Players Leaving the Team in 2026

By Alistair Kirsch-Poole
Oct 22, 2025 - 8:00pm

Note: This article will be updated as departures are announced. Now that the full roster has been announced, it's unlikely there will be any more updates. This article was last updated on February 24, 2026.

Old Glory has confirmed the departure of several players who were contracted for the 2025 season. None of these players will be returning for 2026 unless circumstances change.

Perhaps the biggest departure of the off-season is loosehead prop Jack Iscaro. A local prospect who rose from rookie to the unquestioned starter for the Eagles has spent his whole career to date with Old Glory DC. In October, he was signed by Top 14 side Stade Français as an injury replacement, and was later signed to a full contract that will see him playing in the Top 14 for the foreseeable future.

While fans will miss his quality play on the pitch, the move is unquestionably a good one. The Top 14 is among the best club competitions in the world and should be an excellent place for Iscaro to develop to new heights.

Old Glory has confirmed that Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz will not be returning to the team. The 29-year-old has been one of the few constants on the team since the inaugural season in 2020, captaining the team in 2023 and 2024 and acting as vice-captain last season. In total he earned 62 caps across 6 seasons with OGDC and scored 12 tries. His loss will be more keenly felt than most by long-time fans of the team.

It has now been confirmed that he will be joining OGDC's rivals, the New England Free Jacks, for 2026. However, he has also signed a contract to play for Narbonne in France's third-level league, Nationale 1. While this doesn't preclude him from playing in the second half of the MLR season, it's an open question whether he will actually play for the Free Jacks or not.

A third significant loss to the forwards is Lautaro Bavaro, the Argentine back rower who has been called a "silent assassin" due to his effective play and taciturn demeanor. The coaching staff had intended on bringing him back, but personal circumstances made it infeasible for him to return. He played an incredible number of minutes, 3,714 of a possible 4,160, and only missed 4 matches in his three seasons.

Uruguayan international Facundo Gattas will leaving the team, and it's not clear where he will play in the future. The 30-year-old hooker first joined the team halfway through the 2022 season and has earned 43 caps in the interveneing three and a half seasons. It's been hinted that his departure is related to the reduced foreign player cap being implemented next season.

In a similar boat is Ignacio Dotti, the veteran Uruguayan lock who impressed in lineouts but struggled to get in the lineup with just 315 minutes played. Head coach Simon Cross has expressed before that he expects a lot from foreign players both on the field and in the locker room, and it looks like Vaca and Dotti are the first to go with the increasing restrictions in 2026. He likewise has yet to sign with a new club.

Veteran Eagles center Tommaso Boni is a domestic player but is otherwise similar. After being a massive component of the 2024 team, he had difficulty establishing himself on the 2025 squad and played just 308 minutes. He has now returned to Italy to play for Mogliano Veneto in Serie A Elite, the top domestic league in that country.

Argentinian winger Axel Muller is a bit different from the above players. While he was born in Argentina and played for their national team back in 2016, he spent a large portion of his childhood in the US and was looking to transfer his international eligibility to the US. His move to MLR was widely seen as part of that, a way to convince World Rugby he was committed to the US. Unfortunately, rules that regularly get stretched for top tier international teams don't tend to for lower tier teams and his transfer was denied.

With all appeal options exhausted, Muller has chosen to return to the French leagues, signing for Nationale 1 team Narbonne, where he will join fellow OGDC departure Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz. Likely, this move comes down to money, as the tightening purse strings make affording a top-level proven veteran like Muller difficult. He has been a standout player for Old Glory in his two years with the club, racking up 13 tries across 24 starts.

Another signifcant player in the backs to be leaving is Nick Grigg. The center from New Zealand was signed partway through last season and had a big impact. He stood out to fans for his strong carrying in the midfield, racking up 5 tries in his 12 matches for OGDC. He has decided to retire from professional rugby.

A previously reported departure was Damien Hoyland, however he is now confirmed to be returning to the team. He will now be joining the rebooted Scotland Mens 7s team, but this will not prevent him playing for Old Glory in 2026. How exactly this arrangement will work out is not clear, especially as the Scottish Rugby Union has sold their ownership stake in the team. Regardless, Hoyland's return is a welcome comeback.

Next season will also see the team without the services of scrumhalf Ethan McVeigh. The California native was one of two young American players to be brought in two years ago, the other being Connor Buckley. While McVeigh has managed to catch the eye of Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence and earned his first international cap last year, it's Buckley who has become the clear first choice at Old Glory. Multiple sources have stated that McVeigh has chosen to pursue the opportunity to be the first choice scrumhalf elsewhere rather than be the second choice behind Buckley. All accounts suggest that this was an amicable split. It's now known he will be joining the New England Free Jacks.

The only other player confirmed to be departing is a darker story. Brady Daniel, the brother of OGDC stalwart Cory Daniel, was arrested July on charges of rape and sexual assault, although those charges have since been dismissed. The team has announced publicly that they have severed ties him. The 26-year-old had showed promise but never managed to break into the regular rotation, accumulating just 15 caps in four seasons with Old Glory.

Off the final roster

A number of players have not been announced as departing, but also are not on the final roster as announced by the team ahead of training camps. These players could still rejoin the team in the future, but they will be treated as departing players until that time.

Some of the players are leaving for reasons known or easy to guess. Joe Rees, the veteran Welsh prop, suffered a bad injury last season and is likely retiring from professional rugby. Quentin Newcomer, a Virginia native and MLR journeyman, has had to leave the team for his off-field career.

Other players' departures are more speculative. American-qualified English prop Joe Wrafter never quite achieved the potential he seemed to have despite two seasons with the team, although one source suggested injury might have been the cause of his under-performance. Young New Zealand prop Sam Davies, meanwhile, performed reasonably well but would struggle to find playing time in 2026 given the new limits on foreign players.

The remaining members of the 2024 draft class are also off the official roster. Sebastian Schefermann, the only one to actually join the team last season, seems to be out. Meanwhile Aaron Juma is still finishing school and Ray Santiago is still playing in the DC area, making both of them potential signings in the future.