EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the last of three articles about how a graduate of Jessieville High School has worked his way through the professional and national ranks in rugby in his first year out of school.
Josh Zamudio signed with the San Diego Legion rugby club just six months removed from his high school graduation and became one of the team's starters for the inaugural Major League Rugby season, but a back injury put a halt on his professional career shortly after it began.
Zamudio graduated from Jessieville High School, moved to Tennessee and earned a call-up by USA Rugby within a couple of months last summer. He is the son of Charity Zamudio.
The former football player for the Jessieville Lions and prop for the Little Rock Junior Stormers, the only youth rugby club in Arkansas, played for the Boys High School All-Americans in Canada and USA South Panthers Rugby club in Florida to earn a look from the Glendale Raptors' developmental side in Denver. Zamudio planned to work his way up with the Raptors until the Legion offered him a place in San Diego.
Zamudio was the first member of the Legion to arrive in San Diego for the preseason and quickly established himself as a starter. He started alongside USA Men's Eagles captain Nate Augspurger at the beginning of the Major League Rugby season.
"It is an amazing opportunity," Zamudio said. "I am very grateful to be where I am. I really am, especially at my age. I am very lucky and I have worked very hard for it."
Zamudio was sidelined for four months after he fractured the L4 and L5 lumbar spinal discs in his spine. His resilience and determination to return to the field do not surprise Pieter de Haas, founder and coach of the Junior Stormers.
"Josh's story was one of rapid escalation and being at the right place at the right time," de Haas said. "Ruben de Haas, Steven Benson and Josh have paved the way for high school players from Arkansas into the next level at the Boys High School All-Americans."
The injury prevented Zamudio from playing for a majority of San Diego's first season. The Legion played two preseason matches, eight regular season matches and one playoff match in the first season.
The season began in April and concluded in July at the Legion's home field, Torero Stadium. San Diego was eliminated in the semifinals of the playoffs, 38-24, by the Seattle Seawolves, who won, 23-19, in the final against Glendale.
Zamudio said he hopes the sport and Major League Rugby continue to grow. The U.S. is internationally recognized as a second tier rugby nation.
First tier countries include Argentina, Australia, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales, where the sport has been played professionally for an extended period of time.
"Now in the U.S., rugby is getting more and more participation and exposure from the school level all the way through college and Major League Rugby," de Haas said. "MLR is in its infancy, but salary caps are moving up and things are progressing fast. This will benefit the U.S. game tremendously."
Major League Rugby featured San Diego, Seattle, Glendale, the Austin Elite, Houston SaberCats, New Orleans Gold and Utah Warriors for the first season. Rugby United New York is expected the join the league in 2019, along with possible additions in Los Angeles and Toronto. A team in Washington, D.C., is also planned to join in 2020. New teams could join in the coming years in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Minneapolis and Vancouver.
Each team is allowed five foreign international players on the gameday roster, allowing the league to sign a number of experienced players from other leagues. The league is modeled after Major League Soccer, now in its 23rd season, as a "single entity" owner.
Previous rugby leagues in America were based around regional conferences, but Major League Rugby aims to grow with a sustainable model and a national footprint. Deals with ESPN, CBS Sports Network and AT&T Sports Networks made it the first rugby league to start in America with broadcast deals in place from its beginning.
"They knew what they were doing," Zamudio said. "They got everything ready. They have been planning this out for a long time."
Zamudio said he only recently resumed training after his extended layoff. He said he plans to fly back to San Diego in the fall to start preseason training for the league's second season.
"Even when I just touch a rugby ball training on my own, I think, 'Man, I cannot wait to play under the lights,'" Zamudio said. "I just can't wait. During the whole season, being on the sidelines, I was always there rooting the guys on.
"I was always involved, but it's not the same. It's not the same as being out there, training and putting the work in like the other guys are and actually playing. I'm ready. I'm itching to get out there. I want to be out there so bad."
Sports on 08/08/2018