San Diego Legion
Major League Rugby union team in San Diego, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The San Diego Legion were an American professional rugby union team based in San Diego, California, that competed in Major League Rugby (MLR) from 2020 to 2025. The team played its home games at Torero Stadium.[1] The Legion began play in the league's inaugural 2018 season.
| |||
| Full name | San Diego Legion | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 | ||
| Disbanded | 30 July 2025 | ||
| Location | San Diego, California | ||
| Ground | Torero Stadium (Capacity: 6,000) | ||
| President | David Haigh | ||
| Most caps | Nathan Sylvia (90) | ||
| Top scorer | Joe Pietersen (420) | ||
| Most tries | Tomas Aoake (23) | ||
| League | Major League Rugby | ||
| 2025 | Western Conference: 5th Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
History
Established in 2017, the San Diego Legion have represented San Diego since their inception. The Legion are one of seven founding teams in Major League Rugby. The Legion began play at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego for the 2018 season.
On February 2, 2022, the Legion announced Snapdragon Stadium to be their new home beginning in 2023. On November 19, 2024, the team announced plans to leave Snapdragon Stadium to return to Torero Stadium. Playoff games may be hosted at Snapdragon Stadium depending on demand.
The Legion were runner-ups in the 2019 and 2023 season championships.
In July 2025 it was announced that San Diego Legion and Rugby Football Club Los Angeles would merge to form a single, statewide rugby franchise, The California Legion.[2][3][4]
Sponsorship
| Season | Kit Manufacturer | Front of Jersey Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | XBlades | Sharp Business Systems |
| 2019 | None | |
| 2020 | Paladin Sports | None |
| 2021–2022 | Ballast Point Brewing Company | |
| 2023 | Kings & Convicts Brewing Co. | |
| 2024 | Kappa | Kings & Convicts Brewing Co. |
Players and personnel
Head coaches
Rob Hoadley (2018–2020) [5]
Zack Test (2020) [5]
Scott Murray (2020–2021) [5]
Danny Lee (2022–2024)[6]
John Manenti (2025)[7]
Captains
- Nate Augspurger (2018)
- Joe Pietersen (2019)
- Nate Augspurger (2020–2025)
Records
Season standings
| Season | Conference | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Pld | W | L | F | A | +/− | Result | |||
| 2018 | - | 3rd | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 214 | 201 | +13 | 4 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 38 | -14 | Lost Semifinal (Seattle Seawolves) 24–38 | |
| 2019 | - | 1st | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 457 | 296 | +161 | 12 | 61 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 47 | 48 | -1 | Won Semifinal (Rugby United New York) 24–22 Lost Major League Rugby final (Seattle Seawolves) 23–26 | |
| 2020[a] | Western | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 161 | 108 | +53 | 3 | 23 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Cancelled | |
| 2021 | Western | 4th | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 430 | 464 | -34 | 14 | 38 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
| 2022 | Western | 5th | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 475 | 428 | +47 | 8 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 43 | -24 | Lost West Conference Eliminator (Seattle Seawolves) 19–43 | |
| 2023 | Western | 1st | 16 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 554 | 285 | +269 | 14 | 74 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 56 | 35 | +21 | Won Conference Final (Seattle Seawolves) 32–10 Lost Major League Rugby final New England Free Jacks 25–24 | |
| 2024 | Western | 3rd | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 421 | 374 | +47 | 11 | 55 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 38 | -2 | Lost West Conference Eliminator (Seattle Seawolves) 28–30 | |
| 2025 | Western | 5th | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 490 | 429 | +61 | 16 | 48 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
| Totals | 109 | 70 | 1 | 38 | 2,902 | 2,485 | +417 | 82 | 366 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 174 | 202 | -28 | 5 playoff appearances | |||
Notes
- 2020 regular season shortened and playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honors
2018 season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 25 | Austin Elite° | Away | Won, 24–32 |
| April 7 | Houston SaberCats° | Home | Lost, 17–33 |
| April 22 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 23–39 |
| April 29 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 31–24 |
| May 4 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 35–32 |
| May 13 | Glendale Raptors | Away | Lost, 27–31 |
| May 25 | Austin Elite | Away | Lost, 5–31 |
| June 9 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Won, 39–22 |
| June 17 | Austin Elite | Home | Won, 31–17 |
| June 23 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Won, 23–5 |
| June 30 | Seattle Seawolves°° | Neutral | Lost, 24–38 |
° = Exhibition game
°° = Playoff semifinals at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado.
2019 season
Exhibition
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 6 | Life West | Away | Won, 76–0 |
| January 13 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Lost, 31–38 |
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 27 | Rugby United New York | Home | Lost, 23–25 |
| February 2 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Won, 17–13 |
| February 9 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 17–13 |
| February 17 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 21–10 |
| February 23 | Austin Elite | Away | Won, 45–17 |
| March 10 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Lost, 20–27 |
| March 16 | Glendale Raptors | Away | Draw, 28-28 |
| March 31 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Won, 28–22 |
| April 7 | Austin Elite | Home | Won, 45–15 |
| April 14 | Rugby United New York | Away | Won, 29–19 |
| April 20 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Won, 46–15 |
| April 28 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 41–19 |
| May 5 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Lost, 19–23 |
| May 11 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Won, 26–19 |
| May 18 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 31–21 |
| June 2 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Won, 22–10 |
Post season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 9 | Rugby United New York | Home | Won, 24–22 |
| June 16 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Lost, 23–26 |
2020 season
On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] It was canceled the following week[9]
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 9 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Won, 33–24 |
| February 16 | Colorado Raptors | Home | Won, 49–22 |
| February 23 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Won, 30–21 |
| February 29 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Won, 25–21 |
| March 8 | Rugby United New York | Home | Won, 24–20 |
| March 15 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Cancelled |
| March 22 | Old Glory DC | Home | Cancelled |
| March 27 | Utah Warriors | Away | Cancelled |
| April 5 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Cancelled |
| April 12 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Cancelled |
| April 26 | Rugby ATL | Away | Cancelled |
| May 3 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Cancelled |
| May 10 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Cancelled |
| May 16 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Cancelled |
| May 25 | Utah Warriors | Home | Cancelled |
| May 30 | Colorado Raptors | Away | Cancelled |
2021 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Rugby United New York | Home | Lost, 29–36 |
| March 28 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Won, 14–11 |
| April 3 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lost, 22–41 |
| April 10 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Lost, 32–34 |
| April 17 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 31–29 |
| April 24 | LA Giltinis | Away | Lost, 17–45 |
| May 1 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Lost, 17–33 |
| May 9 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 15–21 |
| May 15 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Won, 43–17 |
| May 29 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 39–11 |
| June 6 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Won, 40–30 |
| June 12 | Utah Warriors | Away | Lost, 41–45 |
| June 20 | LA Giltinis | Home | Lost, 13–19 |
| June 26 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Lost, 14–33 |
| July 3 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Won, 34–21 |
| July 10 | Old Glory DC | Away | Lost, 38–29 |
2022 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 6 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 39–21 |
| February 12 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Won, 37–29 |
| February 20 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Lost, 28–31 |
| February 26 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 31–20 |
| March 6 | Old Glory DC | Home | Won, 24–12 |
| March 13 | Rugby New York | Away | Lost, 23–26 |
| March 19 | LA Giltinis | Away | Lost, 13–26 |
| April 1 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 40–25 |
| April 10 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Lost, 21–35 |
| April 16 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 32–34 |
| April 24 | Rugby ATL | Home | Lost, 17–30 |
| April 30 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Won, 53–14 |
| May 7 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Lost, 24–34 |
| May 14 | LA Giltinis | Home | Won, 31–27 |
| May 21 | NOLA Gold | Awaay | Won, 42–12 |
| May 28 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Lost, 28–44 |
Post season
| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Eliminator | June 12 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 19–43 |
2023 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 18 | Utah Warriors | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 33-17 |
| February 26 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 29-12 |
| March 5 | Houston SaberCats | Away | SaberCats Stadium | Lost, 31-26 |
| March 11 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 22-0 |
| March 18 | Rugby ATL | Away | Atlanta Silverbacks Park | Won, 35-10 |
| April 2 | Old Glory DC | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 48-26 |
| April 8 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Sports Complex | Won, 23–20 |
| April 16 | Chicago Hounds | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 48–24 |
| April 22 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Choctaw Stadium | Won, 47–38 |
| April 30 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 29–16 |
| May 6 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | Won, 26–16 |
| May 13 | NOLA Gold | Away | Gold Mine | Won, 26–12 |
| May 28 | Rugby New York Ironworkers | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 36–13 |
| June 3 | Chicago Hounds | Away | SeatGeek Stadium | Won, 36–14 |
| June 11 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | Won, 50–17 |
| June 18 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 40–19 |
Post season
| Round | Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Conference Finals | July 2, 2023 | Seattle Seawolves | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 32–10 |
| MLR Grand Final | July 8, 2023 | New England Free Jacks | SeatGeek Stadium | Lost, 25–24 |
