DUBAI, UAE. - A commanding presence. That's what fans at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai witnessed when the Men's Eagles Sevens displayed a sharp, precise attack to defeat Olympic Champion Fiji 14-24 in the Cup Quarterfinals of Dubai Sevens 2018.
Rocked by New Zealand in the closing match of pool play after two smashing wins over Spain and Wales, the Eagles Sevens men came out in spectacular form against the Fijians; remaining calm under pressure and delivering a decisive management of space to advance to the Cup Semifinals against Australia (7:39 AM ET).
The United States was an immediate threat when Danny Barrett led the opening attack inside the 22 and a penalty on Fiji furthered the advantage. In a comfortable position on the outside, Perry Baker got his hands on the ball and freely dotted down by the left edge, 0-5.
Distracted by the opening score and hindered by strong defensive coverage, it took a few minutes before Fiji could answer back. But, sure enough, a set piece play following a scrum at the halfway mark allowed the Fijians to bring the ball within meters of the right flank where Apenisa Cakaubalavu took a classic offload for a brim 7-5 lead.
Unshaken by the score, the Eagles Sevens put themselves right back ahead before the half with another trademark Perry Baker breakaway. After a sizeable tackle on Ben Pinkelman, the USA swiftly offloaded to the edge where Baker received the ball in his own half and carefully held his footing to make it 7-12.
Fiji was called for a high tackle on the first play of the second half, giving the United States yet another advantage to draw more points. Confidently, the U.S. side launched a three-man relay between Martin Iosefo, Perry Baker and Matai Leuta which concluded with Iosefo crossing the line to bring the play full circle, 7-17.
Another breakaway by Danny Barrett allowed the star to powerfully force his way through the Fijian side and make a skillful offload to Folau Niua for the final Eagles Sevens points.
One last moment of brilliance for Fiji's Apenisa Cakaubalavu cut the deficit to 14-24 but time was too heavily in favor of the USA. And, with Stephen Tomasin's kick to touch at fulltime, the United States men had sealed their position in the Cup Semifinals with the team to beat: Australia.
The match kicks off at 7:39 AM ET, LIVE on ESPN+.
MEN'S EAGLES SEVENS STAFF
Head Coach | Mike Friday
Assistant Coach | Anthony "Rocky' Roques
Strength & Conditioning Coach | Matt Long
Athletic Trainer | Brian Green
Team Manager | Scott Novack
EMIRATES AIRLINE DUBAI SEVENS 2018 SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Pool C | Broadcast LIVE on ESPN+
vs Spain | 29-0 (W)
vs Wales | 33-12 (W)
vs New Zealand | 24-7 (L)
Cup Quarterfinal
vs Fiji | 14-24 (W)
Cup Semifinal
vs Australia | 7:39 AM ET
