The USA Men's 15s team opens its quest for a third consecutive Americas Rugby Championship title with a relatively experienced lineup set to face Chile on Saturday.

Head coach Gary Gold has named his gameday squad, with Marcel Brache captaining the team on the wing, and AJ MacGinty making his return after shoulder surgery.

USA vs Chile kicks off in Santiago on Saturday, Feb 2 at 1 PM ET, Noon CT and is  LIVE on FloRugby

Headlining the squad as Captain is wing Marcel Brache who takes on the role with Blaine Scully out due to injury. 

"We as a group have grown a lot together, and we like to think that everyone is a leader in their own right," Brache told FloRugby. "We have leaders all over the park and that certainly helps us maintain great standards in a test week."

Gannon Moore is on the opposite wing, and will get his third Eagle cap.

Records could be broken within the forward pack as hooker Joe Taufete'e is currently two tries away of becoming the highest scoring front row forward in World Rugby history. Taufete'e owns 14 career tries where Ireland's Keith Wood currently holds the record at 15 tries.

Wood - one of the best hookers of all time - reached the record after a nine-year test career, whereas Taufete'e was first capped with the Eagles in 2015. 

Meanwhile, MacGinty missed the November tests due to shoulder surgery and there was a real concern he wouldn't be available for the ARC. However, he will likely be able to play a couple of games before returning to his pro club, Sale. With MacGinty in at flyhalf, Will Magie will start at fullback.

Overall, ten total players in Saturday's lineup come from professional teams in Major League Rugby with Tadhg Leader - captain of the New England Free Jacks - having the opportunity to earn his first cap from the bench. The full match-day 23 features a cumulative total of 343 caps.

"Our first challenge of the ARC will not be easy, playing the Chilean side in their home territory," said Gold. "Chile plays a very passionate and physical game and given this is the start of a long tournament, we must play to our strengths to establish the momentum we need to carry us through the competition. Of course, we want to win our third ARC title, but that will be even more difficult as all teams have come back with a renewed physicality. This is the start of our Rugby World Cup year and we must ensure our guys are prepared to manage the intensity in each game for the full 80 minutes."

The USA sits on the better side of a 4-1 overall record with the Chileans and won their previous three matchups in the ARC with a bonus point win. Last time the two faced off, the Eagles walked away with a 45-13 victory on home soil. Given Chile has certainly strengthened since last facing the United States, and with the U.S. Men's National Team looking to maintain their form, Saturday's matchup will set the tone for the next six weeks.

Following Chile, the United States will face Argentina XV in Rio Negro on Sat, Feb 9 before all teams rest for a bye week. After the break, the Eagles will play three matches in USA against Brazil (Feb 23) in Austin, TX, as well as Uruguay (Mar 2) and rival Canada (Mar 8) in Seattle, WA.

All of those games will be shown LIVE on FloRugby for USA subscribers.

Tickets to watch the Eagles play at home in the Americas Rugby Championship 2019 are available at usarugby.org/tickets. 

Men's Eagles Starting Roster | USA vs Chile 

Men's Eagles Reserves | USA vs Chile

USA Men's Eagles Staff

Head Coach | Gary Gold

Assistant Coach, Backs & Attack | Greg McWilliams

Assistant Coach, Forwards | Shawn Pittman

Strength & Conditioning Coach | Huw Bevan

Performance Analyst | Jimmy Harrison

Team Doctor | Mark Sakr (Chile, Argentina Uruguay, Canada)

Head Athletic Trainer | Kevin Ng

Assistant Athletic Trainer | Kristen Douhan

Team Manager | Chris Hanson