Just because the USA beat Canada in Canada on August 3 doesn’t mean it will happen in Canada on August 22, but there’s a good chance.

(See lineup announcement here)

Why? In part because Canada has not been playing well, and while you can bet they will be better Saturday, they still have problems. In part because the Eagles have shown they have the players and the ability, even when not playing to their best, to beat their rivals.

But … there are some questions to answer today, namely:

Will the USA offense score tries? Yes. The Eagle attack pattern was conservative on purpose, and now with a win over Canada under the belt, the USA can throw caution to the wind (a little bit) and maybe break out the fancy china for his occasion.

Will the backs connect? This is kind of the same question as the previous one, right? Well the answer has to be yes, doesn’t it? The Eagles want to use AJ MacGinty more as the fulcrum upon which the backline attack pivots. And from there Thretton Palamo would do well to hit the line with a little lower body position, and he and Seamus Kelly and MacGinty all had plenty of time to get their timing down. Today’s the day for that.

Will we see more box kicks? Yes you will. Aside from Mike Petri's backwards kick against Canada last time, which was likely a source of embarrassment for the scrumhalf in the following days, the box kick has yielded some good results. We will also continue to see other kicks for territory. But ... they have to be good, smart kicks to the corner, allowing an effective chase and not allowing unsettling counter-attacks. 

Is this a crucial game for some? Yes it is. Check out our latest RuggaMatrix America podcast which discusses, in part, that question. Cameron Dolan has to have a big game at second row, not because he’s not playing well, but because working in the scrum as a lock is something he needs to prove he can do at this level. Greg Peterson has had some good moments, and not so good. He’s got a lot to do today. Titi Lamositele needs to play better, more consistent, defense. Brett Thompson has hardly been seen for months due to injury and a game that didn’t come his way much. We want to see him break something open. Niku Kruge and Olive Kilifi should get on the field; let’s see how they’re doing.

Do we have some position answers? Yes. Mike Petri is the scrumhalf and AJ MacGinty is the flyhalf. Both can be backed up by Shalom Suniula, but Kruger definitely is auditioning for the scrumhalf backup job. Conversely, Hooker seems to be pretty up in the air with today's starter, Zach Fenoglio, and today's backup, Phil Thiel, in an intriguing battle for time.

What about the forwards? Let’s get the ball out of the ruck quicker. The support players need to be there faster (or closer), and they need to get the ball-killers off the ball with aggressiveness. We’ve stopped requesting that referees police this part of the game better - in a World Cup year it seems refs want the ball to be slow in the ruck (are these refs getting overworked that they are too tired for a fast game?). It seems that the USA opposition killing the ball should just be expected, so the Eagles will have to police their own.

What about the defense? They're a question-mark. It's worth noting that some of the USA's top tacklers aren't in this game. Scott LaValla is hurt. Hayden Smith is hurt. Phil Thiel and John Quill are on the bench. Samu Manoa isn't playing. Somebody else, likely several somebodies, will have to fill that void.