USA Men's Eagles Announce 30-Man Roster and Reserves for Two July Tests at Home
June 14, 2024 - Major League Rugby (MLR) News Release
Test match rugby returns to home soil for the USA Men's Eagles in a few short weeks, as the USA Men's Eagles coaching staff have confirmed the traveling roster and reserves for a two-match series in Chicago and Washington DC.
Arriving in Chicago on June 30th for a brief camp in lead up to the first face-off with Romania, USA fans can look forward to the continued American Series produced in partnership with AEG Rugby. The USA will face Romania on July 5, 8PM ET at SeatGeek Stadium in Chicago, IL and then move on to Washington DC to host Scotland on July 12, 6:30 PM ET at Audi Field.
Head Coach Scott Lawrence said on the player pool, "We've picked a balance of experienced Eagles and new players in key positions, aimed toward future growth into the Eagle jersey in this first mission of Project Gemini. It was a highly competitive pool in certain positions, and there will be others in reserve and continuing to play domestically still who will challenge for a spot in the Pacific Nations Cup and beyond. It must be earned."
This will be the first full assembly for the USA Men's Eagles in 2024, coming off some important wins in the summer and fall of 2023. The first fixtures under Head Coach Scott Lawrence, the USA went 4-2 with wins over Stade Toulousain in Utah and a sweep of the La Vila International tournament in November. The first match of 2024 will also be a rematch with Romania, another game in the win column from Bucharest last August.
Five new prospects are named to the traveling roster, with an opportunity to capture their USA Eagle number. Competing in France with Brive, Renger Van Eerten earns his first camp invite alongside Seattle Seawolves stars JP Smith and Connor Mooneyham. Eric Storti brings in the young corps off a D1A National Championship win with Saint Mary's and Anthem Rugby Carolina prospect Steffan Crimp also receives his first National Team invite. Veteran Greg Peterson will Captain the squad, joining from his first year in MLR with the San Diego Legion.
Leading into the tour assembly, Lawrence and staff will host the team leadership group in Charlotte, NC for an alignment camp, an annual gathering between veteran players and staff to calibrate the time between assemblies and set goals for the upcoming year. The group will also host joint sessions and coaching with the Men's U20s team who will also be in Charlotte for World Rugby U20s Trophy preparation.
Lawrence added on the age-grade collaboration, "We're aggressive about growing the professionalism and standards in our U18 and U20 programs. Time side by side with a senior Eagle, to see the behaviors and habits of a high performing test match player is much more effective than any classroom or field session we could do in fueling that growth."
30-man Traveling Roster
NAME CLUB
Prop
Jack Iscaro Old Glory DC
Jake Turnbull Anthem RC
Paul Mullen Utah Warriors
Alex Maughan RFCLA
Nate Sylvia San Diego Legion
Hooker
Mike Sosene-Feagai Agen (FRA)
Dylan Fawsitt Chicago Hounds
Kapeli Pifeleti Saracens (ENG)
Lock
Renger Van Eerten CA Brive Rugby (FRA)
Jason Damm RFCLA
Greg Peterson (C) San Diego Legion
Cam Dolan NOLA Gold
Flanker
Sam Golla Dallas Jackals
Ben Bonasso Miami Sharks
Paddy Ryan San Diego Legion
Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz Old Glory DC
No 8.
Thomas Tu'avao Utah Warriors
Scrumhalf
Ruben De Haas Cheetahs (RSA)
JP Smith Seattle Seawolves
Flyhalf
AJ MacGinty Bristol Bears
Luke Carty Chicago Hounds
Center
Bryce Campbell Chicago Hounds
Tavite Lopeti Seattle Seawolves
Erich Storti Saint Mary's College
Tommaso Boni Old Glory DC
Wing
Christian Dyer Houston SaberCats
Nate Augspurger Chicago Hounds
Connor Mooneyham Seattle Seawolves
Fullback
Mitch Wilson New England Free Jacks
Steffan Crimp Anthem RC
Non-traveling Reserves
Payton Telea San Diego Legion
Kaleb Geiger New England Free Jacks
Pono Davis Houston SaberCats
Sean McNulty Miami Sharks
Lucas Gramlick Anthem RC
Viliami Helu San Diego Legion
Bailey Wilson Utah Warriors
Corey Daniel Old Glory DC
Collin Grosse Old Glory DC
Luke White Chicago Hounds
Ethan McVeigh Old Glory DC
Lauina Futi Seattle Seawolves
Noah Brown Chicago Hounds
Toby Fricker New England Free Jacks
Injury Recovery or Unavailable
Connor McManus Anthem RC
Chris Hilsenbeck Biarritz (FRA)
Mika Kruse Utah Warriors
Paul Lasike Utah Warriors
Dominic Besag Saint Mary's College
Joe Mano Utah Warriors
Chris Mattina San Diego Legion
David Ainu'u Stade Toulousain
Joe Taufete'e Seattle Seawolves
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