USA men's 15s head coach Gary Gold has named his lineup to face Chile in Round 3 of the Americas Rugby Championship this Saturday at Titan Stadium in Fullerton California.

The Eagles are 2-0 in the competition so far, having beaten what is likely their closest rival to the title, Argentina XV, 17-10 on February 3 and Canada 29-10 on February 10.

Gold said he thought his team showed a great deal of character against Canada but was also somewhat imprecise and ran into trouble in the middle of the game. Those lapses, Gold said, won't bode well against Tier 1 teams. But, he added, "I'd give Canada a lot of credit, too."

This week, Gold also has had to face giving up some players as they return to their pro clubs. It's a situation that Gold said he has not faced before.

"A few players have gone back to their professional setup," team general manager Dave Hodges said. "While that is a challenge we acknowledge and work through, the players who have come into the camp this week have helped energize the team and will add a positive impact to the group."

Blaine Scully is back home with the Cardiff Blues, and Andrew Durutalo (Worcester), Joe Taufete'e (Worcester), and Titi Lamositele (Saracens) have all returned to their clubs. That forced some changes to the Eagles' lineup.

Scrumhalf Nate Augspurger will take over the captaincy, while Josh Whippy gets the start on the wing in place of Scully.

The loss of Lamositele is a big one, as he was a scrummaging machine. Nick Civetta was a huge factor in carrying the ball and securing possession but especially in the lineout.

"It's been really good to have him there for us in the lineout and he actually makes our lineout calls," Gold said. 

Civetta going home on bereavement leave is a loss. However, Ben Landry, who comes in as a starter at lock, was a player Gold singled out post-match as someone who can turn a game around.

Life West prop Huluholo Moungaloa starts in place of Lamositele, and James Hilterbrand starts at hooker in place of Taufete'e.

Another interesting name on the starting lineup is flanker Psalm Wooching. The former High School All-American gave up rugby to play football at the University of Washington from 2012-16 and then pulled out of the NFL draft to return to his first love, rugby.

Gold said he is very impressed with Wooching's athleticism and work ethic, and the coach has opted to start Wooching and rest Hanco Germishuys. 

Along with Wooching, a number of players on the bench could also get their first caps, including SFGG lock/flanker Brendan Daly, Old Blue hooker Dylan Fawsitt, former High School All-American flanker Malon Al-Jiboori, former BYU and Chicago Bears football player Paul Lasike, and former High School All-American scrumhalf Ruben de Haas.

This is a game the USA is expected to win, but because of that, could become a counted chicken.

"This next test match gives us an opportunity to improve our own performance," Hodges said. "While we did get the win in each of our opening ARC matches against Canada and Argentina XV, the overall accuracy of the team needs to improve. That's a massive challenge for us going into the match against Chile."

The USA kicks off against Chile at 5 PM ET on Saturday.

USA Men’s Eagles

STARTERS

1. Huluholo Moungaloa | Life West Gladiators
2. James Hilterbrand | Manly Marlins (AUS)
3. Dino Waldren | London Scottish 
4. Nate Brakeley | New York Athletic 
5. Ben Landry | Glendale Raptors
6. Psalm Wooching | Seattle Seawolves 
7. Tony Lamborn | Hawkes Bay (NZL)
8. Cam Dolan | San Diego Legion 
9. Nate Augspurger (C) | San Diego Legion 
10. Will Magie | Glendale Raptors 
11. Ryan Matyas | San Diego Legion 
12. Bryce Campbell | Glendale Raptors 
13. Dylan Audsley | San Diego Legion 
14. Josh Whippy | Utah Warriors 
15.  Mike Te’o | San Diego Legion 

RESERVES

1. Dylan Fawsitt | Old Blue of New York
2. Tony Purpura | San Diego Legion 
3. Angus Maclellan | Utah Warriors 
4. Brendan Daly | San Francisco Golden Gate 
5. Malon Al-Jiboori | San Diego Legion
6. Ruben de Haas | Free State Cheetahs Academy (RSA) 
7. Ben Cima | San Diego Legion
8. Paul Lasike | Utah Warriors