USA men's sevens head coach Mike Friday has made two changes in his squad from the Cape Town Sevens in preparation for next week's Sydney Sevens in New South Wales.

Malon Al-Jiboori and Naima Fuala'u are not in the squad as Perry Baker returns from the concussion he suffered in Dubai in early December. In addition, former University of Delaware captain Chris Mattina moves up to the squad after showing well at the Silicon Valley Sevens.

Mattina joins Joe Schroeder, who made his full USA debut in Dubai and Cape Town after his performances at Silicon Valley in early November.

The Eagles had a very up-and-down first two tournaments, losing all of their games in Dubai on Dec. 1-2, only to rebound a week later to go 3-0 on day one in Cape Town and finish sixth.

The return of Baker, who suffered a concussion in the opening game in Dubai, will be a boost for the Eagles. However, Carlin Isles, the other Eagle speedster, stepped in admirably with 11 tries over the 10 games at the tournament.

Mattina's addition brings a powerful physical presence who can also play in the middle of the field as a playmaker. 

"Having Perry back fit is fantastic for the squad," Friday said. "He is World Rugby Player of the Year — deservedly so — and he will no doubt add to our attacking threat and aerial ability. Particularly, he'll complement what we already have on the outside with Carlin as well as [complement] how both the racehorses operate with Maka and Martin in outside channels."

Friday said the USA team's camp was disrupted by the heavy rain and storms that caused flooding in the region. However, he said the Eagles managed their conditions and worked hard on and off the field.

"Our focus going into pool play will be to concentrate on playing our game to our potential," Friday said. "We know the fluidity of our attack is about getting accuracy from our start points and never taking the basics for granted so that we control the ball."

In Sydney, the Eagles are in Pool D with Australia, Scotland, and Canada.

Sydney Sevens

USA MEN'S ROSTER

Perry Baker
Danny Barrett
Madison Hughes (C)
Martin Iosefo
Carlin Isles
Matai Leuta
Chris Mattina
Folau Niua
Ben Pinkelman
Joe Schroeder
Stephen Tomasin
Maka Unufe
Kevon Williams 

STAFF

Head Coach - Mike Friday
Assistant Coach - Chris Brown
Assistant Coach - Phil Greening
Physiotherapist - Brian Green