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The Team
On paper most of the team has a cap either in 7s or 15s but only five of the players were with the team at the World Cup in the summer. Of those players Katie Johnson made her debut at the tournament. Jillion Potter, Deven Owsiany, Kelly Griffin, and Vix Folayan are the holdovers. Lauren Doyle is another player with experience. Gone from the team are players like Nathalie Marchino, Emilie Bydwell, and Bui Baravilala. Some of those players were dropped because they don't have U.S. passports, others simply lost interest. In their place head coach Ric Suggitt has brought in a combination of young players like Rebekah Sieback and Megan Bonny. He has also brought in crossover athletes Liz Sowers and Lorrie Clifford. Both of those players, and a few others, were with the Serevi Selects at the Coral Coast 7s a few weeks back.
There is no question that the team has plenty of talent but the big question will be whether they can come together in a short amount of time. They've been training together at the OTC in Chula Vista but aside from the players that went with the Serevi Selects they haven't had an opportunity to play together. That said, most of the team does have experience at high levels in the U.S., which should help them adjust to international pace.
Squad: Jillion Potter, Kelly Griffin, Katie Johnson, Deven Owsiany, Lauren Doyle, Liz Sowers, Vix Folayan, Lorrie Clifford, Dana Meschisi, Rebekah Siebach, Amelia Villines, Megan Bonny
The Opponents
*All pool play matches begin on Thursday)
United States vs. Ireland (5:06 a.m. et/2:06 a.m. pt): Ireland are one of the next core teams on the series this year thanks in large part to their showing in Guangzhou last year. The U.S. didn't face Ireland on the series last year but they did meet in the Cup quarterfinals of the World Cup. The U.S. came out ahead in that one 14-5. Ireland have good players but expect the U.S. to win this one as well.
United States vs. Fiji (8:04 a.m. et/5:04 a.m. pt): The U.S. played Fiji twice last year, once on the series and once in the World Cup, and won both meetings. Fiji are taking women's rugby more seriously but at the moment the U.S. is the better of the two teams. This should be a win for the Eagles.
United States vs. New Zealand (11:02 a.m. et/8:02 a.m. pt): The U.S. and New Zealand only met once last year and that was in the Cup semi-finals in Guangzhou. New Zealand won that match and they won their match in the World Cup semi-finals. In fact, they won a lot of matches last year as they rolled to the title. Now with more funding and more time together they look to be even better. A win for the Women Eagles in this match would be an upset.
The Keys to the Tournament
Quick Starts: The U.S. has more athleticism than a lot of teams and have specifically brought in a few players with speed. They need to use that to their full advantage by getting off to quick starts. They need to bury Ireland and Fiji early as well as stun New Zealand if they have any chance of upsetting them.
Veterans: With so many new players on the team the veterans need to step up and lead the way. Having a sense of calm about the team would be wise.
One Game at a Time: The women's series if free flowing with a lot of different teams capable of winning. That means there are no gimme games. The Eagles need to take the tournament one match at a time and focus on themselves.
The Outlook
Although they have a lot of new pieces on the roster we expect the Women Eagles to do well. They have enough veterans on the team to provide a solid footing and some of the new players will fit in nicely. We're looking to see improved handling as well as tactical awareness. In order to keep at the Olympics they have to do better in both categories. Wins over Ireland and Fiji are expected and if they can compete against New Zealand they are doing well. In the end we think they make the Cup semi-finals.