Martin Iosefo

Martin Iosefo (born January 13, 1990) is an American rugby union player who currently plays for the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby (MLR). He previously played several seasons with the United States national rugby sevens team.

Martin Iosefo

Date of birth	(1990-01-13) 13 January 1990 (age 35)
Place of birth	Hawaii, U.S.
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	104 kg (229 lb)
University	University of Montana
Rugby union career
Position(s) Center Current team Seattle Seawolves Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2015 Denver () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2022 Seattle Seawolves 8 (5) Correct as of 5 April 2022[1] International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2016–2019 United States 9 (10) Correct as of 13 December 2021 National sevens team Years Team Comps 2014–2021 United States 53 Correct as of 13 December 2021

Early life

Iosefo grew up in Wahiawa on the island of Oahu in Hawaii where he learned to play rugby. Between the ages of 4 and 15 he lived in Samoa with his brother and father.^[2]

After finishing Leilehua High School in Wahiawa, he went to the University of Montana to play wide receiver in American football as a walk-on.^[3]

Iosefo started playing rugby competitively while in Missoula, Montana with the University of Montana Jesters.^[4] Iosefo played with the Men's Collegiate All-Americans at the 2014 Serevi RugbyTown Sevens.^[5] Iosefo played with the Denver Barbarians at the 2015 Club 7s Nationals.^[6]

Iosefo has been recognized for his size and athleticism,^[7] as well as for his hard hits at defense as a centre.^[8]

U.S. national rugby sevens team

Iosefo debuted with the U.S. national rugby sevens team at the 2014 Dubai Sevens.^[9] Iosefo missed the 2015 Hong Kong Sevens and the 2015 Japan Sevens due to school commitments, but rejoined the team for the 2015 London Sevens.^[10]

Iosefo was part of the U.S. team that won bronze at the 2015 Pan Am Games. Iosefo also played for the U.S. at the 2015 NACRA Sevens where the United States beat Canada in the final 21–5 to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Iosefo made the "dream team" for the 2016 Canada Sevens.^[11] At the 2016 London Sevens, Iosefo scored a try 11 seconds into the match against Fiji, one of the fastest tries in the World Series. Iosefo played for the U.S. at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, where the team finished in ninth place.

Career statistics

As of the end of 2021, Iosefo was ranked among the top U.S. players for statistics on the World Rugby Sevens Series:

Sevens Series statistics

Category	Number	U.S. Rank	Ref	Notes
Runs	666	2	[12]
Points	403	10
Clean breaks	129	4	[13]
Matches	278	7	[14]
Tackles	294	6	[15]
Tries	79	8	[16]