10: Greg Peterson
Greg Peterson has been one of the best American rugby players over the last decade so it's great to finally see him make the move to Major League rugby. The Sydney-born lock played over a decade in Europe having made just the one appearance for the Waratahs in Super Rugby.
Having begun at Leicester he got his big break with Glasgow. After a season in France Peterson played brilliantly with Newcastle for three seasons before signing for the San Diego Legion in the off-season.
The six-foot-8 lock is incredibly powerful and will add some new strength to the reigning champions. While the Legion excelled an attack last year they need to improve on their defence to win the title. Peterson is a solid ball carrier who will help massively with the set piece.
Also excellent in open play, Peterson brings a huge amount of experience to this legion team and don't be surprised to see him near the top of the tackle charts at the end of the year.
9: Tavite Lopeti
25-year-old Tavite Lopeti is one of the most exciting prospects in American rugby. Having burst onto the scene in 2021 when he made his debut for the US against New Zealand, Lopeti has contributed 2 brilliant seasons to the Seattle Seawolves who he signed for the following year.
The 5ft 11 centre is certainly not one of the bigger backs on the field. But he is a constant attacking threat, winning Rookie of the Year in 2022. He followed that up with a solid 2023, forming a scary partnership with Dan Kriel.
Lopeti has a history with sevens rugby and it shows in the way that he plays the game. He is so difficult to stop in attack and has started the 2024 season off strong, scoring a try in Seattle’s second game of the year.
As an incredibly exciting attacking prospect, it would be surprising if European teams didn't come calling soon for Lopeti. The Sea Wolves will hope to hold onto him as long as physically possible as he is a gem of a player.
8: Jack Iscaro
props don't always get a huge amount of recognition but we have to include Washington's loose-head prop Jack Iscaro in this list. Iscaro Comes from a rugby background with his father playing for the Italian national team. He had success throughout junior rugby winning in high school before adding two national championships in college.
It led to Jack being selected by Old Glory DC in 2020. Since then the youngster has gone from strength to strength. He was selected to play for the national team in 2022 winning his first cap against Hong Kong.
Last year was a particularly impressive season. He was a cornerstone of the DC scrum which was one of the strongest in the league. Iscaro it's also an excellent ball carrier who is so difficult to bring down, while still having the motor to play more than 70 minutes every game.
Having overcome major injury to reach this point in his career, Iscaro looks like he could be the starting loosehead prop for the USA for the next decade. Not only is he one of the best players in Major League rugby but he is also one of the most underappreciated.
7: Sam Golla
Making the jump to Major League rugby is never easy so the performances that Sam Golla has been putting in have been extra special.
Born in Texas, Gallo excelled while playing varsity rugby at UC Berkeley. He was so good that Golla was picked first overall by the Dallas Jackals in 2022. He entered a team that were incredibly young and had lost every single game of their first season in the MLR.
So it was incredibly impressive for Golla to be one of the standout players in the league last year. His try against Toronto helped Dallas add their first win in franchise history and showed that the team are likely moving in the right direction.
The massive lock was so good in his first season that he was named Rookie of the Year and made his international debut for the US last year. He has once again started this season in fine form, scoring in the Jackals' second game of the year while also contributing Massively in defence.
He is so difficult to bring down in attack and at just 24 years old it is scary to think that Golla is only going to get better. Despite playing on one of the worst teams in the league he has to be considered one of the standout players in Major League rugby.
6: Tomas Cubelli
it may be slightly controversial to put a man who is making his Major League rugby debut this season so high up in this list. But when you consider the experience and brilliant career that Tomas Cubelli has had, you will understand his inclusion.
The Argentinian scrum-half first made his debut for the international team in 2010. Five years later he was a crucial part of the Pumas team that reached the Rugby World Cup semi-finals. At the time of writing, he has played 89 games for his country making him one of the most decorated scrum half in rugby history.
His domestic career is equally as impressive, having played for the Brumbies and Jaguares in Super Rugby as well as the Western Force. Before signing with Miami he played two years in France with Biarritz.
There's no doubt that he is the superstar signing for Miami. At 34 years old you would imagine that the sharks won't get a lot of time out of Cubelli. But he is a brilliantly experienced head to have in the dressing room with a young team and can certainly still contribute on the pitch.
5: Mitch Jacobson
New Zealand-born forward Mitch Jacobson has been one of the best players in Major League rugby since signing for New England in 2022.
Growing up in NZ, Jacobson was always a highly-rated prospect. He was part of the New Zealand squad that won the 2015 Under 20 championship alongside future All Blacks Akira Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown and Jack Goodhue.
But his career didn't really work out in New Zealand, making just two appearances in Super Rugby for the Chiefs. In his first season with New England, Jacobson was brilliant. He came In and was an attacking threat from day one. Defenders find it very difficult to bring him down.
Defensively he is one of the top tacklers in the league and a turnover threat every week. Last year he even stepped into a captaincy role after the Free Jacks captain went down. That worked out very well as Jacobson scored the first try of the MLR Final as New England went on to win their first title.
A brilliant player and leader who was a massively important resigning for New England in the offseason.
4: Dylan Fawsitt
Ireland have produced many international-class talents but Dylan Fawsitt is one of the few that has succeeded after leaving Ireland. Born in Wexford he would play rugby for the same Dublin club that produced Irish internationals Johnny Sexton, Rhys Ruddock and Trevor Brennan.
Despite looking likely to break into professional rugby in Ireland, Fawsitt moved to the US in 2014 where he played for Old Blue and then the Ohio Aviators. He joined Rugby New York at the start of MLR in 2018 serving as the team's captain from day one.
It was that same year that Fawsitt would make his international debut for the USA. He Would end up playing four years with New York, helping them to win the Major League rugby title in 2022.
Nicknamed the butcher, Fawsitt is showing no signs of slowing down as he gets closer to his mid-30s. After New York went bust, Fawsitt has ended up with the Chicago Hounds in the offseason to continue his MLR career. A three-time First Teamm All-Pro, Fawsitt is solid in the set piece while being an excellent attacking option.
3: Wian Conradie
There were plenty of reasons why the New England Free Jacks claimed their first league title last year. But Wian Conradie was a huge part of the title-winning team. Namibian-born flanker Conradie played at amateur level for a long time despite also featuring at 3 Rugby World Cups for his country.
He made the move to Europe in 2019 originally signing for a season with Doncaster Knights in the championship. After a single season in England, Conradie spend time with Dallas before heading to New England. He would play half a season of Premiership Rugby with Gloucester before returning to the free jacks in 2022.
Since then he has been one of the best forwards in the entire league winning Forward of the Year for the 2023 season. What makes him so scary is that Conradie is so difficult to stop going forward. He has immense power which makes him one of the best ball carriers in Major League rugby.
That power also contributes on defence as his tackle numbers are exceptional while also being a turnover specialist. I think it's fair to say there might not be a better forward in Major League rugby right now than the Free Jacks Number Eight.
2: Nate Augspurger
Having started the 2023 season at 33 years old, we probably thought we had seen the very best of Nate Augspurger. The former University of Minnesota back started off by playing Sevens Rugby before moving to 15s in 2016.
It was a successful move straight away, with Augspurger starting off as the USA’s scrum half as soon as he switched to 15s. He was even named captain two years into his international career. He is now one of the most experienced internationals in the US squad.
Similalrly to Fawsitt, Augspurger signed to Major League Rugby as soon as the league began. He has been with the San Diego Legion for the entire history of MLR. He battled injuries throughout his time with the Legion, but 2023 was a brilliant year.
He was the joint top scorer for the Legion, playing most of the season on the wing. But what was most impressive about his game was his defence. There are some incredibly talented wingers in Major League Rugby and Nate has been able to shut all of them down when asked.
1: Jayson Potroz
It was never going to be easy to pick the best player In Major League Rugby. There have been so many exceptional players in league history, but it makes sense for the best player to be the guy who won the award last year for being the best player in Major League Rugby.
32-year-old Jayson Potroz grew up in New Zealand and played for Taranaki in New Zealand for five years. Having been unable to reach Super Rugby, he took a big risk in 2023 by heading to New Zealand.
He headed to the Free Jacks with the impossible task of replacing reigning Player of the Year Beaudein Waaka. Yet he has not just replaced Waaka, but he has improved on his performances. Potroz led Major League Rugby in scoring in 2023 as New England raced to the Final.
In the Final, Potroz missed just one kick as he brilliantly orchestrated the Free Jacks attack. He was instrumental in the Free Jacks winning their first Major League Rugby title. Potroz was named Man of the Match, becoming the first player in league history to win Player of the Year and player of the Final In the same season.
He has resigned with the Free Jacks for 2024, looking to defend their title. A wonderful player who can create magic all on his own.