LA awaits: USA continue to build for 'dream' SVNS Series finale

Every minute, moment and match on the HSBC SVNS Series this season is all leading towards one last event that will define an entire campaign. Los Angeles’s Dignity Health Sports Park will host the World Championship on May 3-4, which is extra special for the USA’s sevens stars.

With Perry Baker and Madison Hughes among those who departed the decorated USA Men’s Eagles Sevens squad in 2024. New coach Simon Amor also stepped up to the plate as the Americans ushered in a new dawn with a solid squad eager to prove themselves.

Will Chevalier, Jack Wendling and Jake Broselle have all played less than 10 events on the SVNS Series, and Uluamu Niutupuivaha was also named to debut ahead of this week’s Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium on March 28-30.

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This season hasn’t gone to plan for the Americans who currently sit outside of the top eight with just two round-robin events to play. They seem destined to playoff for core status against one of the top-four sides from the Challenger Series on home soil in just a matter of weeks.

It’s safe to say they won’t be lacking any motivation.

Vice-captain Lucas Lacamp explained that home tournaments are “what we dream of” and the Eagles Sevens will want to repay the faith shown in them by those draped in red, white and blue at the home of Major League Soccer club, LA Galaxy.

“Our goal for this season is just trying to grow as a program. We’ve had it in mind since the start, we want to put a performance in LA no matter what,” Lacamp told RugbyPass.

“It’s our home tournament, it’s what we dream of, it’s what we like to do. We want to play in front of our fans, in front of our families, no matter what competition.

“We can take this as a springboard but more so the whole Series the whole year is trying to get us to that point of playing as best as we can in LA.”

In the second-last regular season event of the 2024/25 campaign, the USA gave it absolutely everything against traditional SVNS Series heavyweights Fiji. As Lacamp described, “It’s like their home tournament” at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.

Lacamp was especially impressive with a decisive double, and a late try made it a one-score game with time up on the clock. But it wouldn’t be the Americans’ day, with Fiji hanging on for a hard-fought 26-21 win in this Pool A clash.

“It’s funny, Fiji here, it’s like their home tournament so the history with that and the players they have. We just try to go out there and put our best performance out there and hope that we can grow as a program, grow as a team,” Lacamp reflected

“We don’t really mind the results. Obviously we want to win, of course we want to win, but the longer goal… is progressing this team and getting to where we want to get to.

“The outside noise is what the outside noise is, but we believe we’re progressing and we’re getting to where we want to get to.

“Obviously it’s not a smooth transition, a smooth journey – if it was, everyone would be the best team in the world. We know how hard it’s going to be… just trying to do it on the biggest stage in the world is the best place to do it.”

LA’s Dignity Health Sports Park will host the World Championship and SVNS Series playoffs on May 3-4. Don’t miss out – buy your tickets HERE.