The USA Rugby fandom can let forth a collective “FINALLY!” as the day we have all waited for has arrived. The release of the 2019 Major League Rugby schedule.With two new teams, new venues and faces, let’s take a look at how the year will play out:Right of the bat, we have a rematch of the first ever MLR Championship, with Glendale squaring off against the defending champs, Seattle, on what is sure to be a chilly January evening in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle has done well to retain pieces of their finale winning squad, recently announcing the re-signings of players such as Peter Tiberio, Aladdin Schirmer, and finals Man of the Match Phil Mack, who also served as Head Coach for his team last year as well. The continuity going into this season, plus the added stability brought on by the hiring of Anton Moolman as Head Coach, should bode well for the SeaWolves as they attempt another run at the title.Meanwhile, Glendale still boasts an impressive roster with both young and veteran talent. While they may have recently lost Bryce Campbell to an overseas signing, they still have one the best coaches in the league with Dave Williams, a try-scoring machine in Harley Davidson, and Shawn Davies is still one of the most able scrumhalves in the country. If they can count on their academy to properly and consistently develop players, Glendale could be looking at a Patriots style dynasty in the near future.The Battle for Texas rages on when Houston travels to Austin, hoping to repeat their only win from last season. Houston returns some key pieces to their roster, including Josua Vici and Sam Windsor, as well as adding some new faces to the lineup, such as Santiago Arata. Austin, meanwhile, will welcome the ‘Cats to their new home for 2019, Dell Diamond.A rebranded Toronto squad makes their official MLR debut on the road against NOLA, who are looking to take the next step after finishing middle of the pack last year. A win in week one could mean a huge step in the right direction for both teams as they begin the march towards June.RUNY is looking to put the league on notice, and what better way to do that than by toppling a 2018 playoff team in week one? After having loaned out a plethora of players to other teams the year before, it will be interesting to see how this New York squads responds with a full schedule now sitting hot and ready on the table for them.After a pretty quiet offseason, Utah travels to the Lone Star State to make their season debut against The Elite. After missing the playoffs last season, both of these teams will be looking to get a leg up on the other when it comes to the head to head later in the year.Austin enjoys their fifth straight home game against San Diego before a long awaited bye-week. Houston, meanwhile, welcomes MLR competition to Aveva Stadium for the first time ever.By this point of the season, the playoff picture will be hazy, but clearer than it was at any other point. Thus, the dash for final places in the standings will be heating up. RUNY and Glendale, two teams likely to be contenders in 2019, lock horns in an attempt to get a step ahead of the other.Depending how the rest of the season plays out, the final week could either be a flurry of consolation games before the post-season, or a do or die, win and in bonanza. Here’s hoping it’s the latter. Seattle and RUNY are likely to have playoff spots locked up by this point, but there will likely be teams playing desperately for a shot at an extended season, especially, NOLA and Toronto. The Championship Series follows week 19 play.~Liam Madigan-FriedHit us up on Twitter Instagram or Reddit with your thoughts.