Scott Lawrence has turned the USA Men’s Eagles’ Nations Cup opener into a live World Cup audition after naming a 31-man squad with seven uncapped players for July.
USA Rugby confirmed the group will assemble in Denver before facing Portugal on July 4, Zimbabwe in Charlotte on July 11 and Spain in Cary on July 18. The governing body framed the window as the start of the Eagles’ Test season and a foundation block for Rugby World Cup 2027.
The Countdown for summer rugby is on…
USA Men's Eagles squad set to launch Nations Cup campaign.
— USA Rugby (@USARugby) June 22, 2026
Seven new caps, one unforgiving window
The uncapped cohort is where the selection gains its edge. Cassh Maluia, Lance Williams, Ma’ake Muti, John Rizzo, Julian Roberts, Mason Pedersen and Perry Mayo have been called into a group that still leans on established operators including Ruben de Haas, Luke Carty and Kapeli Pifeleti.
Lawrence’s public message was pointed: July is about reconnecting the core group and bedding in a reshaped staff before the first match against a Portugal side already hardened by European competition. In a 13-match 2026 programme, selection now has immediate consequence.
The backdrop matters for the wider Nations Cup field too. Canada’s own squad direction has already sharpened the North American storyline, as covered in ReadRugbyUnion’s Ardron return analysis. It also shows how quickly the Eagles have moved on from the 2019 World Cup core, with figures such as Marcel Brache now giving way to a very different selection conversation.
For the USA, the next three Tests are less a warm-up than a ranking-room trial for who can travel towards Australia 2027.
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