LOS ANGELES -- Team USA's homecoming at the 2023 HSBC Los Angeles Sevens didn't go to plan, but it ended on a solid note after routing Japan 31-7 in the 13th-place playoff game on Sunday.
It took the U.S. less than a minute to get on the board. David Still received a pass while at the left flank, rounded one defender and stormed all the way home as he scored underneath the goal post.
Japan looked threatening in response, but Marcus Tupuola came up with a colossal defensive play at the halfway line. Tupuola brought down Taisei Hayashi in open space, stripped the ball mid-tackle, got back on his feet and took it all the way back for a try amid confusion from both teams to seize a 12-0 lead.
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Japan scored its first points of the game a few minutes later when Yoshihiro Noguchi finally penetrated the middle of the Eagles' defense and scored underneath the goal post to cut the lead to 12-7.
But on the final play of the half, the Eagles worked the ball up the field before swinging it out to the right wing, where Perry Baker exhibited his breakaway speed for the try. The U.S. led 17-7 at the break.
The first score of the second half came with just two minutes to go, when substitute Adam Channel found a lane down the middle of Japan's defense and eventually pushed the Eagles' lead to 24-7.
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Gavan D'Amore then added another try for the U.S. with just a minute remaining to seal the deal at 31-7 to claim 13th in the tournament.
The placement continues a downward trend for the Eagles after winning bronze in consecutive tournaments in Cape Town and Hamilton before claiming just five points in Sydney last time out. Team USA fell to the 13th-place game after losing to Samoa in the Pool A opener followed by a defeat to New Zealand right after, which eliminated them from medal contention.
The U.S. then lost to Spain 14-12 in the ninth-place quarterfinal, but bounced back against Kenya to set up the contest against Japan.
They stood in seventh place in the season standings with 66 points entering Los Angeles -- just two off a top-four spot needed for automatic qualification for the 2024 Paris Games -- but they concluded their homecoming by sliding further down the table.
There are five more tournaments left in the season after Southern California: Vancouver, Hong Kong, Singapore, Toulouse and London.
