NEWS

‘We Are More Hungry’ – Tomas Casares and Miami Sharks Dreaming Big in 2025

Written By Joe Harvey | Photos by Lauren Sopurn

It is safe to say that Tomas Casares has found a home with the Miami Sharks.

The 25-year-old forward arrived in Florida before the club’s debut Major League Rugby season in 2024 and established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.

Helping Miami to a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference, Casares went on to represent USA Rugby on their European tour last Fall and is now hoping to turn the Sharks into Shield contenders in 2025.

From the outside perspective, the Sharks’ inaugural MLR campaign was a success.

Finishing the 18-week regular season with a 6-10 record, Jose Pellicena’s side were just 10 points from a place in the playoffs.

However, for Casares and his teammates, that view from the exterior does not tell the entire story.

“We didn’t see last year as a good year,” he said. “We were really critical of ourselves. There were a few games that we could have won, and we didn’t. We wanted more.

“The San Diego game comes to mind (Week 5). We were 15 points ahead with 20 minutes to go, and we ended up losing it (22-21). The Chicago home opener as well (23-19).

“Even though it was a good record, at the end of the year it was quite negative. This year, we are more hungry.”

In Week 1, Casares and his Sharks teammates suffered late heartbreak against Old Glory DC.

Coming off the bench for the last 28 minutes of the game, the 25-year-old’s team could not hold onto a 19-point lead and watched DC fly-half Jason Robertson snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a game-winning conversion.

Even in the face of that loss, Casares and his team maintain their goal of playing knockout rugby after the regular season is over.

“Last year wasn’t as positive as people thought it was,” Casares said. “Our expectation was to get to the Playoffs. We have not lowered our expectations at all. If anything, we made them higher.

“I think reaching the Eastern Conference Final is an expectation and goal that we think we are going to achieve. And we are going to achieve.”

Part of what made Miami’s internal frustration at not making the postseason was the rich culture they had created.

Much of this was led by the strong South American cohort that made their way to Florida to start a rugby revolution in a city with a strong Latin presence.

For Casares, born and raised in Buenos Aires, it was also the chance to rub shoulders with childhood heroes.

Growing up watching Argentina play at the Rugby World Cup and in The Rugby Championship, the forward can now call Los Pumas legends Tomas Cubelli and Matias Orlando teammates.

“I grew up watching all these legends,” Casares said. “I had a poster of Cubelli in my room when I was young.

“I think you have to see the position you are in and really listen to them and learn from them. You never know when you will have another chance to play with a legend.

“He (Cubelli) is really good at teaching people and helping people, and with everything he has done in the game, he is a humble guy.

“Sometimes you have to shut up, listen and learn.

“All of them taught me a lot. It is a lot about being humble, owning your mistakes, and putting your hand up.

“Especially the Argentinian guys, with their professionalism on and off the field.

“It doesn’t matter if they are at the peak of their career or whatever, they always stay professional with good habits.

“They are always promoting that to the young players and what it is to be a professional player.”

In a short time, players fostered a close bond with one another and a complete buy-in to what was being created in the Sunshine State.

For Casares, this was very visible when the club was enduring an injury crisis, with players asked to move outside their regular positions and out of their comfort zones.

“The attitude was there,” Casares said. “We had some tough moments during the season with injuries, people playing in different positions, and nobody really hesitated or was accountable.

“I remember Kirby Myhill playing as a flanker – he has played hooker his whole life, and that is something you see and is really contagious. That takes a lot of character.”

2024 was also the first time that Casares got to prove what he was capable of in MLR.

Drafted to the New England Free Jacks after impressing in the 2022 Collegiate Rugby Shield, the Thomas More University graduate did not play a single minute of rugby that season before heading down the east coast.

Making an impact in the preseason, the youngster was named in the starting roster for the Sharks’ first-ever game against the Chicago Hounds.

The rest, as they say, is history.

“I have to mention Jose Pellecina,” Casares explained, “he trusted me and gave me a lot of confidence from the start.

“I remember the first game against Chicago he named me in a starting position. Confidence is something that can make players perform at 100 percent.

“It is a key factor sometimes when you come from a roster where you didn’t get much game time.”

The confidence shown by Pellecina was paid back 10 times over by Casares with his performances.

Whether it was dogged defensive displays or at the breakdown, soon the 25-year-old had admirers from even further afield.

Qualifying for the USA thanks to his Delaware-born father, Maxwell, Casares’ efforts got him into Scott Lawrence’s USA Eagles plans.

“I am an emotional guy,” he laughed. “I tried not to show it during the call, but it was a really big moment.

“I remember calling my wife after Scott called me, shouting in the car all excited. It was a big moment.”

Joining the Eagles for their unbeaten tour of Europe at the end of 2024, Casares made three appearances as a replacement to secure wins over Portugal, Tonga, and Spain.

In victory, there is a real positive feeling 🦅

Congratulations, #581 Shilo Klein, #582 Erich Storti, #583 Tomas Casares

Read the match recap written by @will_hooley: https://t.co/9jPx1sbDYo@usarugby | 📷 Fernando Soares pic.twitter.com/FeQRaZ78n7

— Major League Rugby (@usmlr) November 13, 2024

Making his debut in the 21-17 win against Portugal in Coimbra, in contrast to his call-up, the versatile forward felt like he was watching himself in the third person when he entered play in the game’s dying embers.

“I remember not feeling anything,” Casares said. “It felt like a video game running onto the field.

“I remember someone on the bench telling me to enjoy it. And I did.

“I ended up coming on with five minutes to go, but the play went on for 10 minutes longer. It was pretty tough. I loved it.

“I remember listening to the final whistle, and I was really relieved that I could enjoy the win.”

After getting that first feel for Test rugby, it will come as no surprise that Casares is looking for more international rugby experience.

“I don’t know how to put that into words,” Casares exhaled. “I have it written on my fridge as a goal, always to have it in mind.

“It is one of those things where once you have a taste, you just want to feel it again.”

In Week 2 of the 2025 MLR season, Tomas Casares and the Miami Sharks host NOLA Gold. Watch the game live on ESPN+ in the USA.

Sub-Saharan Africa: ESPN Africa 2 (Delay 12:05 CAT)
New Zealand: Sky Sports
Everywhere else: The Rugby Network

💥🦈 OUR SHARK STARTING XV FOR OUR SECOND BATTLE

⏰ 4pm vs NOLA Gold

Let’s Go Sharks!#MiamiSharks #MLR2025 pic.twitter.com/r9ezdmgvin

— Miami Sharks Rugby Club (@miasharksrugby) February 23, 2025