The Eagles head into the Hong Kong 7s at the highest point their program has been since they made a Cup final in Adelaide in 2010. Their run to fourth place at the Las Vegas 7s has the potential of being a watershed moment for the program if they take advantage of it with a strong run the rest of the season. It got fans excited, it had the players excited, and it has to have the USOC excited that not only will the Eagles qualify for the Olympics but they have the potential to compete for a medal. However, all of that momentum can slip away if they fail to make the Cup round and produce more strong runs in Hong Kong and the rest of the season's stops.
There is no reason to think that the Eagles won't make another strong run this tournament. They once again return the core of their team and traditionally have done well in Hong Kong. At the same time, Mike Friday and Chris Brown have repeatedly shown themselves willing to push the team to get better and to not settle until they have won (even then that might not be good enough). They may not finish in fourth place again but our guess is that they have another strong showing.
Take the jump to read more.
The Team
The Eagles have been remarkably consistent in their selections this year keeping a core group of 9-10 players intact for nearly every tournament. Health is a major reason for that but there is no question that having this group of players play together frequently has been a major asset.
There are two changes to the team from Las Vegas with Nate Augspurger coming in for Pat Blair and Mataiyasi Leuta replacing Martin Iosefo. Augspurger hasn't been with the Eagles for a couple of years but has been starring for Old Blue and the Northeast ODA. He's been their best player for a long time now and starred in their run to the Men's Elite final at the Las Vegas Invitational. Leuta starred for the Falcons and is a big body with a lot of nice skills. Like fellow debutant Ahmad Harajly a few tournaments back Leuta will see some time but it's probably more of a learning experience.
As mentioned, the core of the team returns. Zack Test and Madison Hughes will be the leaders. Test had big moments in Vegas along with Danny Barrett and Maka Unufe. It's been Unufe that has been the driver of a lot of the Eagles success over the past few tournaments with outstanding play.
Overall the Eagles once again have balance. They have power in Barrett, Bender, Leuta, and Unufe, skills in the air with Barrett and Test, speedsters in Carlin Isles and Perry Baker, and playmakers in Hughes, Folau Niua, and Augspurger.
Squad: Nate Augspurger, Perry Baker, Danny Barrett, Garrett Bender, Andrew Durutalo, Nic Edwards, Madison Hughes (C), Carlin Isles, Mataiyasi Leuta, Folau Niua, Zack Test, Maka Unufe
The Opponents
Kenya (Friday, 7:38 a.m. et/4:38 a.m. pt): Kenya have been struggling this season and are twelfth in the standings just ahead of Canada. In previous meetings with Kenya this year the U.S. has won 26-17 in Dubai and 33-5 in Port Elizabeth. Kenya have only made the Cup round once this year (Wellington) but did win the Bowl in Las Vegas. The U.S. will be favorites to win but Kenya can't be taken lightly.
Wales (Friday, 11:34 p.m. et/8:34 p.m. pt): Wales are only three points ahead of Kenya in the standings and have struggled at times this year. The U.S. has played Wales once this year winning 38-12 in Port Elizabeth. Wales were not good in Vegas finishing as Shield runners-up. They made the Cup round twice early in the season but have not played well since then. This is another match the Eagles should win.
England (Saturday, 4:42 a.m. et/1:42 a.m. pt): The U.S. has played England twice this season losing 14-7 in the Gold Coast and the losing 19-10 in Dubai. England has consistently been a top team this year and is just on the outside looking at the top four. They aren't perfect and if the U.S. plays like they did in Vegas against England they could come out with a win. They are underdogs but the U.S. has played well in that role this year.
Keys to the Tournament
Kicking: Every tournament we talk about kicking. When the U.S. has had success this year it's been because Hughes and Niua have made their kicks. The odds are they won't have a lot of blowout wins this tournament meaning that kicks are going to be vital. They don't want to lose to England by two or four knowing they could have won the match if they made their conversions.
Stay in the Present: The Eagles can't get ahead of themselves thinking that they don't have to give a 100% effort in every match to win. If they do that they certainly won't be England and could lose to Kenya and Wales. The team hasn't had the attitude so far this year (Friday has made sure of that) and there is no indication that it will be a problem in Hong Kong but coming off a high finish in Vegas they have the most potential for a relapse this tournament.
Cut Out Silly Mistakes: The U.S. cut out many of their small mental errors in Vegas and it provided dividends. Still, they weren't perfect and they need to continually working on being clinical at all moments.
The Breakdown: The U.S., led by Andrew Durutalo, have been fantastic at the breakdown this year and haven't been as perplexed by the referee as they have been in past tournaments. Not worrying about the referee and adapting as served them well this year and should continue.
Defense: The U.S. has the ability to put fear into their opponents with their hard hits. The crowd loves it and the players love it. You can see opponents question whether they want to go hard against the Eagles.
Restarts: The U.S. is a strong team in the air but they still don't retain as many of their restarts as they need. It's probably just a matter of time before they figure it out and dominate.
The Outlook
It would be a shock if the Eagles didn't make the Cup round once again. Wales and Kenya have had their moments this year and will make the Eagles work but they are teams the U.S. is consistently beating now. That progress the U.S. need and will build upon. The Eagles have also competed against the likes of England this season. They haven't come away with as many victories as they would like but if they continue to keep it close than one of these times a team like England is going to fall. We actually think it will be this tournament and the Eagles will finish in first in the pool.