The retirement of Chris Wyles from playing 15s for the USA is the latest in what should be a series of shifts for the USA Men’s National Team this year.

Wyles, of course, is being logical - he’s 32, has notched 54 caps over a career that spanned four separate USA coaches, and will be 36 when the next Rugby World Cup rolls around. He wants to play in the Olympics - remember he got his USA start in 7s - but that’s this year, not four years hence.

It’s a decision many players make after a World Cup. Scott LaValla has retired, also, as has Lou Stanfill, and a host of other players. The USA team that suits up for the Americas Rugby Championship opener against Argentina on February 6 will bear almost no resemblance to the team that finished 2015 against Japan.

Expect Phil Thiel, Mate Moeakiola, and Hayden Smith to be taking time off - possibly permanently. I doubt we’ll see Kyle Sumsion in an Eagle jersey, despite his youth and ability, simply because there are other things in life to pursue. I am not sure if we’ll see Mike Petri back. I think he still has the fire, but this is also the time for coaches to start thinking about bringing in youth.

Remember, also, that we might not see too many overseas pros this February. Technically, it’s an approved World Rugby window where pro clubs have to release their players. More realistically, USA Rugby can use this availability to trade off for a weekend or two in October or November. 

So we might see Eric Fry, Cam Dolan, Greg Peterson, and Blaine Scully. Samu Manoa is hurt, but I doubt Toulon would want him to go anyway. Titi Lamositele - getting more playing time every week at Saracens - and Taku Ngwenya - a question-mark always - might or might not be around. AJ MacGinty, who got a European Challenge Cup start last weekend, is a question-mark, too. Andrew Durutalo is just starting his Super Rugby career - we won't see him. 

And, you’ve got to wonder about Todd Clever. If the fire is still there (I think it is), and the conflict is gone (new coach, new coaching staff), then believe it or not, Clever might suit up for the Eagles again.

But that’s just a small portion of the number of players new coach John Mitchell will need.

He could probably field the rest of the lineup with players who are injured or unavailable, so in the end we are going to see a USA squad that features a few players from the 7s program. Some we won't see - Zack Test, Danny Barrett, Folau Niua ... all of those guys are regular starters on the 7s team in an Olympic year, so they are 7s-first. But we haven’t seen Nic Edwards play any significant minutes in over a year; maybe he’d like to play some rugby?

But more important, now is the time to bring in the new wave. 

That new wave will be at loose forward, where there’s been the biggest changeover, and possible lock. Hooker is a big hole - although you wonder if the USA found their guy right at the end of the year in Joe Taufetee (jury’s out).

And with Thretton Palamo a central part of the USA 7s team efforts, what about the midfield? Expect to see a whole bunch of new, young players in the backline. And if MacGinty isn’t available at flyhalf, which I don’t think he is, maybe now is a time to look at a bunch of players, rather than anointing one.

I think it’s highly likely we will see a bunch of players in their early 20s, and possibly their teens, playing for the USA Feb 6 to March 5. I think you will see experience domestic guys like Olive Kilifi and Chris Baumann back. You will see guys who just got a cap or two (Niku Kruger) play. And, as a I speculated, you might see an old head like Clever show up.

But overall it’s going to be a new bunch, with heavy influence from the college, junior, and HS All Americans, and a perhaps rocky start to a new era.