USA Names Side to Face Canada Saturday
USA Names Side to Face Canada Saturday
USA Head Coach Scott Lawrence has named his gameday 23 to face Canada Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Kickoff is 6PM and Tickets can be had here>>
There aren't very many changes to the backline that faced Romania and Scotland in July. Luke Carty does step in at flyhalf with AJ McGinty not in the squad as his professional team prepares for the upcoming season. Chris Mattina comes in on the bench as cover for flyhalf and fullback. Conner Mooneyham gets his second straight start after a solid showing against Scotland in DC.
Two players, Miami prop Sean McNulty and Houston prop Pono Davis, could get their first caps if they come in off the bench (which is almost a certainty). Saint Mary's College of California sees two alumni and one current student-athlete, in the 23 with Tavite Lopeti starting at outside center while Vili Helu and Dom Besag are on the bench.
The USA faces a Canada team that is already 0-1 in the Pacific Nations Cup Pool B after losing to Japan in Vancouver last week. A win for the USA would secure them a semifinal spot. The USA is 12-1-1 in their last 14 meetings with Canada, but the Canadians did win during the last year these two teams faced off, taking the first game of the two-match World Cup Qualifier in 2021.
Head Coach Scott Lawrence said, “The men have been fortunate enough to prepare in the USA 7s home base in Chula Vista. We’re grateful for the use of the wonderful facilities which have allowed the team to prepare without distraction.”
Some more Pre-Match Facts:
The USA has scored at least one try in each of the team's last 21 tests; the last time they failed to score a try was against France in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Excluding the WorldCup, the Eagles have scored at least one try in each of their last 57 matches, which is a fairly astonishing record.
Canada was the only team not to miss a kick in the opening round of this year’s Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup, despite having what statisticians judged the most difficult kicks. Canada also retained possesion from 98% of their rucks in the opening round, a stat that may well dictate how the USA approaches its defense.
USA Roster to Face Canada | ||
Name | Club | Caps |
1. Jack Iscaro | Old Glory DC | 7 |
2. Kapeli Pifeleti | Saracens | 11 |
3. Alex Maughan | RFCLA | 3 |
4. Jason Damm | RFCLA | 2 |
5. Greg Peterson | San Diego Legion | 44 |
6. Paddy Ryan | San Diego Legion | 7 |
7. Cory Daniel | Old Glory DC | 3 |
8. Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz | Old Glory DC | 11 |
9. JP Smith | Seattle Seawolves | 2 |
10. Luke Carty | Chicago Hounds | 19 |
11. Nate Augspurger | Chicago Hounds | 43 |
12. Tommaso Boni | Old Glory DC | 6 |
13. Tavite Lopeti | Seattle Seawolves | 14 |
14. Conner Mooneyham | Seattle Seawolves | 1 |
15. Mitch Wilson | New England Free Jacks | 8 |
Reserves | ||
16. Sean McNulty | Miami Sharks | 0 |
17. Jake Turnbull | Anthem RC | 7 |
18. Pono Davis | Houston SaberCats | 0 |
19. Viliami Helu | San Diego Legion | 7 |
20. Thomas Tu'avao | Utah Warriors | 6 |
21. Ethan McVeigh | Old Glory DC | 1 |
22. Dominic Besag | Saint Mary's College | 2 |
23. Chris Mattina | San Diego Legion | 5 |