Anthem RC Hosted Inaugural Match

Oscar Koller, Mateo Gadsden, and Tyren Al-Jiboori score club’s first-ever points

CHARLOTTE, N.C (March 3, 2024) – Anthem Rugby Carolina hosted its inaugural match to kick off the 2024 Major League Rugby season at American Legion Memorial Stadium. The visiting New England Free Jacks claimed the win, 13-44.

“The main feeling is I’m very proud of the boys,” Head Coach Alama Ieremia expressed. “If you told me last year that in five weeks time this team would actually come and play in the MLR, I would have said it was a joke. I’m just really proud. There’s a lot of people who put a lot of effort into this team, the coaches, players, support staff, and all the way up to higher management. We’ve only just started. We have a good following with the people of Charlotte here, and we wanted to make sure they come back next time.”

Oscar Koller scored the first points in Anthem RC history with a penalty goal in the 16th minute. 

Not long after entering as a substitute, Mateo Gadsden scored the first try in club history in the 67th minute. 

“I felt it the second I scored it and the lights turned off,” Gadsden shared. “It’s an awesome feeling, and I can’t wait to have a couple more out here in front of this home crowd. We have a pretty young squad here, so I think we have the start of something special as we build on our first game in MLR. It’s only up from here.”

Tyren Al-Jiboori continued the scoring with another try in the 78th minute.

“We know we need to win games, but we have to learn how to crawl and walk first before we run,” Ieremia explained. “Tonight was a good start for us, and to put 13 points on the defending champions is something that I’m really proud of. It goes to show how much fight the boys had, and they never gave up through the end.”

UP NEXT: Anthem RC will play its first road match on Saturday, March 9 against NOLA Gold at 4 p.m. (ET). The match can be streamed for free on The Rugby Network.

ABOUT ANTHEM RUGBY CAROLINA

Anthem Rugby Carolina (RC) joined Major League Rugby ahead of the 2024 season. The team is the product of a comprehensive partnership between Major League Rugby, World Rugby and USA Rugby. Anthem RC embraces the concept of rising stars throughout its brand, symbolic of the efforts of the new club to invest and grow American rugby. American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, serves as the home of Anthem RC.