After a rough week going into the Wellington 7s, where they battled delayed flights and illness, the USA Men’s 7s team looks ahead to an improved performance in Las Vegas.

They left New Zealand a day earlier than every other team, except South Africa, and, said Head Coach Alex Magleby, they were happy to be home.

And happy to be where they had a lot of fans.

The Parade of Nations on Fremont Street was, said Magleby, energizing. The players also not only visited a school as part of the adopt-a-country program the USA 7s tournament runs, they visited another as the adopted team couldn’t make it.

“I think it’s really good for the boys to get out and see who they’re playing for,” said Magleby. “I was really impressed with the kids. They’re really articulate, so something’s going right. And then one of our guys had to stand up and speak, and that’s part of their development, too. It was good.”

Getting to the USA early was “the exact opposite of Wellington,” said Magleby, who was laid out sick for a day after the team arrived. “But we were here before everyone else.”

Preparation will be important for the Eagles in the next few days, too.

“The guys are really excited about playing in front of the home crowd,” Magleby said. “We could make it into a long day.”

The USA plays late, 6:30pm and then the final game of Friday at 9:30. Magleby said the team will stay away from the stadium for a while to stay rested and be ready to play in the evening.

“It’s like Friday night football,” enthused the coach. “What’s more American than that?”