New York native Matt Anticev played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented Rugby FC LA for his entire MLR career.

Anticev grew up on Staten Island, NY and played rugby through high school at Xavier, where he was coached by former Rugby New York scrum-half and capped USA Eagle Mike Petri. Anticev earned his undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross, graduating in 2021 before attending Dartmouth College between 2021-2023 and earning a Masters degree in Creative Writing and playing rugby throughout.

Anticev declared for the 2023 MLR Collegiate Draft and was selected 5th overall by Rugby ATL, the sale of which had already been announced by MLR. The new owners relocated the franchise to Los Angeles and rebranded the team as Rugby FC LA. Signing for his rookie season, Anticev earned 6 MLR appearances including 2 starts at fly-half, a position relatively thin for the USA Eagles and so Anticev had plenty of eyes watching him, and performed admirably. On December 6th, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the return of Matt Anticev for the 2025 MLR season where he earned an additional 2 appearances for RFCLA as they earned their first ever postseason appearance.

With Rugby FC LA merging with the San Diego Legion to form the California Legion at the conclusion of the 2025 season, Matt Anticev’s future in MLR is unclear.

achievements

• 2023 MLR Draftee: 1st Round (5th Overall) – Rugby ATL