Old Glory DC
Old Glory DC RFC is an American professional rugby union team based in the Washington metropolitan area that competes in Major League Rugby. 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. 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 and confirmed the team in November 2018. 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.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. 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.
On October 31, 2022, Josh Syms was announced as the new head coach. 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. Several weeks later, Old Glory made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. On July 7, 2023, the team announced the hiring of Simon Cross as head coach to replace Syms.
In June 2023, the team announced Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White and businessman Paxton Baker had become minority owners.
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.
In 2025, Old Glory again made the playoffs, but was defeated in the first round by the Chicago Hounds.
Following the conclusion of the 2025 season, Old Glory announced that it would move to George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Virginia starting in the 2026 season. Additionally, the Scottish Rugby Union disposed of its ownership in the team.
Stadium
The team played their exhibition and inaugural campaigns at Cardinal Stadium on the campus of Catholic University of America. In 2021 they moved to Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia. 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. In November 2025, the team announced it would move to George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Virginia.Roster
The Old Glory DC squad for the 2026 Major League Rugby season is:- Senior 15s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
- * denotes players qualified to play for the on dual nationality or residency grounds.
- ** denotes non-American players playing as domestic players.
Head coaches
- Andrew Douglas
- Nate Osborne interim
- Josh Syms
- Simon Cross
Captains
- Josh Brown
- Mungo Mason
- Thretton Palamo
- Danny Tusitala
- Jamason Faʻanana-Schultz
- Stan South
- Rob Harley
- Jamason Faʻanana-Schultz
- Steffan Hughes
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 |
| June 9 | Ontario Blues | Home | Cardinal Stadium | Won, 29-15 |
2020 season
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. It was cancelled the following week.| 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 |
2022 season
Exhibition
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.| 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 |
Regular season
Old Glory played eighteen matches in the regular season with two bye weeks. Their home matches were played at Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia. 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 |