Head Coach Gary Gold Names USA Men's Eagles Player Pool for 2022 Summer Series and Rugby World Cup Qualifiers
June 15, 2022 - Major League Rugby (MLR) News Release
With the 2022 USA Rugby Summer Series and Rugby World Cup Qualifiers upcoming for the USA Men's Eagles, Head Coach Gary Gold has named 30 players to the traveling roster for three fixtures this July. The USA Men's National Team XVs kick off this summer with an exciting match against the French Barbarians in Houston on July 1st, before jetting off to Santiago for the first of a home and-away series against Chile to compete for Rugby World Cup 2023 qualification. Gold and the Men's Eagles coaching staff have been visiting and scouting MLR clubs over the past few months, similarly hosting a two day alignment camp in early May to shortly assemble players and staff ahead of this summer's penultimate games. Players will enter camp in Houston through a staggered entry as many continue to compete with their respective MLR, Premiership and Top 14 club competitions, with the full 30-man roster in assembly by week of the French Barbarians match. Tickets are now available to the upcoming home matches in Houston, TX and Glendale, CO via usa.rugby/tickets and all summer series matches will be streaming LIVE on FloRugby.
Roster Highlights
22 of 30 traveling roster players are currently competing in Major League Rugby (MLR) as the growing league nears completion of its fifth season.
Tokyo 2020 Olympian, Martin Iosefo named to the greater player pool, following transition to MLR for the 2021-22 season.
Lock Samu Manoa returns from an international hiatus following a strong season with the Seattle Seawolves.
New England FreeJack Mitch Wilson has the potential to make his USA debut and earn first cap during Chile matches.
Comments from Head Coach Gary Gold ahead of this year's summer series and qualification matches:
"It's been a tough selection process due to the level of improvement across the MLR and with many of our players playing so well. We are all really excited to eventually reassemble and spend time together as we prepare for an incredibly important summer. The games will prove a real challenge for us as a group, as we have a massive amount of respect for how well this Chile team has developed and improved.
"We have spent time as a coaching group with many of the clubs around MLR over the past few months, it has been a really good exercise as the level of coaching and feedback has been excellent. We were also able to have an alignment camp in Houston this past May, where we got our wider group of players together and we were able to lay out our plans and ideas for the French Barbarians and Chile. The camp afforded us an opportunity to spend two days with the group to agree on those plans and strategies, so that when we do assemble as a group we can hit the ground running and be more efficient.
"Our immediate goals are to get the squad in as soon as possible, post all player commitments, and to become aligned as a group as soon as possible as we don't have a massive amount of time before the first game is upon us.."
USA MEN'S EAGLES 2022 SUMMER SERIES TRAVELING SQUAD
Name Position Club
David Ainu'u Prop Toulouse (FRA)
Malon Al-Jiboori Backrow Houston Sabercats
Nate Augspurger Scrumhalf / Wing San Diego Legion
Michael Baska Scrumhalf Rouen Normandie (FRA)
Ben Bonasso Backrow Rugby New York
Marcel Brache Fullback / Center Austin Gilgronis
Nate Brakeley Lock Rugby New York
Bryce Campbell Center Austin Gilgronis
Luke Carty Flyhalf LA Giltinis
Nick Civetta Lock Rugby New York
Ruben de Haas Scrumhalf Saracens (ENG)
Cam Dolan No. 8 NOLA Gold
Christian Dyer Wing Houston Sabercats
Hanco Germishuys Backrow LA Giltinis
Will Hooley Fullback / Flyhalf San Diego Legion
Martin Iosefo Wing Seattle Seawolves
Titi Lamositele Prop Montpelier (FRA)
Paul Lasike Center Utah Warriors
Tavite Lopeti Center Seattle Seawolves
AJ Macginty Flyhalf Sale Sharks (ENG)
Siaosi Mahoni Lock Houston Sabercats
Samu Manoa Lock Seattle Seawolves
Paul Mullen Prop Utah Warriors
Greg Peterson Lock Newcastle Falcons (ENG)
Kapeli Pifeleti Hooker Saracens (ENG)
Mikey Sosene-Feagai Hooker Toulon (FRA)
Joe Taufete'e Hooker / Prop LA Giltinis
Moni Tonga'uiha Backrow NOLA Gold
Chance Wenglewski Prop Rugby New York
Mitch Wilson Wing New England Free Jacks
USA MEN'S EAGLES 2022 SUMMER SERIES MATCH SCHEDULE
USA vs French Barbarians | Houston, TX
July 1, 2022 7:30 PM CT at Aveva Stadium
GET TICKETS | Watch Live on FloRugby
Chile vs USA | Santiago, Chile | Rugby World Cup Qualifier
July 9, 2022 Time 6:00 PM ET at Estadio Santa Laura Universidad
Watch Live on FloRugby
USA vs Chile | Glendale, CO | Rugby World Cup Qualifier
July 16, 2022 1:00 PM MT at Infinity Park
GET TICKETS | Watch Live on FloRugby
Major League Rugby Stories from June 15, 2022
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