Estadio Martins Pereira in São Jose Dos Campos, Brazil plays host to the USA and Brazil in Saturday's Americas Rugby Championship game, and despite the teams' relative records, this is a risky game for the Eagles.

Head coach Gary Gold has made some changes, some of which were forced on him as more professionals have gone back to their pro clubs. And this somewhat new-look lineup has to be on-task early.

Captain Nate Augspurger said that last week's game against Chile was imperfect, but had its good moments. The tries were nice, he said, but the key thing for the squad, as far as Augspurger was concerned, was the patient defense.

"We got ourselves into trouble because didn't adjust to the referee well," said Augspurger. "But I also think we got ourselves out of trouble quite decently."

Gold liked the determination on defense, and the Eagles had a few long periods of defensive work were - bad news - they couldn't force a turnover, and - good news - they managed to hold the Condors in check anyway.

Perhaps one moment personified it all. A Chilean runner got by Dylan Audsley, who then grabbed said played, and hauled him right back and roughly to the ground. it was a play that required a lot of strength and quickness. There were a lot of those.

So this time around, the Eagles have to be careful. They can't take Brazil for granted. They can't allow Brazil to get the upper hand in the scrum. They can't let iffy calls get under their skin. They have to show that patience on defense that avoids penalties - Josh Reeves is a superb goalkicker, and he can make territory with a punt, as well.

In addition, the Americans have to avoid thinking that every movement should result in a try. Patience, and brutality, on offense, has to rule. 

Additional good news for the Eagles is that seasoned pros Chris Baumann joins the team. The player who was probably the MVP of the 2017 ARC campaign will be hugely important in anchoring the scrum. Nick Civetta will do the same in the lineout and also setting the tone as a runner and defender on the inside channels.

Stability at back row and in the midfield will help the USA get the job done. Fitness, and how they handle the humidity will be important, too.

"We're working on not being too predictable," added Gold. "But certainly from a defensive point of view, we can't be irresponsible."

USA Names Lineup To Face Brazil