Old Glory Re-Signs Cali Martinez

By Alistair Kirsch-Poole
Nov 3, 2025 - 1:00pm

Canadian prop Cali Martinez has been confirmed for a fourth season with Old Glory DC. This comes despite changes to league rules that mean he will count as a foreign player for the first time.

The 29-year-old British Columbia native played age-grade rugby in Canada, taking the field for the national U17 and U20 teams. He attended the University of British Columbia, winning the Canadian University Championship with the Thunderbirds. He also played club rugby for Bayside RFC.

Though eligible for both the USA and Canada, he chose to represent Canada on the international stage, debuting against Romania in the summer of 2024. He has quickly become a key part of the team, earning 12 caps, 10 of them in the starting lineup.

He was selected third overall by Old Glory in the 2022 MLR draft, and that has turned out the be a very prescient pick. He has built year by year, playing for 201 minutes in 13 appearances in 2023, 494 minutes in 16 appearances in 2024, and 782 minutes in 17 appearances in 2025. Even as his role has increased he hasn't been a consistent starter, starting in less than half of his matches last season.

Tough capable of playing both sides of the scrum, his prefered position is loosehead. However, a series of factors have forced him to split his time at OGDC, most notably injuries to key players on the tighthead side and the anchoring presence of Jack Iscaro on the loosehead side.

With Jack Iscaro presumed to miss the MLR season having signed with Stade Français, Martinez is clearly positioned to take on the starting loosehead role. As one of the best props in the league last season it seems like the obvious choice, although it remains to be seen who else is signed by the team.

One complication this season will be his status as a foreign player. With Canadians now counted as foreign players, he will be competing for one of just seven foreign players slots in the gameday lineup. Should one of the domestic options below him prove himself worthy, Martinez may once again struggle to break into the lineup.