Professional Eagles to tackle Portugal
Following a tough fought tour-opening loss to professional English club Saracens, the United States are prepared to take on Portugal in the first ranking test of the November Tour.
A different looking US Eagles squad will take the field on Saturday at University Stadium in Lisbon.
Most of the professional Eagles are available for selection and many of them have been standouts for their respective clubs this season.
Kevin Swiryn and Todd Clever join the starting line-up after their Churchill Cup absences in mid-year and will contribute professional experience and leadership to the Eagles squad.
The Eagles' front row should prove to be a handful for the Portuguese - with Shawn Pittman, Mate Moeakiola, and Phil Thiel providing a strong platform for the rest of the pack at scrum time. The engine room for the scrum will consist of locks John van der Giessen and Scott Lavalla.
The American loose forwards are big, strong, fast, and tenacious; everything loose forwards should be.
Captain Todd Clever starts at openside flank with Louis Stanfill on the blindside. Nic Johnson gets another start at No.8, providing an attacking threat from the base of the scrum and a strong link to the backline.
Tim Usasz and Nese Malifa will link up to mount the American attack against Portugal. Eagle newcomer, Setareki Tulievuka, gets his first cap at outside centre with Andrew Suniula playing inside centre.
The high-powered American back three will be a constant concern for the Portuguese defence. Speedsters Takudzwa Ngwenya and Kevin Swiryn will start on the wings, with an in-form Chris Wyles at fullback.
The Eagles will look to capitalize on attacking opportunities and have more possession than they had in the Saracens match. Defence didn't appear to be an issue against Saracens and the set-piece went well.
Eagles head coach Eddie O'Sullivan has a strong and experienced bench with the likes of Eagle veterans Mike MacDonald and Paul Emerick on standby to fill in as needed. If MacDonald gets a run against the Portuguese, he will get his 60th cap, bringing him within two caps of the American record currently held by Luke Gross, who has 62.
After Portugal, the Eagles will travel to Scotland to take on Scotland 'A' and will finish their Tour with another ranking Test in Georgia.
United States Eagles: 15 Chris Wyles (Saracens), 14 Takudzwa Ngwenya (Biarritz), 13 Setareki Tulievuka (Montpellier), 12 Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins), 11 Kevin Swiryn (Agen), 10 Nese Malifa (Glendale), 9 Tim Usasz (Nottingham), 8 Nic Johnson (Denver Barbarians), 7 Todd Clever (Suntory, captain), 6 Louis Stanfill (Mogliano), 5 John van der Giessen (Bath), 4 Scott Lavalla (Dublin University), 3 Shawn Pittman (London Welsh), 2 Phil Thiel (Life University), 1 Mate Moeakiola (Bobigny 93).
Replacements: 16 Chris Biller (San Francisco Golden Gate), 17 Mike MacDonald (Leeds Carnegie), 18 Jonathon Gagiano (Eastern Province), 19 Inaki Basauri (L'aquila), 20 Mike Petri (Sale), 21 Tai Enosa (Belmont Shore), 22 Paul Emerick (Ulster).
Date: Saturday, November 13
Venue: Estadio Universitario, Lisbon
Kick-off: 15.00 (15.00 GMT; 10:00 US EST)
Referee: JP Doyle (England)