The USA Men’s Sevens squad heads to Hong Kong SVNS with a focus on making the podium for the first time this season. An eighth place finish at home left the squad determined to improve at every detail, and Head Coach Mike Friday’s 13 are ready to show up in Hong Kong.
Maceo Brown joins the squad for the first time this season, alongside Pita Vi, who also returns to the playing roster for the first time since Dubai and Cape Town. Faitala Talapusi heads to Hong Kong in his first tournament of the season, making a full recovery from an injury sustained at the 2023 PanAmerican Games.
2024 Hong Kong SVNS kicks off Thursday evening, April 4, live on RugbyPass. Semifinals and finals will be simulcast on Peacock.
“We realize and recognise the physical nature of the group and the challenge we face to progress in this tournament. We have reflected on the areas we did well in at Vancouver and LA and there were a lot of positive plays on both sides of the ball. We will look to build on this foundation and seek to bring a little more accuracy and consistency to some specific skill elements and tactical execution so we are able to control the momentum shifts into our favor, as that is ultimately the difference between winning and losing in every game.
Selection has been extremely difficult in what has been a highly competitive block. This is what we all want, and the entire squad, those traveling and those that are not, have pushed hard to give us the best opportunity to perform in Hong Kong.
We are looking forward and excited to have the opportunity to represent USA, our families, and loved ones.”
The Dawgs begin their weekend in Hong Kong against Argentina, who have won three of the five tour stops this season. The USA will have to match Argentina’s speed and ball control to be a dominant force and come out with a win on Friday.
Great Britain is the squad’s next matchup. Their last meeting ended in a USA win in Perth, and Great Britain will be determined to reverse those results in Hong Kong. The Dawgs’ last pool matchup to qualify for quarterfinals is against New Zealand. A dominant win over the All Blacks showed what the USA is capable of, and they plan to repeat their show of force in Hong Kong.
| Name | Position | HSBC Tournaments |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Aaron Cummings | Forward | 19 |
| 4. Maceo Brown | Center/Hooker | 23 |
| 5. Joe Schroeder | Forward | 35 |
| 6. Kevon Williams (C) | Halfback/Wing | 50 |
| 8. Malacchi Esdale | Wing/Center | 23 |
| 9. Stephen Tomasin | Utility | 57 |
| 10. Faitala Talapusi | Fullback | 18 |
| 11. Perry Baker | Wing | 68 |
| 13. Orrin Bizer | Forward | 5 |
| 14. Marcus Tupuola | Halfback/Center | 29 |
| 25. Pita Vi | Center/Wing | 6 |
| 30. Madison Hughes | Halfback | 57 |
| 77. Maka Unufe | Center/10 | 51 |
Head Coach | Mike Friday
Assistant Coach | Phil Greening
Strength & Conditioning | Josh Schnell
Athletic Trainer | Brian Gardner
Team Manager | Scott Novack
Performance Analyst | Dave Gardner
Friday, April 5
v Argentina | 12:48 am ET (Thursday night)
v Great Britain | 4:21 am ET
v New Zealand | 11:48 pm ET
Saturday, April 6
Quarterfinals begin at 5:09 am ET
Sunday, April 7
Semifinals and finals begin at 1:40 am ET (Saturday night)
