background & History

The Miami Sharks were confirmed to be joining Major League Rugby on 8th February, 2023 for the following year. By MLR standards this was a huge amount of time prior to their first season. Their first season competing in MLR will be the 2024 season competing in the Western Conference and bringing the total number of teams to 13 (prior to the withdrawal of NY and Toronto, and the addition of Anthem RC).

The Sharks boast a strong Argentinian and South American identity in part through their ownership group. On April 24, 2023, Jose Pellicena was announced as the clubs first Head Coach, having previously ran the Los Pumas men’s u20 side. Two days later on April 26, 2023, the Sharks announced the first player ever signed for the Miami side, Los Pumas veteran scrum-half Tomas Cubelli. South African flanker Roelof Smit was announced in early August, before a trio of Uruguayan Internationals. The Sharks’ inaugural season was a solid one. They missed the playoffs with a record of 6-10 in the Eastern Conference (In the West, the Dallas Jackals qualified with that same record and reached the Conference Finals), but recorded upset victories over the reigning champion New England Free Jacks and a strong NOLA Gold side.

Entering their sophomore season in 2025, the Miami Sharks showed significant improvement. They were able to compete with the best and handed the New England Free Jacks another defeat. They improved to an 8-8 record and 41pts, finishing 4th in the Eastern Conference and qualifying for the postseason for the first time where they faced the Free Jacks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Unfortunately for the Sharks, New England’s playoff pedigree came through, ending Miami’s season one step further than last year.

Following the conclusion of the 2025 season, Miami Sharks CEO Milagros Cubelli was deservingly named as the inaugural MLR Executive of the Year. The Sharks enjoyed a successful season both on and off the pitch, but rumours of the owners pulling the plug began to circulate even before the 2025 regular season was over. NARDB understands that the ownership group was placated by the time of the 2025 Championship however the California merger and withdrawal of the NOLA Gold seem to have spooked the ownership group. On 6th August 2025, Miami Sharks players were told that the team was withdrawing from the competition after only 2 seasons, making the Miami Sharks the 3rd team to pull out in a week. The Sharks finally posted a statement confirming the team’s withdrawal from the 2026 MLR season on 20th August, 2025 that leaves the door open for a return in some capacity. The Sharks are yet to play another game.

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Records & Record Holders

all time

Top Scorer: Santiago Videla (120pts)
Top Try Scorer: Mano Ardao (10)
Top Playoff Scorer: Shane O’Leary, Kirby Myhill (5)
Most Appearances: Guiseppe du Toit (33)
Most Starts: Ben Bonasso (28)
Top Tackler: Ben Bonasso (350)
Top Meter Eater: Santiago Videla (1,150m)

single season

Top Scorer: Shane O’Leary (95pts) – 2025
Top Try Scorer: Nick Grigg (7) – 2024
Top Tackler: Ben Bonasso (183) – 2025
Top Meter Eater: Felipe Etcheverry (789m) – 2024

historical performance

2024: 6-0-10 (-54) – 32pts: 5th in Eastern Conference
2025: 8-0-8 (-62) – 41pts: 4th in Eastern Conference (Conference Semifinalist)

Overall Regular Season Record: 14-0-18
Overall Championship Series Record:  0-1
Championship Series Appearances: 1 (2025)

Head Coach & Captain

Head Coach

• José Pellicena (2024-)

Captain

• Tomás Cubelli (2024-)

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Logo & Jerseys

The Miami Sharks Logo depicts a shark swatting at a rugby ball with it’s tail. The shark itself is outlined in black and pink, the club’s typical colour scheme. The Sharks’ 2024 home jersey was primarily pink with some blue undertones, and the away featured pink/blue accents on a black base. Both jerseys were reminiscent of Miami Vice/summer evenings and beach parties, which the city of Miami well.

venue

For their inaugural season, the Miami Sharks played at Autonation Sports Field, a part of DRV PNK Stadium, the home of MLS side Inter Miami CF. The field had a capacity of 3,200 when announced, but seating will be increased to 5,000 for MLR games in 2024. Autonation Sports Field was renamed to Baptist Health Community Field for sponsorship reasons in 2025, when the Sharks played their second season in the shadow of DRV PNK Stadium.