California Legion
Professional rugby union team in California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The California Legion are a professional rugby union team based in Southern California that competes in Major League Rugby (MLR). The team was established in July 2025 following a merger between two former Southern Californian MLR teams: San Diego Legion and Rugby Football Club Los Angeles.[1][2][3] The team began play in the 2026 Major League Rugby.[1]
- Championship Soccer Stadium (Capacity: 5,500)
- Torero Stadium (Capacity: 6,000)
- Wallis Annenberg Stadium (Capacity: 2,145)
- Saint Mary's Stadium (Capacity: 5,500)
- Heart Health Park (Capacity: 11,569)
| |
| Founded | July 30, 2025[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Region | Southern California |
| Grounds |
|
| CEO | Adam Freier[1] |
| Coach | Stephen Hoiles |
| Captain | Jason Damm |
| League | Major League Rugby |
| 2026 | Runners-Up 3rd in MLR |
| Official website | |
| legion | |
History
During the months after the 2025 Major League Rugby season four teams from across the league had merged or disbanded. Beginning with the July 30 announcement of a merger between San Diego Legion and Rugby Football Club Los Angeles of Southern California,[1][2][4] the same day New Orleans Gold announced it would not take part in the 2026 season.[2][5][4] Less than two months later, in September 2025 another MLR franchise, the Houston Sabercats, also announced they would not be taking part in the 2026 season.[6]
The San Diego Legion, for which the California Legion's logo is based on,[1] were a foundation team for the Major League Rugby (MLR). During their tenure they achieved one conference title, and made two Championship Final appearances (2019,[7] 2023).[8] The Rugby Football Club Los Angeles was established in late 2023 after being relocated from Atlanta.[9]
The California Legion made their on-field debut on March 28, 2026, losing to Anthem Rugby Carolina 39-26 at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California.[10] California would win their first game the following week over the New England Free Jacks 45-3.[11] The Legion would finish their inaugural season with a record of five wins and five losses, finishing third in the standings and qualifying for the playoffs. In the 2026 semifinals, the Legion defeated the Seattle Seawolves 43-34, the highest scoring postseason game in MLR history to that point.[12] Legion fly-half Coby Miln set an MLR record for points in a post-season match with 23.[13] The Legion would lose to the Chicago Hounds in the 2026 MLR final. Scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou earned MLR Back of the Year honors for the second-consecutive season.[14]
Players and personnel
Current squad
The California Legion squad for the 2026 Major League Rugby season is:
| 2026 California Legion squad | ||
|---|---|---|
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Props
Hookers
Locks
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Back row
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
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Centres
Wings
Fullbacks
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| (c) denotes the team captain. Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for United States on residency or dual nationality. |
Head coach
Stephen Hoiles (2026–present)
Technical staff
The team's technical staff as of 2026[update] is as follows:[15]
- Dave Dennis, Assistant coach, Defence (2026–present)
Dave Clancy, Assistant coach, Backs (2026–present)
Todd Thornley, Assistant coach, Forwards (2026–present)
Sebastian Pearson, Performance lead (2026–present)
Records
Honors
Players
| Honor | Player Name | Season | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLR Back of the Year | Gonzalo Bertranou | 2026 | [14] |