Entering the midway point of the HSBC Sevens Series, the USA men's team finds itself in a familiar, if undesirable, position -- the middle of the pack.

With the fifth leg of the 10-stop series heading to Las Vegas on March 3-5, the Eagles are looking to jump-start their season on their home soil following a sixth-place finish in Sydney earlier this month.

The result saw the U.S. rise from 11th in the standings to eighth overall, but the Eagles still have work to do to match or exceed their consecutive top six finishes from the past two years. Heading into Las Vegas, the U.S. will turn to players such as Perry Baker, Danny Barrett, and captain Madison Hughes to break through in Pool B, which features Somoa, Chile, and England.

Baker ranks second individually in clean breaks during Sevens Series play, and Hughes is fourth in open-field tackles made. Meanwhile, Eagles speedster Carlin Isles has also enjoyed a return to form after scoring five of his six tries this season in Sydney -- tied for second most of any player at the event.

The United States opens pool play on Friday, March 3, against Samoa (8:37 PM ET) and Chile (11:36 PM ET) before finishing Saturday, March 4, against England (6:24 PM ET). The Eagles defeated Samoa in both the series' Dubai and Wellington stops, and Chile will be making its 2016-17 Sevens Series debut. England poses the greatest challenge to the U.S., as it enters the tournament ranked second in the series standings.

Team USA qualified for the Cup bracket in Las Vegas last year before falling to eventual champion Fiji in the semifinals. The Eagles finished the 2015-16 Seven Series with a total of 117 points and took sixth place. This year, South Africa sits atop the leaderboard with 85 points, followed by England with 68 points.

Must-watch matches on Day 1 this year in Las Vegas include Australia versus Scotland and Fiji against Scotland. Day 2 features Australia vs. Fiji along with the U.S.'s tilt with England. These teams all rank in the top eight in total points, and the outcome of these matches could affect the series standings significantly. The Eagles are within 10 points of fifth-place Scotland and are seeking a strong homestand to climb up the standings ahead of the sixth series stop in Vancouver on March 11-12.