USA head coach Mike Friday has named Ben Pinkelman and Maka Unufe in his squad to contest the HSBC USA Sevens in Las Vegas.

One notable omission from Friday's 12-man squad is speedster Carlin Isles, who is out for the rest of the 2016-17 series as he undergoes knee surgery. Madison Hughes will captain the side while Walt Elder is the sole debutant. 

The men's Eagles are currently eighth in the series standings with their best finish coming at the HSBC Sydney Sevens in early February. 

"These next two legs will define the season," Friday said. "The squad have got their head down to ensure that we represent the country in the best way we can in the circumstances. We have battled hard to be where we are and if we can be successful in these next two legs - if we can remain healthy as a squad - we can hopefully kick on for the rest of the season and maintain USA as contenders on the sevens series."

USA squad for Las Vegas: Pat Blair, Ben Pinkelman, Danny Barrett, Matai Leuta, Walt Elder, Andrew Durutalo, Folau Niua, Maka Unufe, Stephen Tomasin, Madison Hughes (C), Perry Baker, Martin Iosefo

AIONO BACK FOR SAMOA

Samoa head coach Gordon Tietjens has named veteran Samoa star Afa Aiono and last year's captain Faalemiga Selesele in his squad to travel to Las Vegas and Vancouver in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. 

Former skipper Aiono will lead Tietjens' side in Las Vegas, playing his first tournament since Port Elizabeth in 2014. Aiono made his debut in 2009, scoring 74 tries in 215 matches for Samoa and was part of their 2009-10 series-winning side. 

“I’ve named a new captain, Afa Aiono,” Tietjens said. “He’s back. He wasn’t ready for the first two but he’s back from injury and played for Marist throughout the weekend.

“That’s the experience that I need because I need to bring these younger players through.  He knows everything about what the jersey means to him.  I think when they won the world series, he was one of the youngsters."

Selesele's return will also bolster Samoa's chances over the next two rounds, having led them to their first tournament win in Paris last year since Dubai in 2012. Samoa are 13th in the standings and their best finish so far was 10th place in Dubai.

"If you look at the team I have, they’re a very new side.  Now all of a sudden, I’ve got Selesele to come back in.  And to bring those younger players through, you need a core of experienced players to work with.

“For those first few tournaments, we’re talking about the most experienced players on this team being probably someone that’s into their second year. When you talk experience, it’s more like 40-50 tournaments."

Samoa squad for Las Vegas: Faalemiga Selesele, Afa Aiono, Lafaele Va’a, Tila Mealoi, Alex Samoa, Joe Perez, Samoa Toloa, Laaloi Leilua, Neria Foma’i, Elisapeta Alofipo, Alamanda Motuga, Danny Kayes, Lester Sefo, Savelio Ropati.

ENGLAND REMAIN UNCHANGED 

England coach Simon Amor has named an unchanged 12-man squad to contest the next two rounds of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Las Vegas and Vancouver. 

Amor's side finished second at the HSBC Sydney Sevens, losing out to series leaders South Africa in the final, 29-14. They are currently second in the standings overall and will play USA, Samoa and Chile in Pool B in Las Vegas.

“Having this level of consistency is a big plus for us," said Amor, whose hasn't changed his squad at all during the 2016-17 series. "The hard work of Dan Howells, our strength and conditioning coach, and the medical team has helped to develop a robust and resilient group of players.  

“When you combine this with experience right across the squad, it becomes a genuine 12-man effort. This allows us to manage game time and load more effectively and the benefit showed in Sydney through the impact that every player made.”

Following a bronze medal in Dubai and gold in Cape Town, England came seventh in Wellington before collecting silver in Sydney.

“Second in Sydney was pleasing,” added Amor. “But we were disappointed with how we played in the final and also with our performances in Wellington - this has been a big focus and motivation for us as we continue to work hard to improve."

Las Vegas is the first three-day tournament of the series, with two matches played per day. 

"The format provides a slightly different mental challenge that all teams have to deal with but a key consideration for us is the narrow artificial pitch. It creates a much more confrontational game which tends to favour the bigger physical teams. We’ve factored this into our preparations and need to be smart in our approach and how we adapt our play.”

Charlton Kerr once again travels with the squad as the 13th man having held this role at the previous three tournaments. 

England squad: Dan Bibby, Tom Bowen, Phil Burgess, Alex Davis, Richard de Carpentier, Ollie Lindsay-Hague, Charlie Hayter, Ruaridh McConnochie, Tom Mitchell (captain), Dan Norton, James Rodwell, Ethan Waddleton