With the excitement over the third season of Major League Rugby coming in a few months, the natives of Washington D.C. are growing impatient as a new franchise will be starting their inaugural campaign in the Nation's Capital at Catholic University of America's Cardinal Stadium come February. However, with all the anticipation for the season to start, looking at the acquisitions the club has made should make fans a little bit more giddy for what could happen this upcoming season. With that being said, let's take a look at the acquisitions the newest MLR franchise, Old Glory DC, have made before the 2020 season.
Jake Turnbull
Turnbull will likely be the starting in the front row for Old Glory as they acquired him from the Houston SaberCats to be their loosehead prop. Turnbull is 6'2" and 285 lbs as he adds quite some power and weight to the scrum. In 20 matches played for Houston in the past two seasons, he has scored one try. This was an excellent pickup as he helped Houston win their last four matches of the season to finish 6-10 after starting 2-10. It also brings in some star power as he is considered one of the top front rowers in the MLR.
Jason Robertson
The team seems to think building depth at flyhalf is instrumental as they have four of them on their squad. One of those is Jason Robertson, who is coming from the Mitre 10 Cup in New Zealand as he played for the Bay of Plenty Steamers. He also played for the Tokyo Gas in Japan in 2017. Americas Rugby News describes him as a creative attacker and a right-footed goal kicker. It will be interesting to see if he becomes the starter or is named as a replacement on game days.
Nic Mirhashem
Finding talent in the collegiate ranks is great for the growth of the sport in the United States, but Old Glory seems to be finding lots of them. Coming out of Cal, openside flanker Mirhashem will be joining the team in the Nation's Capital after leading his team to the National Championship finishing in second place. He also was named a Collegiate All-American and has won Varsity Cups. Mirhashem also captained the Golden Bears. This could be an underrated signing as Mirhashem could be a star in the making. The question will be whether he is a starter or a replacement in his first year in the league.
Danny Tusitala
Tusitala could be a very valuable signing as he has some experience and is very talented. With three appearances for Samoa under his belt and has played overseas in France, plus for Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup, he will provide some experience. With his experience, he should be looked at as the first-choice scrumhalf unless they go after someone else.
Api Naikatini
One of the biggest signings, Naikatini comes over as a defending champion as he was a major factor in the Seattle Seawolves repeating as champions. Naikatini provides bone crushing hits and is a stout defender. He will be a key player in the second row for Old Glory. Naikatini should help lead a strong forward pack and their defense. The Fijian is an experienced player which should help them for a playoff push.
Tevita Naqali
The club probably was looking for depth and a player to develop a partnership with Naikatini in the second row and they found it in Naqali. Naqali, like Naikatini, is an experienced Fijian that provides versatility as he can play in the back row. His height should be a big factor in the lineouts, which could be an area where the club will need to win a lot.
Dylan Taikato-Simpson
Taikato-Simpson comes over from the Colorado Raptors after having a great season in 2019. While he is expected to be the starting fullback, Taikato-Simpson can also play on the wing and at flyhalf if needed. He is a fast player who has great footwork and is a brilliant attacker according to Americas Rugby News and he even scored six tries for the Raptors this past campaign. He will be a valuable member on offense.
Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz
Old Glory struck gold when they were able to acquire USA Eagle backrower Fa'anana-Schultz. He comes over from the Houston SaberCats as he and Turnbull helped Houston win those final four matches of the season. At 23 years old, he has a wealth of talent and could develop into not only a star in the league, but on the international stage for the United States. He is a strong ball carrier as he scored three tries in 2019 in only seven matches (416 meters on 60 carries). Fa'anana-Schultz also adds a lot of punch in the scrum as he is 6'2" and 254 lbs and helps beef up the depth in a strong back row.
Travis Larsen
Another strong acquisition made by Old Glory as they picked up Canadian flanker Larsen to help increase the depth and quality of the back row. Larsen has played for Canada on the international stage before and played with Austin Elite (now Herd) in 2019. Larsen is a dynamic player who is versatile and a hard nosed individual. This was a fantastic pickup.
Jack McLean
Old Glory has been able to find a lot of great young talent from the collegiate ranks and McLean is evidenced by that. He was a four year starter for Penn State where he helped lead them to the regional championships. He also captained Penn State. McLean might not become a starter in 2020 in a deep back row, but he might be named as a replacement for most matches.
Mike Dabulas
Another collegiate player, Dabulas could become the first choice flyhalf as he will likely battle it out with Robertson for that honor. Another Penn State alumni, Dabulas is a very talented player who could develop into one of the top players to wear the 10 jersey in the league. He is also a Collegiate All-American. He is an intriguing prospect for the Old Glory.
Gordon Fullerton
One of the first significant signings for Old Glory and they found a player who adds quite a punch in the scrum as Fullerton will probably be the first choice at tighthead prop. Fullerton is versatile as he can play loosehead if needed, but his 6'1" and 256 lbs frame will help him go a long way in the forward pack. He did play in the Mitre 10 Cup for Te Awamutu. At 21 years old, this could be another underrated signing as he could blossom into a big time player in the league.
Now, the club will need to make more quality moves than what they've made if they want to make a playoff push in 2020, but there is still plenty of time to make more of them. That being said, there is a lot to like here especially with all the talent they have collected thus far. Old Glory will have to compete against the Toronto Arrows, Rugby United New York, and New Orleans Gold, two playoff teams in 2019 and another that just missed out, if they want to earn a spot in the playoffs as well as square off against newcomers New England Free Jacks and Rugby Atlanta, so it won't be easy. That being said, Old Glory fans should be excited for what's in store for the team in 2020.
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