The two teams currently occupying the bottom of the table collide in Fairfax on Sunday night. This feels like a must-win game for Old Glory, who have lost three in a row and only have higher-ranked competition to come. The Free Jacks meanwhile have won two of their last three to revive what was looking like a lost campaign. New England also has a score to settle, having lost to DC at home last month.
5th, 2-4-0, Lost 3
05/10 – Old Glory 25 vs 30 Seawolves (Fairfax)
05/03 – Hounds 49 vs 31 Old Glory (Bridgeview)
04/26 – Old Glory 23 vs 36 Legion (Fairfax)
04/18 – Anthem 14 vs 31 Old Glory (Charlotte)
04/11 – Free Jacks 19 vs 21 Old Glory (Quincy)
04/03 – Seawolves 33 vs 16 Old Glory (Tukwila)
6th, 2-4-0, Won 1
05/09 – Free Jacks 26 vs 21 Legion (Quincy)
05/03 – Free Jacks 11 vs 27 Seawolves (Quincy)
04/26 – Free Jacks 38 vs 26 Anthem (Quincy)
04/19 – Hounds 50 vs 26 Free Jacks (Nashville)
04/11 – Free Jacks 19 vs 21 Old Glory (Quincy)
04/04 – Legion 43 vs 5 Free Jacks (San Diego)
 |
IN | OUT |
| 5 | Collin Grosse | Rob Harley |
| 8 | Benjamín Bonasso | Semi Kunatani |
| 14 | Perry Humphreys | Owen Sheehy |
|
IN | OUT |
| 3 | Maliu Niuafe | Filipe Vakasiuola |
| 13 | Ben LeSage | Max Lehmann |
- Injured / unavailable – (Old Glory) Bart Vermeulen, KoiKoi Nelligan, Rob Harley, Jay Renton, Jason Emery; (Free Jacks) Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz
- Old Glory will be without their captain Rob Harley who is sitting out three matches after being sent off last week… Benja Bonasso is fit to lead the side despite not taking part in training during the build-up
- Collin Grosse starts at lock for the first time since the 2023 season… all of his run-on appearances since have been on the side of the scrum
- DC replacement Connor Robinson was previously part of New England’s development side… Free Jacks reserve scrumhalf Ethan McVeigh spent the past two seasons in the nation’s capital
- vice-captain Ben LeSage returns from suspension to take up a spot in New England’s midfield… Wayne van der Bank will start on the wing for the first time… while he has played the position on rare occasions as a replacement, all of van der Bank’s previous starts were in the midfield
- the Free Jacks enter the game with a clean bill of health… the only absentee is Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, who is set to arrive imminently from his club commitments in France
Very warm conditions are on the forecast which could see forward subs earlier in the second half. The return of Bonasso is a boost for DC but it’s tempered by the simultaneous loss of Harley. LeSage adds considerable leadership presence to the Free Jacks midfield, and their performances of late reflect growing cohesion. This is a very close call but recent form favors the visitors. New England are slight favorites on the road in Fairfax.
OLD GLORY DC
1 Cali Martinez, 2 Kirby Myhill, 3 Paul Mullen, 4 Rick Rose, 5 Collin Grosse, 6 Cory Daniel, 7 Aidan King, 8 Benjamín Bonasso (capt.), 9 John LeFevre, 10 Jason Robertson, 11 John Rizzo, 12 Jordan Jackson-Hope, 13 Ross Depperschmidt, 14 Perry Humphreys, 15 Damien Hoyland
Replacements: 16 KoiKoi Nelligan, 17 Connor Robinson, 18 Connor Devos, 19 Bill Whiteside, 20 Semi Kunatani, 21 Aidan Ridgway, 22 Max Schumacher, 23 John Powers
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
1 Nate Sylvia, 2 Sione Tupou, 3 Maliu Niuafe, 4 Piers von Dadelszen, 5 Reuben Palmer, 6 Bailey Wilson, 7 Joe Johnston (capt.), 8 Jacob Norris, 9 Oscar Lennon, 10 Joel Hodgson, 11 Mitch Wilson, 12 Kienan Higgins, 13 Ben LeSage, 14 Wayne van der Bank, 15 Harrison Boyle
Replacements: 16 Kaleb Geiger, 17 Tevita Sole, 18 Filipe Vakasiuola, 19 Ollie Aylmer, 20 Alex Mackenzie, 21 Ethan McVeigh, 22 Killian Coghlan, 23 Line Latu
Date: Sunday, May 17
Venue: George Mason Stadium, Fairfax
Kickoff: 19:00 local (16:00 Pacific)
Weather Forecast: cloudy, 84°F (29°C), wind W 4-7 mph (7-11 km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports (International), Monumental Sports (Local), NBC Sports Boston (Local), Game Plus (YouTube)
Referee: Robbie Jenkinson (Ireland)
Assistants: Peter Pender (Canada) & Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: n/a
HEAD-TO-HEAD (13) – Free Jacks 8, Old Glory 5
2026-04-11 – New England Free Jacks 19, Old Glory DC 21 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2025-05-24 – New England Free Jacks 17, Old Glory DC 20 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2025-03-22 – Old Glory DC 28, New England Free Jacks 14 (Maryland SoccerPlex)
2024-07-20 – New England Free Jacks 33, Old Glory DC 29 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2024-06-08 – Old Glory DC 30, New England Free Jacks 31 (Maryland SoccerPlex)
2024-03-09 – New England Free Jacks 34, Old Glory DC 35 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2023-07-01 – New England Free Jacks 25, Old Glory DC 7 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2023-05-14 – Old Glory DC 24, New England Free Jacks 42 (Segra Field)
2023-03-11 – New England Free Jacks 34, Old Glory DC 31 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2022-05-07 – New England Free Jacks 26, Old Glory DC 20 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2022-02-18 – Old Glory DC 25, New England Free Jacks 41 (Segra Field)
2021-06-06 – New England Free Jacks 38, Old Glory DC 34 (Union Point Stadium)
2021-04-25 – Old Glory DC 35, New England Free Jacks 22 (Segra Field)