The USA Men’s Eagles will close a nine test match year this Saturday, facing off against Spain in the third and final game on the November Tour.
Hosted in Madrid, this will be a rematch of last year’s Vila International Cup final where the United States beat Spain the 2023 finale. Coming off a noteworthy win over Tonga last week, the Men’s Eagles will look to keep consistency in their pressure against a tactical team. USA vs Spain kicks off at 6:45AM ET with live coverage on FloRugby.
Noah Brown gets the nod as a potential debut this weekend, selected to the reserves. This isn’t Brown’s first debut in a USA jersey however, as the talented back capped with the Men’s Sevens in 2022. Having played on the 15s pitch the last year with the Chicago Hounds, Brown will look to earn an Eagle number. Paul Mullen moves into the starting prop position for the first time this tour, while Mark O’Keeffe and Erich Storti earn first USA starts. With the young guns getting the call, this final match will be a good opportunity for players looking to put their hand up for 2025, when the USA will enter their Rugby World Cup qualification year during the Pacific Nations Cup.
Head Coach and GM, Scott Lawrence said on the Spain matchup, "It'll be a different type of game, the transition from defense to attack; and attack to defense, will be a major part of the game. There is a type of work we want to do, I think we'll have to work harder in this game than the previous two. It's going to be an effort game for sure."
Captain Greg Peterson added, "We're expecting to see a very set piece heavy team [against Spain], with a well-rounded kicking game. They'll want to try and win those kick transitions, win the ball back and play some lose and expansive footy, so we've implanted a couple plans to take those strengths away. It's been a short week of preparation, but the boys are on their detail and I think we're in a very good spot."
| NAME | CLUB | CAPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jake Turnbull | Anthem Rugby Carolina | 13 |
| 2. Kapeli Pifeleti | Saracens | 17 |
| 3. Paul Mullen | NOLA Gold | 38 |
| 4. Jason Damm | RFCLA | 8 |
| 5. Greg Peterson (C) | San Diego Legion | 50 |
| 6. Viliami Helu | San Diego Legion | 13 |
| 7. Cory Daniel | Old Glory DC | 9 |
| 8. Paddy Ryan | San Diego Legion | 13 |
| 9. Ruben de Haas | Cheetahs | 35 |
| 10. AJ MacGinty | Bristol Bears | 39 |
| 11. Nate Augspurger | Chicago Hounds | 48 |
| 12. Tavite Lopeti | San Diego Legion | 19 |
| 13. Dominic Besag | Saint Mary's College | 8 |
| 14. Mark O'Keeffe | Chicago Hounds | 1 |
| 15. Erich Storti | Anthem Rugby Carolina | 1 |
| 16. Sean McNulty | Miami Sharks | 4 |
| 17. Jack Iscaro | Old Glory DC | 12 |
| 18. Pono Davis | Houston SaberCats | 4 |
| 19. Tomas Casares | Miami Sharks | 2 |
| 20. Tesimoni Tonga'uoha | NOLA Gold | 10 |
| 21. Ethan McVeigh | Old Glory DC | 3 |
| 22. Noah Brown | Chicago Hounds | Debut |
| 23. Luke Carty | Unattached | 22 |
Scott Lawrence | Head Coach
Alama Ieremia | Backs and Attack Coach
Nick Easter | Forwards and Defense Coach
Blake Bradford | Scrum Coach
Alex Ross | Head of Athlete Performance
Jimmy Harrison | Head Analyst
Rodolfo Broggi | Athlete Performance
Michael Sheridan | Head Athletic Trainer
Jennifer Roney | Assistant Athletic Trainer
Willie Berlanga | Sports Massage Therapist
Matt Schmitz | Team Doctor
Oscar Alvarez | Team Manager
TRIES | P. Ryan, N. Augspurger, K. Pifeleti
CONV | A. MacGinty (3)
TRIES | D. Besag, J. Damm, J. Iscaro, R. de Haas, A. MacGinty
CONV | A. MacGinty (4)
PK | A. MacGinty
Madrid, ESP, 6:45am ET on FloRugby
