USA Men's Team Named for Paris Olympics
USA Men's Team Named for Paris Olympics
USA Rugby announced today the 2024 U.S. Olympic Men’s Rugby Sevens Team as they prepare to compete at the Olympic Summer Games Paris 2024.
Captain Kevon Williams leads the team as they pursue the USA Men’s Rugby Sevens’ first Olympic medal, 100 years after the USA last won Olympic gold in rugby. The USA finished 9th at Rio 2016 and 6th Tokyo 2020.
The team is composed of 12 starting athletes and two traveling alternates. Perry Baker and Madison Hughes are set to compete in their third Olympics. 2016 Olympian Maka Unufe will head to his second Olympic Games, as well as 2020 Olympians Kevon Williams and Stephen Tomasin. 2020 Olympian Matai Leuta, who joined the team for their high performance camp last month, will also compete in his second Games. Naima Fuala’au and Malacchi Esdale join the starting squad for their first Olympic selection, having traveled to Tokyo as alternates. Aaron Cummings, Orrin Bizer, Marcus Tupuola, and Lucas Lacamp are set to make their Olympic debut. Traveling reserves Pita Vi and Adam Channel will also travel with the team to Paris.
2020 Olympian Joe Schroeder withdrew from eligibility for selection as he continues to recover from a knee injury sustained at Singapore SVNS. Also a 2020 Olympian, Maceo Brown announced his retirement from rugby following a knee injury sustained in Singapore.
Head Coach Mike Friday and high performance staff selected the team according to procedures approved by USA Rugby and the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Selection procedures are available at eagles.rugby/selection-procedures.
The team departs July 13 for Paris, where they will train at the High Performance Center ahead of their matches beginning on July 24. World Rugby announced Olympic pools on June 23. The USA are in Group C, and will play against Fiji, France, and Uruguay. Pool schedules will be announced soon.
“It has been a rollercoaster 12 months for the squad since we started the build up to the RAN qualifier this time last year," said Head Coach Mike Friday. "We have had to deal with a lot on and off the pitch. Throughout the good and tough times, the squad showed their resilience and determination to stay in the battles in what has been an unforgiving SVNS Series and the format we had to play under. We have shown a level of consistency in our pool play and it is our ability to show the composure to match our ability in those moments in knock out games that we need to focus on coming into the Olympics."
The USA team finished 9th in the SVNS regular season standings, which meant they had to play in a requalification tournament in Madris, where they managed to secure a spot as a core member of the circuit. This past season the Eagles made the semifinals just once, in Vancouver, finsihing 4th.
"The togetherness and competition within the group continued right up to selection and they have all pushed one another," continued Friday. "The balance and attacking threats in the squad is very exciting and the challenge to minimize errors when in possession is the focus together with a philosophy of ‘running our blood to water’ when we defend to give us the opportunities to physically ‘blow up’ breakdowns.
"We are under no illusion how tough a group we are with the reigning Olympic Champions, Series Champions, and hosts France, but as a pack we enjoy the underdogs tag and are confident on any day that we are able to compete with any team in the world as both these opposition teams felt the last time we met in Singapore. Uruguay are also a dogged team that we met in Madrid and asserted our possession game on.
Preparation continues to be intense in Chula Vista with the nonrostered players, known as ‘Animal Patrol,’ selflessly working hard to physically push the squad against each of the opposition we will face, whilst also emotionally challenging them. It’s certainly lively and the mutual love and respect in some of the sessions as they go at it is a pleasure to be a part of. Never is it more pertinent than right now that ‘the strength of the pack is the Dawg and the strength of the Dawg is the pack.’”
| U.S. Men’s Olympic Rugby Team | Olympic Summer Games Paris 2024 | |||
| Name | Hometown | Position | College/HS Rugby Teams |
| 1. Aaron Cummings | Muskegon, Michigan | Forward | Grand Haven / Davenport |
| 2. Maka Unufe | Provo, Utah | Utility | United |
| 3. Orrin Bizer | The Woodlands, Texas | Forward | The Woodlands / Life U. |
| 4. Matai Leuta | Monterey, California | Forward | * |
| 5. Marcus Tupuola | Carson, California | Halfback/Center | South Bay / Notre Dame College |
| 6. Kevon Williams (C) | Houston, Texas | Halfback/Wing | / NMHU |
| 7. Naima Fuala’au | Hayward, California | Halfback | Hayward |
| 8. Malacchi Esdale | Newark, Delaware | Wing/Center | |
| 9. Stephen Tomasin | Santa Rosa, California | Utility | SD Young Aztecs / SD State |
| 10. Madison Hughes | Lancaster, Massachusetts | Halfback | Wellington College / Dartmouth |
| 11. Perry Baker | New Smyrna Beach, Florida | Wing | |
| 12. Lucas Lacamp | Hong Kong | Center | King's School HK / UCLA |
| Traveling Reserves | |||
| 13. Pita Vi | Sacramento, California | Center/Wing | Elk Grove |
| 14. Adam Channel | Long Beach, California | Forward | Belmont Shore |
| U.S. Men’s Olympic Rugby Team Staff | |||
| GM of HP | Tamara Sheppard | ||
| Head Coach | Mike Friday | ||
| Asst. Coach | Phil Greening | ||
| Analyst | Dave Gardner | ||
| S&C | Josh Schnell | ||
| Special Assistant | Pete Naschak | ||
| Nutritionist | Jacque Scaramella | ||
| Team Manager | Scott Novack | ||
| Team Doctor | Alex Myers | ||
| Physiotherapist | Bryan Gardner | ||
| Press Officer | Calder Cahill | ||
US-born Matai Leuta played rugby in school in Fiji and was a collegiate ALl American however he mostly played club rugby while in college.
