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USA enjoying 'underdogs tag' as they name 12-player squad for Olympics

USA's men's team celebrates with their gold medals during the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens tournament at Starlight Stadium in Langford, British Columbia, Canada, on August 20, 2023. Rugby Americas North Sevens is a rugby sevens Paris 2024 Qualification Event. (Photo by Don MacKinnon / AFP)

United States Sevens men’s head coach Mike Friday has named his 12-player squad for the Olympic Games later this month.

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The squad will see six players make their Olympic debuts- Naima Fuala’au, Malacchi Esdale, Aaron Cummings, Orrin Bizer, Marcus Tupuola, and Lucas Lacamp.

Perry Baker and Madison Hughes, meanwhile, will compete in their third Olympics, where they will hope to improve on their group stage exit in Rio and their quarter-final exit in Tokyo.

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Pita Vi and Adam Channel have also been included in the squad as travelling reserves.

The USA have been handed a devilish pool in Paris alongside HSBC SVNS champions and hosts France, reigning Olympic champions Fiji and Uruguay.

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The men’s sevens competition will run from July 24 to 27 at the Stade de France.

“It has been a rollercoaster 12 months for the squad since we started the build-up to the RAN qualifier this time last year,” Friday said after naming his squad.

“We have had to deal with a lot on and off the pitch. Throughout the good and tough times, the squad showed their resilience and determination to stay in the battles in what has been an unforgiving SVNS Series and the format we had to play under.

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“We have shown a level of consistency in our pool play and it is our ability to show the composure to match our ability in those moments in knock-out games that we need to focus on coming into the Olympics.

“The togetherness and competition within the group continued right up to selection and they have all pushed one another. The balance and attacking threats in the squad is very exciting and the challenge to minimize errors when in possession is the focus together with a philosophy of ‘running our blood to water’ when we defend to give us the opportunities to physically ‘blow up’ breakdowns.

“We are under no illusion how tough a group we are with the reigning Olympic champions, series champions, and hosts France, but as a pack we enjoy the underdogs tag and are confident on any day that we are able to compete with any team in the world as both these opposition teams felt the last time we met in Singapore. Uruguay are also a dogged team that we met in Madrid and asserted our possession game on.

“Preparation continues to be intense in Chula Vista with the non-rostered players, known as ‘Animal Patrol,’ selflessly working hard to physically push the squad against each of the opposition we will face, whilst also emotionally challenging them.

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“It’s certainly lively and the mutual love and respect in some of the sessions as they go at it is a pleasure to be a part of. Never is it more pertinent than right now that ‘the strength of the pack is the Dawg and the strength of the Dawg is the pack.’”

USA squad
1. Aaron Cummings
2. Maka Unufe
3. Orrin Bizer
4. Matai Leuta
5. Marcus Tupuola
6. Kevon Williams (C)
7. Naima Fuala’au
8. Malacchi Esdale
9. Stephen Tomasin
10. Madison Hughes
11. Perry Baker
12. Lucas Lacamp
13. Pita Vi (travelling reserve)
14. Adam Channel (travelling reserve)

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Nickers 32 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

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