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Old Glory returns to Maryland SoccerPlex on Saturday to take on a former Eastern Conference rival. DC were the final opponent for ATL last season before their West Coast move to Los Angeles. It’s the first time the two franchises will meet at DC’s new home in Germantown.
| CURRENT STANDINGS |
2-2-1 (W1) East 3rd
1-3-0 (W1) West 6th
| LINEUP CHANGES |
1 Jack Iscaro rotates with 17 Quentin Newcomer
2 Martín Vaca replaces Facundo Gattas
4 Rob Harley replaces Bill Whiteside
7 Cory Daniel replaces Brady Daniel
12 Tommaso Boni replaces John Powers
20 Brady Daniel replaces Rob Harley
1 Dane Zander rotates with 18 Conor Young
5 Theo Vukasinovic replaces Jurie van Vuuren
6 Michael Amiras rotates with 19 Jason Damm
9 Tas Smith rotates with 21 Niall Saunders
12 Jason Emery replaces Seth Purdey
15 Rory van Vugt replaces Austin White
22 Seth Purdey replaces Theo Vukasinovic
23 Austin White replaces Sam Walsh
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(10) – Iscaro, Daniel, Boni, Dabulas (USA), Harley, Hoyland (Scotland), Dotti (Uruguay), Rowland, Bowd (Canada), Tusitala (Samoa)
(8) – Maughan (USA), O’Gorman, Heaton, Coe, Young (Canada), Kunatani (Fiji), Damm (USA), Katjijeko (Namibia)
| CLUB DEBUTS |
(0) – n/a
(1) – Theo Vukasinovic*
* – MLR debut
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz (FL/N8), Niko Jones (FL/N8), Perry Humphreys (WI)
– Wilton Rebolo (HO/TH), James Stokes (CE)
| NOTES |
- Old Glory captain Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz is serving the third of his five-game suspension… Niko Jones is currently on loan to Super Rugby side Moana Pasifika
- Cory Daniel was a late scratch for DC last week but returns to the starting lineup this week at the expense of his brother Brady Daniel who settles for a spot on the bench
- Cali Martinez starts back-to-back games for the first time in his MLR career… he has been competing for the No3 shirt with fellow Canadian Tyler Rowland following the long-term injury suffered by Kevin Brou in the preseason… Martinez started just once last season
- former Premiership lock Theo Vukasinovic debuts for LA… he was a last-minute addition to the bench against Utah two weeks ago but did not see the field… LA are still waiting on the arrivals of front rowers Alessandro Heaney and Wilton Rebolo and second row Liam Antrobus
- Matt Heaton captains the franchise for the first time since their relocation… the Canadian flanker was a regular skipper for ATL since their inception in 2020… Niall Saunders has led LA in their first four games but was been named on the bench for this match
- Jason Emery returns to the midfield from a knee injury having missed only one game… fulback Rory van Vugt is also back in the lineup after a two-game absence… lock Reegan O’Gorman left the game against Utah early with an upper-body injury but is clear to start against DC
| PREDICTION |
Both teams are coming off victories, with LA recording the first win under their new banner against Utah two weeks ago. Vukasinovic adds experience to their pack and Emery makes a welcome return, but key attacker James Stokes remains absent. Old Glory rotated their lineup against Anthem but have beefed up their side to face LA. DC are slight favorites at home.
| LINEUPS |
OLD GLORY DC
1 Jack Iscaro, 2 Martín Vaca, 3 Cali Martinez, 4 Rob Harley (capt.), 5 Ignacio Dotti, 6 Collin Grosse, 7 Cory Daniel, 8 Lautaro Bavaro, 9 Ethan McVeigh, 10 Jason Robertson, 11 John Rizzo, 12 Tommaso Boni, 13 William Talataina, 14 Axel Müller, 15 Damien Hoyland
Replacements: 16 KoiKoi Nelligan, 17 Quentin Newcomer, 18 Tyler Rowland, 19 Tevita Naqali, 20 Brady Daniel, 21 Danny Tusitala, 22 Gradyn Bowd, 23 Mike Dabulas
RFC LOS ANGELES
1 Dane Zander, 2 Bruce Kauika-Petersen, 3 Alex Maughan, 4 Reegan O’Gorman, 5 Theo Vukasinovic, 6 Michael Amiras, 7 Matt Heaton (capt.), 8 Semi Kunatani, 9 Tas Smith, 10 Dan Hollinshead, 11 Jack Shaw, 12 Jason Emery, 13 Will Leonard, 14 Andrew Coe, 15 Rory van Vugt
Replacements: 16 Ben Strang, 17 Lincoln Si’i, 18 Conor Young, 19 Jason Damm, 20 Max Katjijeko, 21 Niall Saunders, 22 Seth Purdey, 23 Austin White
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, April 6
Venue: Maryland SoccerPlex, Germantown
Kickoff: 17:00 local (14:00 Pacific)
Weather Forecast: cloudy, 52°F (11°C), wind NW 12-19mph (19-30km/h)
Broadcasts: Bally Sports SoCal, Monumental Sports, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Moe Chaudhry (Canada)
Assistants: Cisco Lopez (USA) & Aaron Davis (USA)
TMO: Austin Reed (USA)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (7) – ATL 4, DC 3, STREAK DC +1
2023-06-17 – Old Glory DC 36, Rugby ATL 28 (Segra Field)
2023-04-08 – Rugby ATL 35, Old Glory DC 27 (Silverbacks Park)
2022-03-20 – Old Glory DC 13, Rugby ATL 27 (Segra Field)
2022-02-05 – Rugby ATL 55, Old Glory DC 22 (Silverbacks Park)
2021-06-26 – Rugby ATL 32, Old Glory DC 12 (Lupo Family Field)
2021-03-27 – Old Glory DC 30, Rugby ATL 23 (Segra Field)
2020-03-08 – Old Glory DC 31, Rugby ATL 29 (Cardinal Stadium)
