Work to do and Help Needed for USA Sevens Men

03.30.2023National Teams

hong kong sevens 2023 lucas lacamp mike lee 7

Can the USA Men’s 7s team get to the top four in the World Series?

Yes they can, but it’s going to take some vastly improved performances and some help. Right now that journey, that four-tournament journey, starts in Hong Kong.

“We have a tough assignment ahead of us, where it is very much now or never if we wish to get ourselves back in the top four conversation, currently being fought over by nine teams,” said USA Head Coach Mike Friday.

Little things have become big things in recent tournaments, where the Eagles have let a poor decision here, a muffed restart receipt there to produce a loss that maybe shouldn’t have been. If that loss comes in pool play, you can find yourself playing for eight points instead of 22.

That’s what happened in Los Angeles.

“We are under no illusions that we need to bring greater consistency to our performances, on both sides of the ball,” said Friday. When we play our game with intent and accuracy, we are very capable and it enables us to control those momentum moments. Too many times recently we have not done that and as a result been brutally punished.”

From 2nd in the World Series to 9th. Of course it’s a 9th that is still only 13 points behind 4th.

The big news is, of course, that Lucas Lacamp is back. Young, inexperienced, Lacamp brings a combination of speed and the ability to read the game that the USA needs/ Yes other players can do that, but Lacamp’s absence due to injury most definitely tracked with less consistent USA performances.

Watch for Pita Vi on this Asian leg of the World Series. The traveling reserve, if he’s needed he will make his World Series debut.

All of it starts Friday at 7AM Eastern Time against Spain. This is a Spanish team the USA lost to in LA but a team really the Eagles should take care of especially if they avoid playing not-to-lose.

That’s followed by Japan at 40 minutes past midnight, and Australia at 5:25AM on Saturday.

Certainly the Eagles can win this pool. If they do and a couple of those teams in the top eight falter, it’s on.