The USA Men's Sevens head to compete on home soil at HSBC Los Angeles SVNS following a fourth place finish in Vancouver, their best result on the series so far this season. With captain Kevon Williams set to run out for his 50th career tournament, the squad have eyes on a podium finish with their families in the crowd.
One roster change completes the team's 13 heading to Los Angeles, Ben Pinkelman joins the team for the first time since Cape Town. LA locals Marcus Tupuola and Adam Channel will also hit the pitch.
Los Angeles SVNS kicks off Friday, March 1. All action is live on RugbyPass, with semifinals and finals simulcast on Peacock.
"We are very excited to be playing at home this weekend and the opportunity to play in front of our friends and family.
We are in a very physical pool that is recognized as the spiciest of the pools, but there is no easy pool or game in the Men’s World Series.
Whilst finishing fourth last weekend we felt frustrated that at times aspects of our physicality and one on one tackle combat came up short, and that's something we need to make sure doesn’t happen this weekend. We will ensure we have a clear understanding of what to expect both sides of the ball against each of the opposition and collective cohesion on what we need to do if we want to be successful. Then it’s going to be about outworking the opposition and being accurate in the moment."
The Dawgs begin their pool play Friday night against Samoa. Coming off a win against the Pacific team in Vancouver, the USA will look to repeat those results for a win against a strong and physical Samoa side right out the gate on home soil.
Next, the USA meets Australia on the Los Angeles SVNS pitch. The two teams have beat each other in close games this season, and both sides will be looking for a decisive win. The USA will close out their pool matches against New Zealand. The Dawgs will fight for their first win against the All Blacks 7s this season.
HSBS Los Angeles SVNS kicks off Friday, March 1. All action is live on RugbyPass, with semifinals and finals simulcast on Peacock.
| Name | Position | HSBC Tournaments |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Aaron Cummings | Forward | 18 |
| 5. Joe Schroeder | Forward | 34 |
| 6. Kevon Williams (C) | Halfback/Wing | 49 |
| 7. Naima Fuala’au | Halfback | 26 |
| 8. Malacchi Esdale | Wing/Center | 22 |
| 9. Stephen Tomasin | Utility | 56 |
| 11. Perry Baker | Wing | 67 |
| 12. Lucas Lacamp | Center/10 | 17 |
| 14. Marcus Tupuola | Halfback/Center | 28 |
| 18. Adam Channel | Utility | 14 |
| 28. Ben Pinkelman | Forward | 38 |
| 30. Madison Hughes | Halfback | 56 |
| 77. Maka Unufe | Center/10 | 50 |
Head Coach | Mike Friday
Assistant Coach | Phil Greening
Strength & Conditioning | Josh Schnell
Athletic Trainer | Brian Gardner
Team Manager | Scott Novack
Performance Analyst | Dave Gardner
Media Manager | Taylor Dean
Friday, March 1
v Samoa | 11:44 pm ET
Saturday, March 2
v Australia | 2:20 pm ET
v New Zealand | 6:50 pm ET
Quarterfinals begin 10:26 pm ET
Sunday, March 3
Knockouts continue
