USA Men’s Sevens Dubai 2019 Roster & Preview

DUBAI, UAE. - With a productive preseason in the rear, the USA Men’s National Team 7s will open their Olympic season in Dubai for the first round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020. The tournament takes place Dec 5-7 with matches broadcast LIVE on NBC Sports Gold.

LAST SEASON RECAP

The Eagles Sevens were undoubtedly the most consistent team on the circuit last season. In ten tournaments, the USA were the only nation to reach every semifinal and held a No. 1 world ranking for seven stops.

Four straight silver, one gold and two bronze medals matched the number of podium finishes the U.S. had claimed in its entire history on the World Series. The USA were the first team to qualify for Tokyo 2020 and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the world after a loss to Rio 2016 gold medalists Fiji in Paris.

With benchmarks set across the spectrum, the United States won big at the season-ending awards. Head Coach Mike Friday was named Men’s Coach of the Series, while Ben Pinkelman, Stephen Tomasin and Folau Niua were selected to the Dream Team. Tomasin and Niua were both also nominated as Men’s Sevens Player of the Year in the larger World Rugby Awards.

Carlin Isles and Danny Barrett rounded out the achievements with Isles as top try scorer for the second season in a row; and Barrett with the UL Mark of Excellence Award.

THE SQUAD

Head Coach Mike Friday has selected a full squad of 13 players with the starting 12 to be finalized closer to tournament start.

Maka Unufe could play in his first senior event since Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 after joining the group for two preseason tournaments in England at AFI Sevens and RugbyX. Naima Fuala’au jumps in as well after last competing in Dubai at the start of the 2017-18 season.

Harley Wheeler could make his World Series debut after being embedded in the Collegiate All-American Sevens and Falcons programs. Wheeler recently helped the United States win bronze at the Pan American Games in Lima and joined the group for both aforementioned preseason events.

Ben Pinkelman and Martin Iosefo will not travel to Dubai or Cape Town as both work their way back into sevens training after Rugby World Cup Japan 2019. Folau Niua will also remain out to continue his recovery from an injury sustained in Paris. Niua, Iosefo and Pinkelman are all expected to return later this season.

The full squad has a cumulative total of 338 tournaments in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

FULL SQUAD

PLAYER NAME	POSITION	HSBC TOURNAMENTS
Perry Baker	Wing	41
Danny Barrett	Prop	48
Ben Broselle	Wing/Prop	3
Maceo Brown	Center	10
Naima Fua’laau	Halfback	3
Madison Hughes (Captain)	Halfback	47
Carlin Isles	Wing	51
Matai Leuta	Prop	36
Joe Schroeder	Prop	9
Stephen Tomasin	Hooker	31
Maka Unufe	Center	38
Harley Wheeler	Hooker	0
Kevon Williams	Halfback/Wing	21

UPDATE 12/4 - Final 12 player roster selected.

Carlin Isles
Ben Broselle
Danny Barrett
Matai Leuta
Joe Schroeder
Kevon Williams
Naima Fualaau
Maka Unufe
Stephen Tomasin
Madison Hughes (C)
Perry Baker
Maceo Brown
Harley Wheeler (Injury Reserve)

STAFF

THE COMPETITION

In Pool B, the Eagles Sevens will face Ireland, Scotland and Australia in the fight to qualify for the quarterfinals. Ireland are the newest core team in the competition and have been impressive since their qualification earlier this year in Hong Kong.

Scotland finished 10th last season with its top performances coming in the first three tournaments of the Series. The group finished seventh in Dubai and Cape Town with a fifth place finish in Hamilton.

The final match will take place with Australia who claimed fifth place in Dubai last season and ended the Series seventh overall.

HEAR IT FROM HEAD COACH MIKE FRIDAY

“Preseason as always is a healthy balance between trying to evolve and get better on and off the pitch and ensuring we are ready to cope with the long season ahead.

“As a group we are comfortable with where we are at for this part of the season and we aim to continue building our depth as the season progresses to allow ourselves the best opportunity to compete in the World Series and Tokyo 2020.

“We realize we are far from the finished article and know we have much more work to do to ensure we are able to compete in what will be an even more competitive season for all.

“We will once again have to fight and earn every point this season in a Series where any team is capable of winning in any given day.”

TO SUM IT UP

A new season brings new pressures and new opportunities for the Men’s Eagles Sevens as the program looks to continue its momentum all the way to the Games in July. With several core players returning later this season, the wider squad has a chance to measure themselves on the world stage. As Dubai marks the start of a new season, the United States — like all teams — have everything to play for and a long road ahead.

WHERE TO WATCH

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 is broadcast LIVE and on-demand on NBC Sports Gold’s Rugby Pass. Live updates are also posted across USA Rugby’s twitter channels with match recaps published within 90 minutes of full time. For more information about NBC Sports Gold’s rugby pass, click here.

DUBAI SCHEDULE

vs Ireland | Dec 5 - 9:12 AM ET
vs Scotland | Dec 6 - 3:20 AM ET
vs Australia | Dec 6 - 9:12 AM ET

• Cup Quarterfinals begin on Saturday, Dec 7 at 2:14 AM ET
• Consolation rounds begin Saturday, Dec 7 at 4:30 AM ET

VIEW LIVE POOL DRAW HERE

TOP 5 PLACINGS

(Following conclusion of 2018-19 season)

Category	Position
Most points scored as a team	3rd (1359 pts)
Most tries scored as a team	3rd (220 pts)
Most restarts as a team	4th (229 pts)
Most points scored as a player	2nd - Madison Hughes (301 pts) 3rd - Carlin Isles (260 pts)
Most tries scored as a player	1st - Carlin Isles (52 tries)
Most tackles made as a player	5th - Stephen Tomasin (101 tackles)
Most restarts as a player	1st - Folau Niua (162 restarts)
Most runs made as a player	3rd - Ben Pinkelman (191 runs)

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