Old Glory had announced it's roster on Wednesday as some names that were not officially declared, but seemed likely were named to the squad. Forwards Dante Lopresti, Khalid Williams, Mo Katz, Cory Daniel, and Dacoda Worth have all made the team after playing for the team during their exhibition season (except for Daniel). Old Glory had also acquired Matt Hughston as he was rumored to make the transition from Rugby United New York to DC and the rumors turned out to be true.
Hughston played for RUNY last season in all of it's 16 matches. Hughston is now famously known having played for five North American teams after his move to the Nation's Capital as he played for the Ohio Aviators of the now defunct PRO Rugby league in 2016, but also played for NOLA Gold in 2018 and New England Freejacks in an exhibition match. Hughston is a very electric player who should be expected to earn a starting role or be named as a replacement in every match. Last season for RUNY, Hughston scored one try, had 123 carries for 616 meters, 21 lineout breaks, and made 170 tackles suggesting that he is a force on both offense and on defense (Stats provided by djcoilrugby.com). Hughston is a dynamic player and his 6'3" and 226 lbs frame makes him a force.
Lopresti is a tighthead prop who will no doubt provide depth for the team. He is 5'11" and 250 lbs, so he should be able to pack a lot of force into a scrum if injuries do occur. A local product of the D.C. metropolitan area, he played for Old Glory in their exhibition season in 2019. Lopresti played for local club Potomac Exiles and was selected to the prestigious Capital Selects.
Williams was signed for the 2019 exhibition season after impressing at the Columbus combine. Like Lopresti, Williams will provide depth at prop and his 6'0" and 240 lbs frame could make him a great piece for the scrum. Williams got his rugby career started in high school, but went on to be a great collegiate player for Notre Dame College as he earned 2017 D1A Rugby East All-Conference Second Team honors.
Mo Katz was expected to be signed after impressing in the 2019 exhibition season for the team as he provides depth at hooker. Katz got his rugby career started playing for James Madison University as he won multiple Cardinal Conference Championships and the 2015 Keystone Rugby Championship. He also helped James Madison win the 2015 USA National Sevens Division II Championship as well as led them to the semifinals in the 2016 Las Vegas Invitational. During his time at James Madison, he earned 2014/2015 USA Rugby Collegiate All-American Honorable Mention honors and in 2016, he represented the Collegiate All-Americans on tour to Queensland, Australia. During that time he was also named MVP of the Keystone Rugby Conference. For James Madison, Katz helped the team become Chesapeake Collegiate Rugby Conference Champions and he was an All-Conference selection in 2016. He played for local D.C. metropolitan club NOVA Rugby and during his time there he was named to the Capital Rugby Union Selects in 2017 against Stars Rugby and again in 2019 versus USA Rugby South.
Daniel is a relative newcomer to rugby, but having played football and wrestling, he seems like a natural player to move to play rugby. He is listed as a flanker as he made his rugby debut in 2019 having attended the Rugby Americas North combine. He was a wrestler at University of North Carolina. Expect him to be learning a lot about the sport as the season progresses.
Worth played for Old Glory during their 2019 exhibition season and impressed so much that they signed him to an MLR contract for 2020. Worth played rugby at Indiana University being named Forward of the Year in 2019 and was the Co-MVP in 2018. He played for local club NOVA Rugby, but he was also named to the Old Glory Selects to play against USA Rugby South Panthers. Worth also got his chance to play Sevens as he played for All-Army Sevens in the Rugbytown 7s. Worth is 6'3" and 220 lbs as he provides depth for the club.
*Information provided by oldglorydc.com and djcoilrugby.com
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