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he truest test of brotherhood, family and blood ties will be seen on the polo feld this spring, during competition for the coveted U.S. Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida. Family is the name of the game as 11 teams face off to take home the silver Open cup during the Final match this month. And this year, more than ever, the most common theme of team organization aligns along family ties, linked both in camaraderie and sibling rivalry, connection and competition as patrons search for the innate teamwork that is key to winning the world’s biggest tournaments.

Team Audi has harnessed that teamwork in the form of the Pieres brothers, a trio of players from Argentina who are, quite literally, at the top of their game. Their father, Gonzalo Sr., has a lot to be proud of, as his eldest sons Gonzalito and Facundo both

reached their 10 goal handicap in 2005, and his youngest, Nicolas, is not far behind at 7 goals (and will be raised to 8 goals following the winter season.) Family tradition carries a high expectation in this family, as Gonzalo Sr. found much of his success alongside the company of his own brothers, Alvaro and Alfonso Pieres, in the 1980s.

There is always something spectacular to be seen out of a Pieres, as their heritage speaks volumes through talent and years of success on the polo feld.

And it’s worked before. In 2009 all three Pieres brothers played withAudi, and they won the Open. In 2010, Facundo and Gonzalito played with Audi, and lost to Crab Orchard in the Final. This year, Facundo goes to play with Lyndon Lea’s Zacara squad, and young Nicolas takes his spot beside eldest brother Gonzalito on the Audi team. They are joined on the Audi team by a newcomer to the U.S. polo scene: Brazilian Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade. Patron Marc Ganzi rounds out the team of four.

The intimacy with which one knows a brother will arguably prove a lethal advantage to them as an opponent. Facundo and Gonzalito have spent years playing together on felds around the world. The countless hours of practice, strategy and learned advantage will likely prove both useful and detrimental to an opponent who already knows your horses, your strengths, your weaknesses and the next likely move you’ll make.

“It’s always fun to play with or against my brothers,” Gonzalito