NEWS

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.”