USA Men’s Sevens Vancouver 2020 Roster & Preview

LAST TOURNAMENT | FIFTH IN LOS ANGELES

The USA Men’s Sevens finished fifth in Los Angeles after losing their Cup Quarterfinal to South Africa who eventually took the title. Claiming 13 points towards their Series standing, the U.S. are now ranked seventh overall with three stops until the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Group play got off to a shaky start with the U.S down 0-12 against Samoa. The LA opener was touch-and-go until the final whistle where the Americans barely escaped with a 19-17 win.

Play was much more in hand against Scotland, however, as the Eagles Sevens used a powerful second half to finish 33-12. In the last battle against Australia, the USA struggled to fire; falling behind 0-17 at the break and unable to catch up in the second half. The Aussies won 7-17.

South Africa and the U.S. played at an even keel in the Cup Quarterfinals as the Americans owned a 10-0 lead in the first half and the opposition came back in the second for a heartbreaking 10-12 win. Incredibly gutted and disappointed, the United States channeled its energy to bounce back in the next two games to place fifth.

The French were no match for a tenacious U.S. side who easily took a 5-24 win. Ireland made a late comeback which nearly put the match in extra time until Danny Barrett came in with a charged run at full time to give the USA a winning finish in Los Angeles.

THE SQUAD

Head Coach Mike Friday has made three changes to the roster for Vancouver. With Ben Pinkelman and Joe Schroeder out due to injury, Malon Al-Jiboori and Maceo Brown jump into the starting rotation. Ben Broselle will serve as the 13th place injury reserve.

In Los Angeles, Carlin Isles and Perry Baker both surpassed the 200 try mark and, as a result, won the UL Mark of Excellence Award. Isles was also named to the tournament Dream Team.

Stephen Tomasin also shined in Los Angeles with tenacious defense that saw him finish fourth overall in tackles made. Danny Barrett added a team high 19 runs through the weekend.

The primary 12 player roster for Vancouver owns 391 HSBC tournaments to date.

PLAYER NAME	POSITION	HSBC TOURNAMENTS TO DATE
1. Carlin Isles	Wing	56
2. Malon Al-Jiboori	Prop/Hooker	9
3. Danny Barrett	Prop	53
4. Maceo Brown	Center	13
5. Cody Melphy	Halfback	5
6. Kevon Williams	Halfback/Wing	26
7. Naima Fuala'au	Halfback	7
8. Maka Unufe	Center	42
9. Stephen Tomasin	Hooker	36
10. Madison Hughes (C)	Halfback	51
11. Perry Baker	Wing	46
12. Martin Iosefo	Center	45
13. Ben Broselle	Center	6

STAFF

THE COMPETITION
Drawn in Pool D, the USA will face the same three opponents they did in Los Angeles with Samoa, Scotland and Australia. The original Series format will return for Vancouver with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the Cup Quarterfinals and the bottom two being placed in the consolation rounds.

Samoa will kick off group play on Saturday at 12 PM ET on NBC Sports Gold. The Samoans finished 12th in Los Angeles and are currently in 13th place overall. Scotland are up next after finishing 13th last tournament and currently hold the 12th place standing in the Series. Australia are the highest ranked opponent, in 6th place, after losing bronze to New Zealand last weekend.

All matches are streamed LIVE on NBC Sports Gold with comprehensive coverage across USA Rugby’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook channels.

VANCOUVER SCHEDULE

Pool D - Saturday, March 7
vs Samoa | 12 PM ET
vs Scotland | 3:12 PM ET
vs Australia | 6:46 PM ET

Sunday, March 8
Knockouts | 12:43 PM ET
Cup Final | 9:28 PM ET

VISIT MATCH CENTER HERE

HEAR IT FROM HEAD COACH MIKE FRIDAY

“We were very disappointed to lose the title in LA and after disappointing Day One performances which are not how we go about our business. We had some very straight conversations at the end of that day.

“To then lose narrowly to South Africa in the Quarterfinal was even more disappointing as there were some moments both in and out of our control which were very frustrating.

“However, I was very proud of the boys in how they worked on Day Two. To bounce back with two very uncompromising performances against France and Ireland to secure 5th, lays the minimum standard with which we approach Vancouver.

“It is a real shame to lose a world class player like Ben Pinkelman but we need to look at the bigger picture for him this season. Unfortunately, Ben’s injury was compounded by losing Joe who was outstanding in LA. Joe has already had surgery and will be working hard to recover in time to compete for London and Paris.

“We are fortunate to have a highly physical animal in Malon who was unfortunate not to make the roster in LA and was outstanding at the Los Angeles Invitational. With Ben Broselle, we bring another player who is again highly physical and possesses real speed as well.'

TO SUM IT UP

The 2020 season has certainly had its ups and downs for the United States. After winning bronze in Sydney, the U.S. were anxious to deliver another medal to home fans in Los Angeles. But beyond the results themselves, the Eagles Sevens have continued to show the grit and resilience necessary to remain in the mix of a competitive and evolving season.

Including Vancouver, the USA have three more chances to rise in the rankings ahead of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The squad are currently two points behind 6th place Australia and another seven points away from breaking into the top four where France (4th), Fiji (3rd), South Africa (2nd) and New Zealand (1st) sit.