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Old Glory plays their final home game of the season on Saturday opposite Anthem, with a playoff spot potentially on offer. For the visitors it would take an extraordinary result – a bonus point win with no bonus points for DC or the Free Jacks. A win for the home side, however, might be enough given the Free Jacks face the unbeaten Hounds on Sunday.
| FORM GUIDE |
5th, 3-6-0, Lost 2
05/30 – Old Glory 32 vs 33 Hounds (Fairfax)
05/24 – Legion 42 vs 10 Old Glory (Sacramento)
05/17 – Old Glory 24 vs 23 Free Jacks (Fairfax)
05/10 – Old Glory 25 vs 30 Seawolves (Fairfax)
05/03 – Hounds 49 vs 31 Old Glory (Bridgeview)
04/26 – Old Glory 23 vs 36 Legion (Fairfax)
04/18 – Anthem 14 vs 31 Old Glory (Charlotte)
04/11 – Free Jacks 19 vs 21 Old Glory (Quincy)
04/03 – Seawolves 33 vs 16 Old Glory (Tukwila)
6th, 2-7-0, Lost 6
05/31 – Anthem 26 vs 55 Legion (Charlotte)
05/23 – Anthem 7 vs 20 Free Jacks (Charlotte)
05/17 – Seawolves 57 vs 21 Anthem (Tukwila)
05/10 – Hounds 61 vs 26 Anthem (Bridgeview)
04/26 – Free Jacks 38 vs 26 Anthem (Quincy)
04/18 – Anthem 14 vs 31 Old Glory (Charlotte)
04/12 – Anthem 34 vs 25 Seawolves (Charlotte)
04/04 – Anthem 19 vs 33 Hounds (Charlotte)
03/28 – Legion 26 vs 39 Anthem (Irvine)
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 4 | Rob Harley | Rick Rose |
| 7 | Aidan King | Collin Grosse |
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Elias Garza | Alessandro Heaney |
| 3 | Oliver Kane | Alex Maughan |
| 4 | Will Sherman | Sam Golla |
| 7 | Marques Fuala’au | Makeen Alikhan |
| 9 | Ishy Safodien | Karl Keane |
| 13 | Dom Akina | Erich Storti |
| NOTES |
- Injured / unavailable – (Old Glory) Jay Renton, Jason Emery; (Anthem) Payton Telea-Ilalio, Alessandro Heaney, Ramiro Gurovich, James Scott, Sam Golla, Makeen Alikhan, Will Leonard
- Simon Cross has made minimal changes to the side that very nearly toppled the Hounds a week ago, losing by just a single point… captain Rob Harley returns from suspension and openside flanker Aidan King is fit for duty
- there is no scenario where DC can earn a home playoff game, but a win of any kind would put them in a strong position of qualifying for a semi final showdown the Hounds… Old Glory and New England are even in points but the Free Jacks hold a slender 7-point scoring differential advantage
- Anthem are missing several of their front line forwards this week, with co-captain Sam Golla and fellow Eagles international Makeen Alikhan joining the absentee list
- both Anthem props are getting first starts in MLR… loosehead Elias Garza is in his first season as a pro, while Oliver Kane was used exclusively as a replacement in his three seasons with San Diego
- Matt Carrion and Jeron Pantor are in line for their first pro appearances off the bench… back row Carrion was an unused replacement with New England in last year’s season opener, while versatile back Pantor missed the entirety of the 2025 campaign with injury
- if Anthem do not pull off a miracle result… this could well be the final game for the franchise… questions remain about the league’s future in general, but the funding agreement between MLR and World Rugby expires at the end of this campaign and there is no replacement backer as of yet
| PREDICTION |
Hot and sunny conditions are expected at kickoff, which will take a toll on the forwards. That’s not great news for Anthem, whose reserves are not as experienced. Regardless, this is an easy call based on form. Anthem have dropped seven in a row and their defense was in pieces against the Legion. Old Glory were similarly poor against California but rebounded with an inspired effort against the Hounds. DC are clear favorites at home in Fairfax.
| TEAMS |
OLD GLORY DC
1 Cali Martinez, 2 Kirby Myhill, 3 Paul Mullen, 4 Rob Harley (capt.), 5 Tevita Naqali, 6 Cory Daniel, 7 Aidan King, 8 Benjamín Bonasso (capt.), 9 John LeFevre, 10 Jason Robertson, 11 John Rizzo, 12 Jordan Jackson-Hope, 13 Ross Depperschmidt, 14 Perry Humphreys, 15 Damien Hoyland
Replacements: 16 Connor Robinson, 17 Bart Vermeulen, 18 Connor Devos, 19 Rick Rose, 20 Collin Grosse, 21 Aidan Ridgway, 22 Max Schumacher, 23 John Powers
ANTHEM RC
1 Elias Garza, 2 Campbell Robb, 3 Oliver Kane, 4 Will Sherman, 5 Johan Momsen (capt.), 6 Moni Tonga’uiha, 7 Marques Fuala’au, 8 Baden Godfrey, 9 Ishy Safodien, 10 Luke Carty, 11 Julian Roberts, 12 Tom Pittman, 13 Dom Akina, 14 Conner Mooneyham, 15 Jordan Trainor
Replacements: 16 Seth Smith, 17 Alex Hernandez, 18 Alex Maughan, 19 Alejandro Martinez Tapia, 20 Matt Carrion, 21 Jeron Pantor, 22 Zion Going, 23 Erich Storti
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, June 6
Venue: George Mason Stadium, Fairfax
Kickoff: 16:00 local (13:00 Pacific, 15:00 Central)
Weather Forecast: sunny, 90°F (32°C), wind SW 10-14 mph (16-24 km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports (International), Monumental Sports (Local), WCCB Charlotte (Local)
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
Assistants: Mike Lawrenson (USA) & Amelia Luciano (USA)
TMO: n/a
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (5) – Old Glory 5, Anthem 0
2026-04-18 – Anthem RC 14, Old Glory DC 31 (American Legion Memorial Stadium)
2025-05-18 – Anthem RC 19, Old Glory DC 41 (American Legion Memorial Stadium)
2025-03-08 – Old Glory DC 26, Anthem RC 22 (Maryland SoccerPlex)
2024-06-01 – Old Glory DC 47, Anthem RC 29 (Maryland SoccerPlex)
2024-03-30 – Anthem RC 32, Old Glory DC 46 (American Legion Memorial Stadium)
