CHULA VISTA, Calif. (USA Rugby provided the bulk of this article)  – USA Men’s 7s Coach Mike Friday has made very few changes to the team that won the London 7s May 17 as he named his squad to compete in the 2015 NACRA 7s in Cary, NC.

Friday has named a squad of 13 players for the tournament, which will decide the North American qualifier for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Out from the London tournament are Matai Leuta, who is injured, and Thretton Palamo, who was a late injury replacement for Zack Test at Twickenham. Test is healthy again and takes his place back. So with the loss of Leuta, Friday has added two USA 15s stars who excelled in 7s in previous season - Brett Thompson, and Chris Wyles. That makes 13 players, with one player expected to be a non-playing reserve.

Following his stint in the RaboDirect Pro12 with Edinburgh Rugby, Thompson returned to the Residency program at the Olympic Training Center, where he attended the Men’s Eagles Sevens’ High Performance Camps and worked with Assistant Coach Chris Brown to regain full fitness throughout the second half of the 2014-15 World Rugby HSBC Sevens World Series season.

Wyles’ last action in a U.S. jersey came in front of a sold-out crowd of 61,500 at Soldier Field in Chicago, where the Men’s Eagles competed for 80 minutes against the reigning Rugby World Cup-champion New Zealand All Blacks. Though he has not played international sevens since the 2008-09 Series, he has held down starting spots in several back line positions during his seven-season-strong career at Saracens Football Club.

“Thompson has been back with us for the last four months, so he is fully integrated into the squad and has been working hard and understands the culture and environment he is a part of,” Friday said. “’Wylesy’ knows what is required in a professional culture and his character is one that is personable as well as competitive. He is a hard-working bloke who has humility, so he is well-suited to the squad.”

Hear more of what Chris Wyles has to say about playing 7s in the latest RuggaMatrix America podcast. 

Mexico, in Pool A with the Eagles in Cary, and Guyana both fought for a core team spot at Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens in the World Series Qualifier, though the reward ultimately went to Russia. Guyana is the only team participating at the 2015 NACRA Sevens Championships to have played in a Series leg since 2011-12.

“We are focused on what we need to be and be better at to give us the best opportunity to succeed,” Friday said. “We will work hard on the pitch and in the classroom so we are prepared. All the boys are focused on trying to make the team successful and represent the shirt and country in the way the people of the U.S. would want to be represented.”

The Eagles will kick off their regional qualification campaign against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saturday, June 13, at 1:22 pm ET. All matches throughout the weekend will be streamed live on USA Rugby TV. Tickets can be purchased online and at the gate at WakeMed Soccer Park for $15.

Men's Eagles Sevens | 2015 NACRA Sevens Championships travel squad
Nate Augspurger
Perry Baker
Danny Barrett
Garrett Bender
Andrew Durutalo
Madison Hughes
Martin Iosefo
Carlin Isles
Folau Niua
Zack Test
Brett Thompson
Maka Unufe
Chris Wyles

Men's Eagles Sevens | 2015 NACRA Sevens Championships
v Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Saturday, June 13 - 1:22 p.m. ET
v Barbados - Saturday, June 13 - 3:44 p.m. ET
v Mexico - Saturday, June 13 - 6:06 p.m. ET
v Jamaica - Sunday, June 14 - 9 a.m. ET