Dylan Audsley
English born American raised center Dylan Audsley played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2021. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.
Born in London, England, Audsley attended high school in Arizona before going to university at St. Mary’s College. He was the winner of the 2016 Rudy Scholz Award recognising the best collegiate rugby player in the US, and toured Scotland & Ireland with St. Mary’s in 2017. He earned his full test debut with the USA Eagles against Canada in 2018 and has 8 international caps to date.
Audsley signed with the San Diego Legion ahead of MLR’s inaugural season in 2018, and represented them through to 2021. He earned 26 MLR caps total (25 starts) despite his 2019 season curtailed with a broken ankle which ruled him out of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. He returned from injury for 2020, starting all 5 games before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the season down, and played 5 more games in 2021 before suffering a second ankle break that ruled him out for the rest of the season. Audsley opted out of the 2022 season and has not yet returned. Across his MLR career, he scored 4 tries and 60pts in total.
achievements:
- 9th in League Meters Gained: 2020 (328)
- MLR Runner-Up: 2019 (San Diego Legion)
Nate Augspurger
Minnesota native Nate Augspurger played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2025. He represented the San Diego Legion (2018-2023), and the Chicago Hounds (2024-2025).
Prior to MLR, Augspurger had signed a developmental contract with USA Rugby between 2012-2013. He attended the Eagles 7s camp in 2013 and signed a contract with the Eagles 7s for the 2013-2014 season, to date he earned 15 HSBC World Sevens Series appearances for the USA. Moving to the fifteens, Augspurger made his test debut for the USA in June 2016 against Italy and has earned 39 caps for his country through 2023. He represented the USA at the 2019 RWC in Japan, and was a part of the team for the 2023 RWC qualifying campaign.
Augspurger represented the San Diego Legion through his first 6 seasons in MLR, earning a total of 48 caps (42 starts) and scoring 22 tries total. He appeared in a career-best 17 games (15 starts) during the 2019 season as the Legion advanced to the MLR Championship Final, falling 23-26 to the Seattle Seawolves on the last play of the game. He suffered an injury early in the 2020 season that would have seen him miss significant time, but the COVID-19 pandemic shut the season down only 2 weeks later, and Augspurger was able to recover in time to take part in the 2021 season. He primarily played scrum-half between 2018-2022, but switch to the wing in 2023 thanks to the signing of Richard Judd, who was the starting scrum-half. On the wing, Augspurger had a stand-out 2023 season, tying his career best in appearances (17) and starts (15) in a season, gaining a huge 1,595m with ball in hand (1st in MLR that seasons), as well as scoring 11 of his 28 tries, including a pair in the 2023 Championship Final against the New England Free Jacks, in which the Legion fell 24-25 in Chicago. Augspurger finished T-4th in league try scoring that seaosn. The Legion finished the 2023 regular season with a 15-1 record, and Augspurger earned 6 Team of the Week selections, tied with Judd for the most in the league. A truly remarkable feat, this was not even the most Team of the Week selections that Augspurger earned during a single season, as he earned 8 selection in 2019. He has earned 17 Team of the Week Selections to date, as well as 2 All-MLR Selections (1st XV in both 2019 & 2023).
Following the 2023 season Augspurger signed with the Rugby New York Ironworkers for 2024, so that he could be closer to family in the NY area. In early December 2023 MLR announced that the Ironworkers would not compete in the 2024 season due to financial difficulties, and a Dispersal Draft would be held for NY & Toronto players (The Arrows had declared that they would not be competing in 2024 a week prior to NY) during with Augspurger was selected 6th overall by the NOLA Gold using a pick acquired from the Utah Warriors in exchange for the Gold’s 1st Rd pick and Utah native, Gabe Mahu’inga. A day after the draft, it was announced that the NOLA Gold had traded Augspurger to the Chicago Hounds in exchange for 2024 Cap Considerations (unknown). He represented the Hounds during 2024, earning 13 appearances (all starts) and scoring 6 tries as the Hounds qualified for the MLR Playoffs for the first time in their short history, where they defeated the NOLA Gold in the Conference Semifinal to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, where they fell to eventual Champions, the New England Free Jacks. Augspurger scored a try in both Hounds playoff games that season, taking his total to 8 on the year to finish T-9th in MLR and reaching 30 tries in total. Augspurger was named to the All-MLR Honorable Mention XV for his play in 2024, his 3rd All-MLR selection.
On January 9th, 2025, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the return of Nate Augspurger for a second season with the team, and 8th in MLR. Augspurger’s 2025 was hampered by injury, but he still started all 5 of his appearances for the Hounds that season, scoring his 31st career MLR try to help the Hounds advance to the Eastern Conference Final, where they fell to the New England Free Jacks in a heartbreaking game. On 29th November 2025, Augspurger announced the end of his professional playing career. He finishes as MLR’s 7th highest try scorer, with 31 tries in 78 games (70 starts) across 8 seasons in the competition. Augspurger racked up 4,450m gained (8th all-time) and 584 tackles, 6th all-time among backs.
Achievements:
- MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 4
- 2024 All-MLR Honorable Mention XV
- T-9th in MLR Try Scoring: 2024 (8)
- MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 8
- 2023 MLR Runner-Up: San Diego Legion
- 2023 MLR Back of the Year
- 2023 All-MLR 1st XV
- T-4th in MLR Try Scoring: 2023 (11)
- 1st in MLR Meters Gained: 2023 (1,595m)
- MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 9
- MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 8
- MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 7
- MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 3
- MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 2
- MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 1
- MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 1
- MLR Team of the Week: 2020 – Rd 1
- 2019 MLR Runner-Up: San Diego Legion
- 2019 All-MLR 1st XV
- MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Semi-Finals
- MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 17
- MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 14
- MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 13
- MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 11
- MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 10
- MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 7
- MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 5
- MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 2
Nathan Sylvia
San Diego, California native Nathan ‘Nate’ Sylvia played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2026. He represented his local MLR team, the San Diego Legion (2018-2025), and the New England Free Jacks (2026).
Nate Sylvia was playing for the San Francisco Golden Gate in the Pacific Rugby Premiership prior to joining the Legion ahead of MLR’s inaugural season in 2018. He appeared in 6 of the Legion’s 9 games that season (4 starts), scoring 2 tries. Sylvia was the Legion’s most capped player, earning 90 MLR caps for the California club through 8 seasons with the club (34 starts), scoring 4 tries including 2 in the Legion’s record breaking 2023 season that saw them advance to the playoffs after a league-record 15-1 regular season, only falling 24-25 in the Championship Final to the New England Free Jacks.
On 10th October 2023, the San Diego Legion announced the return of Nate Sylvia for the 2024 MLR season, along with 3 other members of their 2023 squad. Sylvia took a step back in 2024 but so did the Legion as a whole. He added 8 further appearances (2 starts), and was announced as returning for his 8th season with San Diego on 1st November 2024, he was the first returnee announced by the club. In his 8th season with San Diego, Sylvia earned another 14 appearances (1 start) to take his career total to 90 MLR games, and completed over 50 tackles to take his career total over the 600 mark, a feat only achieved by 5 props through the 2025 season. Following news in July 2025 that the San Diego Legion would merge with Rugby FC LA to form the California Legion, Nate Sylvia explored the open market and on 19th November, the New England Free Jacks announced his signing for the 2026 season, Sylvia’s first season not representing his hometown team.
Achievements:
- MLR Runner-Up: 2023 (San Diego Legion)
- MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 13
- MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 5
- MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Round 13
- MLR Runner-Up: 2019 (San Diego Legion)
- MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Round 8
Ryan Matyas
American Ryan Matyas represented the San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby between the inception of the league in 2018, and 2023. He is also a capped USA Eagle, #486
Matyas is one of the most well known names in MLR. He has been with San Diego since the days of the Breakers in the short-lived PRO Rugby competition, and was the very first player to ever sign with the San Diego Legion ahead of the inaugural MLR season in 2018.
In his 6 seasons playing with the San Diego Legion, Matyas earned 59 MLR caps including 33 starts, and scored 16 tries and 1 conversion for a total of 86pts. He scored 6 tries in the 2021 season (a personal best) and as of the end of the 2023 season, is 2nd in Legion history for both tries scored and appearances. He is one of the few Legion players to have been with the club for both of their MLR Championship Final appearances, in 2019 and in 2023. Matyas was selected for the All-MLR First XV in the inaugural 2018 season, and for the All-MLR Second XV the following year.
On July 26th 2023, Matyas announces his retirement from playing professional rugby following his 2nd Championship Final appearance, which the Legion lost to the New England Free Jacks 24-25.