USA Men’s Sevens take seventh in Singapore

With a strong start to their Singapore SVNS campaign, the USA Men’s Sevens found themselves in the seventh place playoff as they worked to earn qualification to the SVNS finale tournament in Madrid. The squad earned eight points, but placements by other teams pushed them down to ninth, sending them to the playoff tournament in Madrid. 

The USA played strong throughout the weekend, with major wins against physical and high ranking teams. Joe Schroeder and Maceo Brown each sustained injuries during the weekend and will return home to recover. Updates will be made as soon as they are known. 

The squad will recoup in Chula Vista as they prepare for the playoff tournament in Madrid, where eight teams will compete for the four remaining 2025 SVNS spots. 2024 Madrid SVNS kicks off Friday, May 31, live on RugbyPass. 

“I am so very proud of the attitude, resilience, and character these men have shown throughout the last three days and in particular the last 36 hours - literally everything that was not in our control conspired against us and Lady Luck certainly didn’t look in on us at all meaning that we have ended up in the playoff in Madrid, having  finished one point behind Great Britain after they manage to secure third in Singapore. 

That being said, we have played some fantastic rugby on both sides of the ball this weekend and can clearly mix it and beat any team. However, we need to take the next and most  important job of ensuring that we execute the basics and fundamentals of the game every time all the time as that has and is the reason we are where we are in Madrid. Making 6 out of 7 quarterfinals tells a positive story but not making the most of those six opportunities equally tells a story.

I need to do a better job as the head of the program in helping and guiding the boys at bringing that consistency in the fundamentals as the pressure builds. As a coaching team we will be working tirelessly these next 60 days to the Olympics to get the boys prepared to take those opportunities they are creating.  

My heart goes out to Joe Schroeder and Maceo Brown for the injuries they have sustained which is devastating for them personally and heartbreaking for us as a squad. We are all gutted for them.

We will head home and spend a few days recovering with loved ones and then get back to work in preparation for Madrid’s playoff tournament."

In their first pool matchup against Fiji, the USA knew their opponent would be physical. Fiji scored immediately off kickoff, but Lucas Lacamp returned the favor just as fast. While Fiji were physical on defense, the Eagles played quick, using their fastest players to get down field. Kevon Williams kept up pace and used great footwork for another score, and not soon later, a chip through by Williams caught by Perry brought the USA into the lead. Heading into the second half, the Eagles needed to strengthen their turnover work on a quick and physically attacking Fijian team. The Eagles kept up the dominance and connection, and Aaron Cummings and Malacchi Esdale notched two more USA tries to secure a 33-14 win. 

Playing Ireland in their next game, the USA were looking for their second win of the day. Ireland took an easy score off a scrum, and kept the USA at bay for most of the second half, while the Eagles fought hard on defense. Gameplay paused as Joe Schroeder was treated and taken off field for an injury, and the Eagles needed to keep composure to secure a win. Kevon Williams scored to end the first half, and the second half kicked off with a Perry Baker try on the wing, and the Eagles dominance shone. They had a good defensive scramble to earn back possession, and a yellow card to Ireland upped the advantage. Three points up, the Eagles needed to keep Ireland away from the try line, and the final whistle sounded as Ireland conceded a penalty and ultimately the win to the USA, 10-7. 

With quarterfinals secured, the USA headed into their final pool match against Great Britain, who the Eagles needed to keep away from placing high in the standings to ensure their own ticket to the Madrid finale. The Dawgs started out with a lot of steam, as Maceo Brown caught a ball and gained a lot of ground to offload to an awaiting Steven Tomasin for the first try of the game. Naima Fuala’au soon after took another five points of his own. The squad was connecting well and shaking off defenders, but Great Britain would be fierce on attack, scoring three tries in the first half to show their dominance. The second half started with the Eagles on attack, and they worked the ball down field for Kevon Williams to finish the play, just needing one more score for the win. But Great Britain’s determination showed in their defense, forcing errors on the USA that ultimately gave Great Britain the win, 19-21. 

The Eagles knew they had a challenge in New Zealand for their quarterfinal, but they were up for the challenge. Kevon Williams proved it with an immediate score off a show and go sprint. The Eagles were controlling the ball well and putting on great defensive pressure. But New Zealand put away two more tries to take the lead. Both teams played scrappy and urgently as they were both eager to punch their ticket to the semifinals. Great offload connects between USA attackers got Adam Channel over the try line, but time would run out before the USA had another attacking chance, conceding the win to New Zealand, 14-19. 

The seventh place playoff against France would be vital to the USA, as they needed the win for a chance to make it to the final in Madrid. France had control of the ball early, taking the first score. Maceo Brown sustained an injury that took him off the field. At the restart, Lucas Lacamp gained ground off a scrum and the squad recycled the ball as Adam Channel, who put the USA on the board. The Eagles’ scrums would be key to drawing in defenders and giving the USA a good attacking chance. Perry Baker added 10 more points to the USA tally of great supporting plays. The remainder of the game was dominated by France, but the USA defense kept them from scoring more than twice as the Eagles secured the win 19-17. 

The Eagles will head home as they prepare to fight for their spot in next year’s series, looking toward the playoff tournament in Madrid at the end of the month.

Head Coach | Mike Friday 

Assistant Coach | Phil Greening

Strength & Conditioning | Josh Schnell

Athletic Trainer | Brian Gardner 

Team Manager | Scott Novack 

Performance Analyst | Dave Gardner

Nutritionist | Jacque Scaramella

Pool C

v Fiji | 33-14 (W)

v Ireland | 10-7 (W)

v Great Britain | 19-21 (L)

Knockouts

QF v New Zealand | 14-19 (L)

7th Place Playoff v France | 19-17 (W)