Old Glory DC vs. NOLA Gold Review

Temperatures and passions ran high as Old Glory DC defeated NOLA Gold 28-15 on Saturday. The win secures Old Glory’s first playoff berth in franchise history, a necessity for a team looking to emerge from the doldrums of the league. NOLA, meanwhile, needed a victory and bonus point to stay alive in the playoff race. They have now been eliminated from contention after New York beat Dallas on Sunday. Although DC has been one of the most inconsistent teams in MLR this season, they managed to stave off the majority of NOLA’s advances while generating plenty of their own. With the Houston Sabercats and Rugby ATL remaining on their schedule, Old Glory will look to test their mettle against playoff-level competition.

DC didn’t start the game particularly well, as NOLA’s Jordan Trainor took a box kick from NOLA territory all the way to the DC 5-meter line. Two quick lateral passes later, the Gold found the first try. DC would respond quickly, as Tevita Naqali scored off of a rolling maul in the 7th minute, then immediately return with another hammering passage of play in the 12th. DC had phase after phase around the New Orleans 22-meter line before Peni Lasaqa finally found the try zone on the right wing.

DC would get another try from a maul in the 18th minute, as Nic Souchon muscled his way through the pack for Old Glory’s third score. Despite their momentum, DC did not make a single conversion kick and only succeeded on one penalty kick. The heat and wind may have been factors, but DC will have to have more consistent kicking to keep pace with their opponents in the future. DC also had an unusually bad tackling game, missing 32 attempts. This forced them to do much of their defending deep in their own territory. Old Glory also committed 15 penalties, many of which gave NOLA an advantage near the try line.

Scoring would stall out in the second quarter, and Old Glory went into halftime leading 18-8. Then, in the 64th minute, Canadian lock Kyle Baillie took an offload from Alejo Daireaux at midfield and rumbled the rest of the way to extend DC’s lead. For the first time in awhile, NOLA showed signs of life, pushing for a try with a driving maul in the 70th minute. DC appeared to hold it up, but video review confirmed a successful try.

Though it looked like the Gold might creep back into the game, Gradyn Bowd and Marcos Young had other plans. Moments after the ensuing kickoff, Bowd chased down his own kick and recovered a bobble from NOLA. Two quick offloads gave the ball to Young, who slalomed his way to the try zone from about 30 meters out, which proved to be the nail in the coffin.

With a playoff spot secured, DC can now look to take home-field advantage in the first round. Their upcoming road match with the Houston Sabercats will be tough, but should give Old Glory an idea of how exactly they should approach their first playoff run.