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| 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 | |
| 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.
History
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]
Stadium
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]
Sponsorship
| 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 |
Roster
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.
- Senior 15s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
- * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
- MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.
Head coaches
Andrew Douglas (2019–March 2022)
Nate Osborne (April 2022–October 2022) interim- Josh Syms (October 2022–May 2023)
Simon Cross (July 2023–present)
Captains
Josh Brown (2019) (Captain)- Mungo Mason (2020–2021) (Co-captain)
- Thretton Palamo (2020–2021) (Co-captain)
Danny Tusitala (2022) (Captain)- Jamason Faʻanana-Schultz (2023–present) (Captain)
Stan South (2023) (Vice Captain)
Records
Season standings
| Season | Conference | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Pld | W | L | F | A | +/− | Result | |||
| 2020[a] | 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 | |||
2019 season
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 |