed wide. The pattern continued in the second. Switzerland converted a Penalty 3 from 60 yards and was awarded a Penalty 1 goal, while USA generated another pair of opportunities but could not find the uprights. USA intensified its attack in the third, penetrating the Swiss defense three times, only to see each shot miss its mark. Mueller then delivered one of the afternoon’s highlights—a spectacular neck shot from a nearly impossible angle that would earn Play of the Match honors. Oertli followed with a long-range penalty conversion from the center, sending Switzerland into halftime with a commanding 6–0 advantage.
A fieldside halftime interview captured the Swiss team’s growing optimism, while the afternoon’s tremendous crowd—the sixth largest of the season—poured onto the field for the traditional Divot Stomp. It gave both teams a welcome interval to rest, regroup and prepare for the second half.
Switzerland returned for the fourth chukker firing on all cylinders. Field goals from Wolfensberger, Oertli and Schweri stretched the lead before Torrey finally broke through for USA’s first point bringing the crowd to its feet. Two additional American attacks went wide before Oertli answered again for Switzerland. Oertli opened the fifth with another goal, but it seemed to awaken the sleeping American giant. USA unleashed five offensives deep into the Swiss end within scoring range for shots on the Swiss goal during the period, with Souto and Torrey putting two of them on the board and giving the home side a glimmer of comeback hope.
USA carried that urgency into the final chukker. Dwyer scored from the field and Torrey converted a Penalty 2, while four additional American attacks threatened the Swiss goal. But once again, the shots refused to fall. When the final bell sounded, Switzerland had secured an 11–5 victory, an emphatic result made all the more remarkable by the statistics: USA had actually outshot its challengers 22–15. Despite peppering the Swiss end with 22 attempts, the entire side seemed snakebitten, with otherwise promising shots sailing inexplicably wide and no one quite able to break the spell. The Americans created the chances. The Swiss converted theirs. On an afternoon defined by narrow angles, long-range penalties and relentless attacks, Swiss precision ultimately lived up to its reputation. But sport would lose its magic if it always followed the script. Its unpredictability is precisely what frustrates us, thrills us—and keeps us coming back for more.
Beyond the boards, the Alpine Picnic theme transformed Glen Farm with wildflower prints, charming checks, tailored layers and Swiss-inspired spreads. Newport Kites added to the spectacle overhead with a special horse kite, while Surfside Vodka Cocktails offered samples of its Vodka Iced Tea and Vodka Lemonade. At Dillon’s Patio Bar, the Alpine Surfer and absinthe-kissed Swiss Old Fashioned carried the theme into the afternoon’s cocktail menu.
Guests also explored the Aston Martin DBX and Lotus Emira displayed fieldside, shopped the boutiques and competed for Stella Artois Best in Show honors as the final international Saturday of the season unfolded in full Newport style.
Following the final bell, the teams gathered at center field for the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Trophy Presentation. Touba Ghadessi, who hosted the International Welcome Party for Team Switzerland earlier in the week, presented the Liberty Bowl to the Swiss side in recognition of its commanding return to Newport. Players and spectators then raised a glass together in the traditional post-match champagne toast, closing an afternoon defined by international friendship, spirited competition and Swiss precision.
Newport Polo returns Saturday, October 3rd at 4 PM for the Turkish Airlines Finals, when Men and Women meet in the final match of the 2026 season. The afternoon will also feature the Turkish Airlines Grand Prize Drawing, awarding one of the season’s weekly Door Prize winners round-trip Business Class airfares for two to any destination in the airline’s global network.