Old Glory Opens 2023 with Chicago Hounds - Match Preview

By Alistair Kirsch-Poole
Feb 17, 2023 - 4:00pm

Old Glory's 2023 campaign will kickoff on Saturday as they host the brand-new Chicago Hounds at Segra Field. With the weather looking pretty good for February and a fanbase eager to put 2022 behind them, we could see a good crowd to cheer on Old Glory.

This will also be the first taste we get of the new improvements to the Segra experience. There will be a beer garden, alcohol-free tailgating,

Details

How good are the Chicago Hounds?

The Hounds are a complete mystery at this point. As a brand-new team with just one scrimmage under their belt, there is very little information about the team. Whether they will be any good this year is an open question.

That said, there are some things we do know about them. They have brought in Austin's former head coach Sam Harris, who's team was potentially the best in the league last year. He has brought a number of players with him, and former players of the defunct LA team have come as well. Chicago made out like bandits from the dispersal draft this fall. All of the makes them seem like they'll be a formidable team.

However, there are also reasons to be concerned about the Hounds. Many of the star players they took in the draft have yet to actually join the team, leaving them with a roster that is both thin and incomplete. Whether that affects them this week remains to be seen.

There are names worth mentioning in their lineup, though. The halfback pairing of Michael Baska and Luke Carty has the potential to be very dynamic, especially with Mark O'Keefe in the centers. The forwards notably have Duke Krishnan, the first Malaysian player in the MLR. Dacoda Worth, a long-time Old Glory player before he went to Chicago, will come off the bench.

What can we expect from Old Glory?

Old Glory DC brings a substantially new squad into the 2023 season. While many of the starters returned, about 40% of the players this year are new to the team. In many areas, that has meant an upgrade in quality and depth.

We've seen OGDC play in two preseason matches this year, first in a close loss to New York and then in a blowout win against Toronto. In both matches, it was clear that the squad has taken a step forward from last year. The scrum looks like it has the potential to be dominant and the defense has come leaps and bounds from last year. There are still some areas of concern, though: the lineout was inconsistent and backs seemed to lack tactical creativity. However, that is all based on preseason, which doesn't always reflect how things will go in the regular season.

Old Glory's lineup isn't entirely surprising. Hometown hero Jack Iscaro starts at loosehead prop while team captain Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz starts at eight and vice-captain Stan South starts at lock. Danny Tusitala and Tito Diaz Bonilla will pair up at halfback, with Kurt Baker in the backfield.

However, there are also some unexpected selections. Collin Grosse, draftee out of Army, has played his way into the starting lineup at flanker. Meanwhile, Cory Daniel, who led the entire league in tackles last year, won't be making an appearance. Neither will William Talataina or Peni Lasaqa, both of whom are likely victims of the limited foreign player slots.

While I expect this team to pull out a win, to say that I'm confident would be a stretch. There's a lot of unknowns, which should make for an exciting start to the season.

Lineups

Old Glory DC

  1. Jack Iscaro
  2. Nic Souchon
  3. Kyle Stewart
  4. Stan South
  5. Tevita Naqali
  6. Collin Grosse
  7. Lautaro Bavarro
  8. Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz
  9. Danny Tusitala
  10. Tito Diaz Bonilla
  11. Junior Sa'u
  12. Fermin Martinez
  13. Thretton Palamo
  14. Mike Dabulas
  15. Kurt Baker

Bench:

  1. Facundo Gattas
  2. Quentin Newcomer
  3. Cali Martinez
  4. Fintan Coleman
  5. Alejo Daireaux
  6. Gradyn Bowd
  7. Marcos Young
  8. John Rizzo

Chicago Hounds

  1. George Thornton
  2. Lindsey stevens
  3. Charlie Abel
  4. Duke Krishnan
  5. Luke white
  6. Luke Beauchamp
  7. Maclean Jones
  8. Michael de Waal
  9. Michael Baska
  10. Luke Carty
  11. Caleb Strum
  12. Bryce Campbell
  13. Mark O'Keeffe
  14. JP Eloff
  15. Chris Mattina

Bench:

  1. LaRome White
  2. Hugh Roach
  3. Paddy Ryan
  4. Mike Matarazzo
  5. Sam Peri
  6. Dacoda Worth
  7. Sean Yacoubian
  8. Kevin Morgan