by PUEBLO, Colo. – The six coaches for the WinStar World Casino and Resort 2019 Global Cup USA (Feb. 9-10 in Arlington, Texas) each announced on Wednesday the first two riders that will compete on their respective teams.
INITIAL GLOBAL CUP 2019 ROSTER
Team Australia: Nathan Burtenshaw & Lachlan Richardson
Team Brazil: Kaique Pacheco & Eduardo Aparecido
Team Canada: Dakota Buttar & Tanner Byrne
Team Mexico: Juan Carlos Contreras & Jorge Valdiviezo
Team USA Eagles: Cooper Davis & Cody Nance
Team USA Wolves (All Native): Ryan Dirteater & Stetson Lawrence
The five-nation team event will take place February 9 and 10 of next year in the very facility that hosted the league’s most attended single-day event in it’s history–The Iron Cowboy– which hosted 46,000 fans in February of this year.
“The PBR Global Cup transforms an individual, performance-based sport into a team battle for national pride, which has immediately produced some of the most spirited and passionate bull riding our sport has ever seen,” Sean Gleason, CEO, PBR said in a press release. “It is fitting that the inaugural U.S. stop for crowning the world’s best bull riding nation is held at AT&T Stadium, the venue that’s hosted the biggest PBR event of all time.”
The event will also add another exciting element, thanks to it’s “home team advantage” format. In the two previous years the Global Cup has been hosted, the home team is given the advantage of having double the riders to add to the team’s aggregate score.
Team USA has decided to split their team to include one roster of Native American riders, and one roster of non-Native American riders. What will be known as the Team USA Wolves will be coached by Wiley Peterson, while the Team USA Eagles will be coached by Justin McBride.
“I’m excited to be here, this is a fun time and I was very honored to get the call form Sean Gleason inviting me to be the coach for the Native American team,” said Peterson in the press conference. “I think this is going to be a great opportunity for us to showcase the Native-American talent that we have and just really show what the Global Cup is all about and how exciting it can be. I just can’t express how excited I am to be a part of this event.”
Lawrence will bring experience to the Wolves after competing for Team USA in Sydney, going 1-for-2.
Dirteater turned down an opportunity to compete for Team USA in Edmonton and Sydney. However, Dirteater was a member of the Team USA squad that won the 2008 World Cup event in Barretos, Brazil. He posted four qualified rides in Brazil and finished fifth in the individual event average.
The host country – Team USA – will be allowed to use all coach’s picks to round out their 8-man rosters (seven riders and one alternate).
McBride and Petersen must submit their next two selections by Oct. 29. Their final three picks will be due by Dec. 1. No date has been set yet for their alternates.
