San_Diego_Legion
San Diego Legion
Professional rugby union team from San Diego, California
The San Diego Legion are a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR), based in San Diego, California.[1][2] The Legion began play in the league's inaugural 2018 season. The team plays their home games at Snapdragon Stadium.
Quick Facts Full name, Founded ...
| Full name | San Diego Legion | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017; 7 years ago (2017) | ||
| Location | San Diego, California | ||
| Ground(s) | Snapdragon Stadium (Capacity: 35,000) | ||
| President | David Haigh | ||
| Coach(es) | Danny Lee | ||
| Captain(s) | Blair Cowan | ||
| Top scorer | Joe Pietersen (177) | ||
| Most tries | Mike Te'o (9) | ||
| League(s) | Major League Rugby | ||
| 2023 | Runner-up 1st (Western Conference) | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
 Current season | |||
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Established in 2017, the San Diego Legion have represented San Diego since their inception. The Legion are one of seven founding teams in Major League Rugby.
The Legion were runner-ups in the 2019 and 2023 season championships.
More information Season, Kit Manufacturer ...
| Season | Kit Manufacturer | Front of Jersey Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | XBlades | Sharp Business Systems |
| 2019 | None | |
| 2020 | Paladin Sports | None |
| 2021–2022 | Ballast Point Brewing Company | |
| 2023 | Kings & Convicts Brewing Co. |
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Current squad
For player movements before and during the 2024 season, see List of 2023–24 Major League Rugby transfers § San Diego Legion.
The San Diego Legion squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is:[3]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
More information Player, Position ...
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- Senior 15s and senior 7s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
- * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
- MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.
Head coaches
Rob Hoadley (2018–2020) [4]
Zack Test (2020) [4]
Scott Murray (2020–2021) [4]
Danny Lee (2022–)[5]
Captains
- Nate Augspurger (2018)
- Joe Pietersen (2019)
- Nate Augspurger (2020–present)
Season standings
More information Season, Conference ...
| Season | Conference | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Pld | W | L | F | A | +/− | Result | |||
| 2018 | - | 3rd | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 214 | 201 | +13 | 4 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 38 | -14 | Lost Semifinal (Seattle Seawolves) 24–38 | |
| 2019 | - | 1st | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 457 | 296 | +161 | 12 | 61 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 47 | 48 | -1 | Won Semifinal (Rugby United New York) 24–22 Lost Major League Rugby final (Seattle Seawolves) 23-26 | |
| 2020[lower-alpha 1] | Western | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 161 | 108 | +53 | 3 | 23 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Cancelled | |
| 2021 | Western | 4th | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 430 | 464 | -34 | 14 | 38 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
| 2022 | Western | 5th | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 475 | 428 | +47 | 8 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 43 | -24 | Lost West Conference Eliminator (Seattle Seawolves) 19–43 | |
| 2023 | Western | 1st | 16 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 554 | 285 | +269 | 14 | 74 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 56 | 35 | +21 | Won Conference Final (Seattle Seawolves) 32-10 Lost Major League Rugby final New England Free Jacks 25-24 | |
| Totals | 77 | 51 | 1 | 25 | 1,991 | 1,682 | +309 | 55 | 263 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 146 | 164 | -18 | 4 playoff appearances | |||
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Notes
- 2020 regular season shortened and playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honors
More information Date, Opponent ...
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 25 | Austin Elite° | Away | Won, 24–32 |
| April 7 | Houston SaberCats° | Home | Lost, 17–33 |
| April 22 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 23–39 |
| April 29 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 31–24 |
| May 4 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 35–32 |
| May 13 | Glendale Raptors | Away | Lost, 27–31 |
| May 25 | Austin Elite | Away | Lost, 5–31 |
| June 9 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Won, 39–22 |
| June 17 | Austin Elite | Home | Won, 31–17 |
| June 23 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Won, 23–5 |
| June 30 | Seattle Seawolves°° | Neutral | Lost, 24–38 |
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° = Exhibition game
°° = Playoff semifinals at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado.
Exhibition
More information Date, Opponent ...
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 6 | Life West | Away | Won, 76–0 |
| January 13 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Lost, 31–38 |
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Regular season
More information Date, Opponent ...
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 27 | Rugby United New York | Home | Lost, 23-25 |
| February 2 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Won, 17-13 |
| February 9 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 17-13 |
| February 17 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 21–10 |
| February 23 | Austin Elite | Away | Won, 45-17 |
| March 10 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Lost, 20-27 |
| March 16 | Glendale Raptors | Away | Draw, 28-28 |
| March 31 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Won, 28-22 |
| April 7 | Austin Elite | Home | Won, 45-15 |
| April 14 | Rugby United New York | Away | Won, 29–19 |
| April 20 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Won, 46–15 |
| April 28 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 41-19 |
| May 5 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Lost, 19-23 |
| May 11 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Won, 26-19 |
| May 18 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 31-21 |
| June 2 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Won, 22–10 |
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Post season
More information Date, Opponent ...
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 9 | Rugby United New York | Home | Won, 24-22 |
| June 16 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Lost, 23–26 |
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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.[6] It was cancelled the following week[7]
Regular season
More information Date, Opponent ...
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 9 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Won, 33–24 |
| February 16 | Colorado Raptors | Home | Won, 49–22 |
| February 23 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Won, 30–21 |
| February 29 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Won, 25–21 |
| March 8 | Rugby United New York | Home | Won, 24–20 |
| March 15 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Cancelled |
| March 22 | Old Glory DC | Home | Cancelled |
| March 27 | Utah Warriors | Away | Cancelled |
| April 5 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Cancelled |
| April 12 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Cancelled |
| April 26 | Rugby ATL | Away | Cancelled |
| May 3 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Cancelled |
| May 10 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Cancelled |
| May 16 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Cancelled |
| May 25 | Utah Warriors | Home | Cancelled |
| May 30 | Colorado Raptors | Away | Cancelled |
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Regular season
More information Date, Opponent ...
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Rugby United New York | Home | Lost, 29–36 |
| March 28 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Won, 14–11 |
| April 3 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lost, 22–41 |
| April 10 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Lost, 32–34 |
| April 17 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 31-29 |
| April 24 | LA Giltinis | Away | Lost, 17-45 |
| May 1 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Lost, 17-33 |
| May 9 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 15-21 |
| May 15 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Won, 43-17 |
| May 29 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 39-11 |
| June 6 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Won, 40-30 |
| June 12 | Utah Warriors | Away | Lost, 41-45 |
| June 20 | LA Giltinis | Home | Lost, 13-19 |
| June 26 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Lost, 14-33 |
| July 3 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Won, 34-21 |
| July 10 | Old Glory DC | Away | Lost, 38-29 |
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Regular season
More information Date, Opponent ...
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 6 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 39-21 |
| February 12 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Won, 37-29 |
| February 20 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Lost, 28-31 |
| February 26 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 31-20 |
| March 6 | Old Glory DC | Home | Won, 24-12 |
| March 13 | Rugby New York | Away | Lost, 23-26 |
| March 19 | LA Giltinis | Away | Lost, 13-26 |
| April 1 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 40-25 |
| April 10 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Lost, 21-35 |
| April 16 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 32-34 |
| April 24 | Rugby ATL | Home | Lost, 17-30 |
| April 30 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Won, 53-14 |
| May 7 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Lost, 24-34 |
| May 14 | LA Giltinis | Home | Won, 31-27 |
| May 21 | NOLA Gold | Awaay | Won, 42-12 |
| May 28 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Lost, 28-44 |
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Post season
See also: 2022 Major League Rugby playoffs
More information Round, Date ...
| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Eliminator | June 12 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 19–43 |
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The San Diego Legion will play 16 games in the 2023 season. Home games will be played at Snapdragon Stadium.
More information Date, Opponent ...
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 18 | Utah Warriors | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 33-17 |
| February 26 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 29-12 |
| March 5 | Houston SaberCats | Away | SaberCats Stadium | Lost, 31-26 |
| March 11 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 22-0 |
| March 18 | Rugby ATL | Away | Atlanta Silverbacks Park | Won, 35-10 |
| April 2 | Old Glory DC | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 48-26 |
| April 8 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Sports Complex | Won, 23-20 |
| April 16 | Chicago Hounds | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 48-24 |
| April 22 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Choctaw Stadium | Won, 47-38 |
| April 30 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 29-16 |
| May 6 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | |
| May 13 | NOLA Gold | Away | Gold Mine | |
| May 28 | Rugby New York Ironworkers | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | |
| June 3 | Chicago Hounds | Away | SeatGeek Stadium | |
| June 11 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | |
| June 18 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | |
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- "Major League Rugby nears kick-off as next attempt to make US a union power". The Guardian. UK. November 17, 2017. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- Nelson, Ronan (January 18, 2018). "MLRs San Diego Legion Holds Combine". Rugby Wrap Up. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- "San Diego Legion". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- "Coaching staff". San Diego Legion. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- "San Diego Legion Names Danny Lee Head Coach & Director of Rugby". August 11, 2021.
- "Anonymous, "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON FOR 30 DAYS," www.majorleague.rugby, March 12, 2020 Retrieved March 14, 2020". Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- "Major League Rugby cancels remainder of 2020 campaign". Yahoo! Sports. AFP. March 19, 2020. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
