Old Glory Retains John Powers for 2026 Season

By Alistair Kirsch-Poole
Jan 1, 2026 - 3:00pm

Old Glory has announced the re-signing of American center John Powers. The 28-year-old will be entering his third season with OGDC and his sixth overall.

A native of New York, Powers has lived around the world due to his upbringing in a military family, including the Philippines where he began playing rugby at the age of 10. He continued playing at high school in New York, helping his team win state championships and contend for national championships.

He played his collegiate rugby at Iona College as a fullback, wing, and sometimes flyhalf. He was the team's vice-captain in 2019, and also earned All-Conference first-team honors. Notably, he also played with fellow OGDC teammate Connor Buckley while at Iona.

His first contact with MLR also came while he was in college, as he captained the Rugby United New York U23 academy team. Despite that connection, he was picked up 7th overall in the 2020 MLR Draft by the Utah Warriors. He played in just one match in his rookie season, coming off the bench for a single minutes against Rugby ATL.

He returned home to Rugby United New York the following season but didn't play significantly more. He played for 21 minutes in jsut 2 appearances in 2022, then for a total of 84 minutes in 4 appearances in 2023.

Following the collapse of the New York franchise after the 2023 season, Powers was picked up by Old Glory DC. After proving himself in practice, he was shifted to the centers and given a signficant role on the team. He played for a career high 722 minutes in 14 appearances in 2024, starting in 9 of those. He also scored a pair of tries that season. This past season his role was reduced again, mostly due to the inclusion of experienced foreign centers Steff Hughes, Jason Emery, and Nick Grigg. He played for 336 minutes in 12 appearances, with just 2 starts.

His role in 2026 will be heavily determined by the other players in the lineup. While Emery is returning and will likely be the fixed starter at inside center, Hughes will move to a coaching role is unlikely to play next season. It's unknown whether Grigg will be returning. Regardless, given the pattern of signings this year, it seems likely that Old Glory will either return or add a top-level starter to play alongside Emery while bringing in a promising younger player to compete with Powers for time on the bench.