NOLA Gold has Andrew Guerra back for the second year of a contract signed through the 2024 Major League Rugby season. The 24-year-old back row (25 in February) is 5’10” and 220 lbs.
Andrew sustained a broken leg while playing for the USA National Team in November 2021 against the All Blacks and missed the 2022 MLR season.
Andrew was the 10th pick in the first round of the Major League Rugby Collegiate Draft. He played 867 minutes in 12 matches, starting 11, and scored one try for NOLA Gold. He was also named MLR Rookie of the Year.
His performance led to his selection to the USA Men’s National XVs team where he made his debut against Ireland at Lansdowne Road on July 10, 2021. The last of his 6 tests (2 starts) was against New Zealand All Blacks at FedEx Field on October 9. In the closing minutes of that match, he suffered a fractured leg and will spend 2022 rehabilitating, and his expected return to rugby is likely in 2023. It is hoped that his recovery goes as smoothly as possible.
Andrew is from Chicago, Illinois, and began playing rugby as a freshman at Mt Carmel High School. He began playing rugby as a Freshman at Mt Carmel High School in Chicago. He was a multi-sport athlete and also played football and boxed. He was an All-State rugby player and twice earned All-Conference for football. He also was a student-athlete and on the honor roll for three years.
Andrew graduated from Notre Dame College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management. He was a four-year starter on the rugby team from 2016-2020 and became the team captain for NDC during his last two seasons in the D1A Rugby East Conference. The team won the 2017 D1AA National Championship 2017 and then switched to the Rugby East in 2018. He was honored by his inclusion in the Rugby East All-Conference team in 2018 and 2019.
He also was the youngest ever Captain in 2019 for the Chicago Lions Summer 7s team and was selected to the Summer Club 7s National Championship Dream Team. He also played with NOLA Gold Invitational Team at RugbyTown 7s that year.
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