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USA Eagles’ Head Coach Mike Friday has named his squad to play in the next two legs of the HSBC World Series. The 5th place USA get a boost to their lineup as Carlin Isles returns to duty and both Zach Test and Maka Unufe return from injury. All three missed the Vancouver leg of the World Series where the USA were ousted in the Cup Quarterfinal by Fiji in one of the most entertaining matches of the entire tournament. Peter Tiberio also makes his return to the Eagle lineup after over a year since last playing on the circuit. Tiberio has battled back from injuries and into contention through his versatile nature.
The next two legs of the World Series are the famed Hong Kong 7s followed by the Singapore 7s. The Eagles look to extend their streak of visits to the Cup which now stands at eight straight. The hurdle for the USA will be getting past the Cup Quarterfinals which has proven difficult this season. Out of six trips to the Cup this season, the Eagles have reached the semifinals twice.
The bolstered squad that is tasked with producing a semifinal or better is, once again, led by Madison Hughes who is 4th on the World Series with 204 points scored this season. He’s joined by forward stalwarts Danny Barrett and Garrett Bender. Both have fought through injury this season and have been a bit off of the standard that fans have come to expect. Ben Pinkelman shores up the forward group and has been one of the revelations from this season. The young forward has seen an increase in playing time over the past couple of stops and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
Folau Niua, Nate Augspurger, and Martin Iosefo also return along with Perry Baker. Baker has scored a team high 29 tries this season which is good for 4th place on the World Series leader board.
The USA is pooled with Australia (4th), Argentina (6th), and Portugal (16th). Portugal should prove little trouble for the Eagles, but the test lies in dispatching one or both of Australia and Argentina. The USA has seen the upper hand over Argentina of late, so should target that match to find their way into the Cup for a ninth straight tournament. Australia has been pulling away from the USA in the standings and should prove to be a difficult opponent.
The Hong Kong 7s kicks off in less than two weeks and runs April 8-10th.
USA Roster for next two HSBC World Series stops
1. Carlin Isles
2. Ben Pinkelman
3. Danny Barrett
4. Garrett Bender
5. Zack Test
6. Peter Tiberio
7. Folau Niua
8. Maka Unufe
9. Nate Augspurger
10. Madison Hughes (C)
11. Perry Baker
12. Martin Iosefo
