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. This article was last updated on November 20, 2025.

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.

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 is not yet known where he will play his rugby going forward, but sources have indicated that he will be joining another MLR team after they offered him more than Old Glory was prepared to match.

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. With the salary cap rumored to be tightening, coach Cross is likely trying to shift to a younger, cheaper roster. While he has yet to sign with a new club, he has been active with the Eagles in the Pacific Nations Cup.

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. 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.

A previously reported departure was Damien Hoyland, however he is now rumored to be returning to the team. He will now be joining the rebooted Scotland Mens 7s team, but sources are now indicating that this will not prevent him playing for Old Glory in 2026. How exactly this arrangement will work out is not clear, but the team's strong connection to the Scottish Rugby Union through their ownership stake could be to thank. Regardless, Hoyland's return would be 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. 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.