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American Raptors

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American Raptors
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Founded2006; 20 years ago (2006)
Disbanded2024; 2 years ago (2024)
LocationGlendale, Colorado, U.S.
GroundInfinity Park
Most capsLuke White (31) (MLR)
Three players (24) (SRA)
Top scorerWill Magie (130) (MLR)
Lucas González Amorosino (81) (SRA)
Most triesJohn Ryberg (16) (MLR)
Three players (5) (SRA)
League(s)Major League Rugby
Super Rugby Americas
2024 SRA6th
Playoffs: DNQ
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Team kit
Official website
americanraptors.com

The American Raptors were a professional rugby union team that was based in Glendale, Colorado. The team played in two seasons of the transcontinental Super Rugby Americas competition from 2023 to 2024, before withdrawing from professional rugby ahead of the 2025 season.[1]

Established as the amateur "Glendale Raptors" in 2006, the team became a professional club upon joining Major League Rugby as a founding member in 2017,[2] but they played there only three years, competing as the "Colorado Raptors" in their final shortened season of 2020 before withdrawing from the league.[3]

After Major League Rugby, the team renamed themselves the "Colorado XOs" and turned their attention to developing rugby players from athletes originally from other sports, before becoming the "American Raptors" in 2021.[4]

History

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The Glendale Raptors were founded as an amateur rugby club in 2006.[5][6] They won the national Division I Championship in 2011,[7] and were back-to-back winners of the Pacific Rugby Premiership in 2015 and 2016.

Major League Rugby

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Glendale Raptors kit of 2018

In 2017, the Raptors were accepted into the professional Major League Rugby competition. The amateur Glendale teams were renamed the Glendale Merlins before the inaugural MLR season in 2018. The Raptors finished the MLR regular season in first place in 2018, but lost the Championship final to Seattle.[8] In 2019, the Raptors finished the regular season in sixth place and did not play in the finals.

The team was renamed the Colorado Raptors ahead of the 2020 season [9] but the season was shortened and eventually cancelled due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Raptors announced their departure from Major League Rugby, effective May 2, 2020,[10] stating that the number of foreign players and the higher proportion of foreign to American players in the league no longer best served the goal of developing American players who could compete successfully in the Rugby World Cup. The Raptors therefore chose to withdraw from the league to better focus their efforts on the development of American players who could compete on an international stage.[10]

Super Rugby Americas

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In June 2022, the Raptors played in the "Challenge Cup of the Americas" against Canadians UBC Old Boys Ravens and South Americans Peñarol Rugby and Jaguares XV,[11] before joining the Super Rugby Americas competition for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.[1]

Team names

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Name Period
Glendale Raptors [5]2006–2019
Colorado Raptors [5]2019–2020
Colorado XOs [5]2020–2021
American Raptors [5]2021–2024

Head coaches

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Captains

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Records

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Season standings in Major League Rugby

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Season Conference Regular season Postseason
Pos Pld W D L F A +/− BP Pts Pld W L F A +/− Result
Glendale Raptors
2018 N/a 1st8701249165+846342115344+9Won Semifinal (Utah Warriors) 31–21
Lost final 23–19 (Seattle Seawolves)
2019 N/a 6th16727456463−71143N/aN/aN/aN/aN/aN/aDid not qualify
Colorado Raptors
2020[a] Western 8th520398130-3219------Cancelled
Totals2916211803758+4518862115344+91 postseason appearance

Season standings in Super Rugby Americas

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Season Regular season Postseason
Pos Pld W D L F A +/− BP Pts Pld W L F A +/− Result
American Raptors
20236th122010282458–176816N/aN/aN/aN/aN/aN/aDid not qualify
20246th12309222443–221517N/aN/aN/aN/aN/aN/aDid not qualify
Totals245019504901–3971333N/aN/aN/aN/aN/aN/aN/a

Home field

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Raptors home field, Infinity Park

The team plays at Infinity Park,[15] the first rugby-specific, municipally owned stadium in the United States.[16]

Sponsorship

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Season Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2018–2019 XBlades None
2020 Paladin Sports

Honors

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2018 season

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DateOpponentHome/AwayResult
March 10New Orleans Gold°HomeWon, 38–14
March 30Utah Warriors°AwayWon, 42–15
April 7New York Athletic Club RFC°AwayWon, 35–22
April 21Austin EliteHomeWon, 41–26
April 28Seattle SeawolvesAwayWon, 19–15
May 5Utah WarriorsAwayWon, 36–29
May 13San Diego LegionHomeWon, 31–27
June 3New Orleans GoldAwayWon, 41–10
June 8Houston SaberCatsHomeWon, 37–24
June 16Seattle SeawolvesHomeWon, 33–11
June 23San Diego LegionAwayLost, 5–23
June 30Utah Warriors°°HomeWon, 34–21
July 7Seattle Seawolves°°°NeutralLost, 19–23

° = Preseason game
°° = Playoff Semifinal
°°° = Final at Torero Stadium in San Diego, California

2019 season

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Exhibition

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DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
August 17, 2018USA Collegiate All-AmericansHomeInfinity ParkLost, 10–55
September 16, 2018Ontario ArrowsAwayYork Lions StadiumLost, 18–40
October 6, 2018Denver BarbariansHomeInfinity ParkWon, 81–7
October 13, 2018Utah WarriorsHomeInfinity ParkPostponed
October 20, 2018Utah WarriorsAwayPostponed
October 27, 2018Rugby Americas teamHomeInfinity ParkLost, 31–50
January 13, 2019San Diego LegionAwayTorero StadiumWon, 38–31
January 19, 2019Houston SaberCatsAwayConstellation FieldWon, 36–21

Regular season

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DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
January 27Seattle SeawolvesAwayStarfire StadiumLost, 18–20
February 2New Orleans GoldAwayArchbishop Shaw StadiumLost, 31–40
February 17Austin EliteAwayDell DiamondWon, 24–13
February 23Utah WarriorsAwayZions Bank StadiumDraw, 26–26
March 2Toronto ArrowsHomeInfinity ParkWon, 22–0
March 9Austin EliteHomeInfinity ParkWon, 38–19
March 16San Diego LegionHomeInfinity ParkDraw, 28–28
March 24Rugby United New YorkAwayMCU ParkLost, 19–31
March 30New Orleans GoldHomeInfinity ParkWon, 34–33
April 6Houston SaberCatsHomeInfinity ParkWon, 52–44
April 20San Diego LegionAwayTorero StadiumLost, 15–46
April 26Rugby United New YorkHomeInfinity ParkWon, 20–16
May 4Utah WarriorsHomeInfinity ParkWon, 64–22
May 18Seattle SeawolvesHomeInfinity ParkLost, 36–53
May 26Toronto ArrowsAwayLamport StadiumLost, 12–40
May 29Houston SaberCatsAwayAveva StadiumLost, 17–32

2020 season

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On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic.[17] It was cancelled the following week[18]

Regular season

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DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
February 8Houston SaberCatsAwayAveva StadiumLost, 12–21
February 16San Diego LegionNeutralLas Vegas BallparkLost, 22-49
February 22New Orleans GoldHomeInfinity ParkLost, 20-27
February 29Utah WarriorsHomeInfinity ParkWon, 22-14
March 6Toronto ArrowsWon, 22-19
March 15Old Glory DCAwayCardinal StadiumCancelled
March 21Austin GilgronisHomeInfinity Park
March 29Seattle SeawolvesAwayStarfire Sports Complex
April 4New England Free JacksAwayUnion Point Sports Complex
April 18Houston SaberCatsHomeInfinity Park
April 25Rugby United New YorkAwayMCU Park
May 2Rugby ATLHomeInfinity Park
May 8Utah WarriorsAwayZions Bank Stadium
May 17Austin GilgronisRound Rock Multipurpose Complex
May 24Seattle SeawolvesHomeInfinity Park
May 30San Diego Legion

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ 2020 regular season shortened and playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

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  1. 1 2 Wolanske, Maggy (November 22, 2024). "Glendale professional rugby team-will-not-play-next-year-as city shifts focus to youth rugby". Denver7 Sports. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Major League Rugby nears kick-off as next attempt to make US a union power". The Guardian. UK. 2017-11-17. Archived from the original on 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  3. ↑ Petersen, Will (9 April 2020). "Colorado Raptors withdraw from Major League Rugby". 9News.
  4. ↑ "Raptors History". American Raptors. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Raptors History". americanraptors.com. 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "Major League Rugby, featuring Colorado team, signs TV deal with CBS". Denver Business Journal. 2017-10-10.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ↑ "Glendale Signs Original Raptor Casey Rock". DJ Coil Rugby. 9 January 2019. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Seawolves stun Raptors to win inaugural MLR title". Americas Rugby News. 2018-07-08. Archived from the original on 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  9. ↑ "Glendale Raptors are now the Colorado Raptors". 9News KUSA. 2019-11-08.
  10. 1 2 Petersen, Will, "Updated: Colorado Raptors withdraw from Major League Rugby," 9news.com, April 10, 2020 Accessed March 27, 2021
  11. ↑ "Two SLAR teams to play North American opponents in Colorado". June 2022.
  12. ↑ "City of Glendale made rugby its brand, a move that's paying off with a professional team". The Denver News. 2017-06-02.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ↑ "Glendale Raptors Coaches and Staff". Glendale Raptors. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  14. ↑ "American Raptors Announce 2024 Roster". American Raptors. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "Glendale Raptors announce 2018 schedule". 9 News. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2018-02-01.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ↑ "Site report" (PDF). www.rainbird.com. 2018. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
  17. ↑ Anonymous, "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON FOR 30 DAYS," www.majorleague.rugby, March 12, 2020 Retrieved March 14, 2020
  18. ↑ "Major League Rugby cancels remainder of 2020 campaign". Yahoo! Sports. AFP. March 19, 2020. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
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