Full name | Old Glory DC Rugby Football Club | |
---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Flags | |
Founded | 2018 | |
Location | Washington, D.C. | |
Ground(s) | Maryland SoccerPlex (Capacity: 5,000) | |
Chairman | Paul Sheehy Chris Dunlavey Scottish Rugby Union | |
Coach(es) | Simon Cross | |
Captain(s) | Jamason Faʻanana-Schultz | |
Most caps | Jack Iscaro (60) | |
Top scorer | Jason Robertson (313) | |
Most tries | William Talataina (23) | |
League(s) | Major League Rugby | |
2023 | Conference finalist 3rd (Eastern Conference) | |
| ||
Official website | ||
oldglorydc |
Old Glory DC RFC is a professional rugby union team based in the Washington, D.C., area that is a member of Major League Rugby (MLR). Old Glory was founded in 2018, played some exhibition games in 2019, and began regular-season MLR play in 2020.
The organization is led by two local business leaders, former USA Eagles' Paul Sheehy, and local club rugby player Chris Dunlavey. [1] The Scottish Rugby Union has a part ownership of the team. The team has been coached by Simon Cross since July 2023.
Major League Rugby announced on May 15, 2018, that an expansion team would begin play in Washington, D.C., by the 2020 season [2] and confirmed the team in November 2018. [3] On February 6, 2019, the team name was announced as Old Glory DC. On March 28, 2019, the Scottish Rugby Union announced that it had purchased a minority interest in the team. [4]
After losing seven matches in a row to start the 2022 season, Old Glory DC announced the immediate departure of head coach Andrew Douglas on March 29, 2022. At the time of his departure, Douglas was the longest-tenured head coach in MLR, having joined for the 2019 exhibition season before the first MLR season in 2020. He left with a 10-17-1 overall MLR record and a 37.5% winning percentage. [5] [6] Three days later, on April 1, Old Glory DC announced that former NOLA Gold head coach Nate Osborne would serve as an interim head coach for the remainder of the season while the team conducted a search for a permanent replacement. [7]
On October 31, 2022, Josh Syms was announced as the new head coach. [8] On May 15, 2023, it was announced that Syms would leave at the end of the season to coach forwards for the Italian team Zebre Parma. [9] Several weeks later, Old Glory made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. [10] On July 7, 2023, the team announced the hiring of Simon Cross as head coach to replace Syms. [11]
In June 2023, the team announced Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White and businessman Paxton Baker had become minority owners. [12]
In the 2024 season, Old Glory began play at the Maryland SoccerPlex, a sports complex in Germantown, Maryland. That season, Old Glory made the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.
The team played their exhibition and inaugural campaigns at Cardinal Stadium on the campus of Catholic University of America. [13] In 2021 they moved to Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia. [14] The team played three seasons at Segra Field and on September 6, 2023, it was announced that the team would move to the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Maryland the following season. [15]
Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Other Shirt sponsor(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Adidas | Cuisine Solutions | None |
2020–2022 | Paladin Sports | Leidos Iron Vine Security | |
2023 | Leidos ECS Tech | ||
2024 | Kappa | Events DC ECS Tech Gringo Gordo Empanadas |
The Old Glory DC squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is: [16]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Season | Conference | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Pld | W | L | F | A | +/− | Result | |||
2020 [lower-alpha 1] | Eastern | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 122 | 129 | -7 | 1 | 17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Cancelled | |
2021 | Eastern | 5th | 16 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 409 | 490 | -81 | 13 | 39 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
2022 | Eastern | 6th | 16 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 423 | 591 | -168 | 11 | 23 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
2023 | Eastern | 3rd | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 408 | 443 | -35 | 13 | 43 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 58 | -14 | Won Eliminator Game (Rugby New York) 37-33 Lost Conference Final (New England Free Jacks) 25-7 | |
Totals | 53 | 20 | 2 | 31 | 1,362 | 1,653 | -291 | 38 | 122 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 58 | -14 | 1 postseason appearance |
All games in the 2019 season were exhibition games and did not count in the MLR standings.
Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
May 19 | Shannon RFC | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Lost, 22-26 |
May 27 | Scotland U-20 | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Lost, 7-70 |
June 1 | USA Rugby South Panthers | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Won, 28-7 |
June 9 | Ontario Blues | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Won, 29-15 |
On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic. [17] It was cancelled the following week. [18]
Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
February 8 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Gold Mine | Lost, 13-46 |
February 16 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Won, 28-22 |
February 22 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Aveva Stadium | Won, 22-13 |
February 29 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Toyota Stadium | Won, 28-19 |
March 8 | Rugby ATL | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Won, 31-29 |
March 15 | Colorado Raptors | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Cancelled |
March 22 | San Diego Legion | Away | Torero Stadium | Cancelled |
March 29 | Rugby United New York | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Cancelled |
April 11 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Cancelled |
April 18 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Union Point Sports Complex | Cancelled |
April 26 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Cancelled |
May 3 | Utah Warriors | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Cancelled |
May 9 | Rugby United New York | Away | MCU Park | Cancelled |
May 17 | Rugby ATL | Away | Life University Running Eagles Stadium | Cancelled |
May 24 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Cancelled |
May 31 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Lamport Stadium | Cancelled |
Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
March 21 | NOLA Gold | Away | Gold Mine | Draw, 26-26 |
March 27 | Rugby ATL | Home | Segra Field | Won, 30-23 |
April 3 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 19-40 |
April 18 | RUNY | Away | MCU Park | Lost, 34-38 |
April 25 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Segra Field | Won, 35-22 |
May 1 | LA Giltinis | Away | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Lost, 17-47 |
May 8 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | Lost, 33-34 |
May 16 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Segra Field | Won, 22-18 |
May 22 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Aveva Stadium | Won, 21-13 |
May 30 | RUNY | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 10-46 |
June 6 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Union Point Sports Complex | Lost, 34-38 |
June 12 | NOLA Gold | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 21-25 |
June 26 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lupo Family Field | Lost, 12-32 |
July 4 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Lupo Family Field [lower-alpha 2] | Lost, 28-34 |
July 10 | San Diego Legion | Home | Segra Field | Won, 38-29 |
July 17 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Segra Field | Won, 29-25 |
Old Glory played two preseason matches in January 2022. Both matches were held at the St. James Sports Complex, a series of indoor fields in Springfield, Virginia. [19]
Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
January 21 | Toronto Arrows | Home | St. James Sports Complex | Lost, 47-17 |
January 28 | New England Free Jacks | Home | St. James Sports Complex | Won, 27-22 |
Old Glory played eighteen matches in the regular season with two bye weeks. Their home matches were played at Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia. [20] Because the MLR's Eastern Conference had one team fewer than the Western Conference, Old Glory played the Toronto Arrows three times in the regular season, once at home and twice in Toronto.
Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
February 5 | Rugby ATL | Away | Atlanta Silverbacks Park | Lost, 22-55 |
February 12 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Bold Stadium | Lost, 12-57 |
February 18 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 25-41 |
February 26 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 5-29 |
March 6 | San Diego Legion | Away | SDSU Sports Deck | Lost, 12-24 |
March 20 | Rugby ATL | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 13-27 |
March 26 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 22-31 |
April 3 | Rugby New York | Away | JFK Stadium | Lost, 31-35 |
April 9 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | Lost, 27-32 |
April 15 | Utah Warriors | Home | Segra Field | Won, 22-21 |
April 23 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Segra Field | Won, 50-10 |
May 7 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Lost, 26-20 |
May 14 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Gold Mine on Airline | Lost, 50-21 |
May 21 | Houston Sabercats | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 42-59 |
May 29 | Rugby New York | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 49-59 |
June 5 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | Won, 50-35 |
Old Glory played 16 games in the 2023 regular season. All eight home games were played at Segra Field. They advanced to the playoffs, defeating the Rugby New York Ironworkers to advance to the conference final, which they lost to the New England Free Jacks.
Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
February 18 | Chicago Hounds | Home | Segra Field | Won, 42-27 |
March 5 | Rugby New York Ironworkers | Away | Memorial Field | Lost, 34-8 |
March 11 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Lost, 34-31 |
March 18 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Segra Field | Won, 29-3 |
March 25 | NOLA Gold | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 17-20 |
April 2 | San Diego Legion | Away | Snapdragon Stadium | Lost, 48-26 |
April 8 | Rugby ATL | Away | Atlanta Silverbacks Park | Lost, 35-27 |
April 16 | Rugby New York Ironworkers | Home | Segra Field | Won, 42-31 |
April 22 | Utah Warriors | Home | Segra Field | Won, 36-22 |
May 6 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Choctaw Stadium | Won, 7-3 [lower-alpha 3] |
May 14 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 24-42 |
May 18 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | Draw, 29-29 |
May 27 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Segra Field | Lost, 41-19 |
June 3 | NOLA Gold | Away | Gold Mine | Won, 28-15 |
June 9 | Houston SaberCats | Away | SaberCats Stadium | Lost, 31-7 |
June 17 | Rugby ATL | Home | Segra Field | Won, 36-28 |
Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
East Eliminator | June 25 | Rugby New York Ironworkers | Away | Memorial Field | Won, 37-33 |
East Conference Finals | July 1 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Lost, 7-25 |
Old Glory played 16 games in the 2024 regular season. All eight home games were played at the Maryland SoccerPlex. The team made it to the playoffs for the second time in its history, securing a place by taking a losing bonus point in their loss to the Miami Sharks on June 22. They made the playoffs for the second time in team history and were defeated by the New England Free Jacks in the Eastern Conference Semi-Final.
Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
March 2 | NOLA Gold | Away | Gold Mine | Lost, 18-6 |
March 9 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 35-34 |
March 16 | Chicago Hounds | Home | Maryland SoccerPlex | Draw, 22-22 |
March 23 | San Diego Legion | Home | Maryland SoccerPlex | Lost, 27-11 |
March 30 | Anthem RC | Away | American Legion Memorial Stadium | Won, 46-32 |
April 6 | RFC Los Angeles | Home | Maryland SoccerPlex | Draw, 22-22 |
April 20 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Maryland SoccerPlex | Lost, 38-17 |
April 26 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | Lost, 31-24 |
May 4 | Miami Sharks | Home | Maryland SoccerPlex | Won, 13-10 |
May 11 | Chicago Hounds | Away | SeatGeek Stadium | Won, 22-21 |
May 24 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Sports Complex | Lost, 26-24 |
June 1 | Anthem RC | Home | Maryland SoccerPlex | Won, 47-29 |
June 8 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Maryland SoccerPlex | Lost, 31-30 |
June 14 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Choctaw Stadium | Won, 36-34 |
June 22 | Miami Sharks | Away | Chase Stadium | Lost, 17-12 |
June 29 | NOLA Gold | Home | Maryland SoccerPlex | Won, 27-24 |
Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eastern Semi-Final | July 20 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Lost, 33-29 |
Washington, D.C., has major league sports teams, popular college sports teams, and a variety of other team and individual sports. The Washington metropolitan area is also home to several major sports venues including Capital One Arena, RFK Stadium, Commanders Field, Audi Field, and Nationals Park.
The Utah Warriors are a professional rugby union team that competes in Major League Rugby, the top-level rugby union competition in the United States and Canada that played its first season in 2018. The team is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was founded in 2010 as Utah Warriors and re-refounded in 2017 by Rugby Utah Ventures.
The Washington Spirit is an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that participates in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the W-League and continues to field both an amateur Women's Premier Soccer League team and a youth team, both under the Spirit name.
Jake Ilnicki is a Canadian rugby union prop who plays international rugby for Canada and professional club rugby for Old Glory DC in Major League Rugby (MLR). He has also played for the New South Wales Country Eagles in Australia's National Rugby Championship and for the Seattle Seawolves in MLR.
Major League Rugby (MLR) is a professional rugby union competition for clubs in North America. In the 2023 season it was contested by twelve teams: eleven from the United States and one from Canada. While operating outside of the governance and oversight of the national governing body, the league is officially sanctioned by USA Rugby—a member union of Rugby Americas North (RAN)—and is consequently part of World Rugby. The league was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
The Houston SaberCats are an American professional rugby union team based in Houston, Texas. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby, the top-level rugby union competition in the United States and Canada that played its first season in 2018. The SaberCats organization was born from one of the founding amateur rugby clubs that pooled resources to emerge professionally, and were the first in MLR membership to build a rugby-specific stadium intended for MLR competition.
Toronto Arrows R.F.C. was a rugby union club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that played in Major League Rugby. The Arrows team was an independent off-shoot of the Ontario Blues provincial programme and was funded by a group of private investors and supporters. They are currently on hiatus following the 2023 season.
The Seattle Seawolves are an American professional rugby union team based in Tukwila, Washington. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby (MLR), the top-level rugby union competition in the United States that began play in 2018. The Seawolves won two MLR championships in 2018 and 2019, and lost in the 2022 final. They play at Starfire Sports, a 4,500-seat stadium in Tukwila that primarily serves soccer teams.
The New Orleans Gold, stylized as NOLA Gold, is a professional rugby union team based in New Orleans. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby. Since January 2020, French rugby power ASM Clermont Auvergne has owned a minority stake in the team.
Nate Osborne is an Australian-American rugby union coach. Who is regarded as one of the best American rugby coaches. Although being born in Australia he considers himself as an American, when it comes to rugby. He was the head coach of the New Orleans Gold before moving in 2022 to Old Glory DC, both of Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States.
The San Diego Legion are a professional rugby union team based in San Diego, California, that competes in Major League Rugby (MLR). The team plays its home games at Snapdragon Stadium. The Legion began play in the league's inaugural 2018 season.
Rugby New York, originally known as Rugby United New York and officially nicknamed the Ironworkers, was a professional rugby union team based in New York City that was a member of Major League Rugby (MLR). The team played an exhibition season in spring 2018 and joined MLR for its second full season in 2019. The team was founded by James Kennedy.
Segra Field is a soccer-specific stadium in Leesburg, Virginia, and the home of Loudoun United FC of the USL Championship and previously Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby.
The New England Free Jacks are a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR) based in the Greater Boston area. They were announced in September 2018 and began to compete professionally in October 2018. They competed in their first season in MLR in the 2020 season. The team has won two MLR shields after defeating the San Diego Legion in 2023 and the Seattle Seawolves in 2024.
Rugby FC Los Angeles (RFCLA) is a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR) from Los Angeles. The team began play in 2020 as Rugby ATL, based in Atlanta, Georgia but announced they would relocate to Los Angeles for the 2024 season, under new ownership.
The 2020 Major League Rugby season was the third season of Major League Rugby, the professional rugby union competition sanctioned by USA Rugby. The regular season schedule was released on September 23, 2019, and began on February 8, 2020.
Andrew Douglas is a New Zealand rugby union coach and the former head coach of Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby (MLR).
Maryland Bobcats FC, formerly World Class Premier Elite (WCPE), are an American soccer team and academy based in Montgomery County, Maryland, which was founded in 2016. The organization's professional team competes within the National Independent Soccer Association in the third division of U.S. Soccer. The Bobcats also field teams in both the Maryland Super Soccer League and Eastern Premier Soccer League.
The LA Giltinis were a Major League Rugby team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. The team was announced in 2020 and entered the league in the 2021 season as an expansion franchise. Owned by Adam Gilchrist and Loyals Rugby, the team was named for a yet-to-be-released drink, itself a portmanteau of "Gilchrist" and "martini". The Giltinis were based in El Segundo, California, and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Darren Coleman was their first head coach.
The Chicago Hounds are a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR) based in Chicagoland. The team was founded in 2022 and is co-owned by a small group of investors including majority owner Peter Bernick and part-owners Matt Satchwell and Phil Groves. Their home stadium is SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. Games are broadcast on Marquee Sports Network.