The USA is in to the Cup semifinals after putting together most of the sort of performance they will need going forward.

The Eagles, playing without injured Maka Unufe, got two tries from Martin Iosefo, and a massive game from Danny Barrett to beat Kenya 26-14.

The first try for the USA came early in the game when Madison Hughes forced a penalty for holding onto the ball by a tackled player. That led to a USA attack where Garrett Bender powered ahead, set a ruck, and then Barrett was set up for a scary run under the posts. That made it 7-0. The Eagles then scored a nicely-organized team try, with Zack Test and Barrett making some big runs. But the star of the move was Iosefo, who rucked two Kenyans back to get the ball, and then later bounced out of contact to send a long pass to Perry Baker for a try.

But the Eagles have shown a maddening habit of collapsing at crucial times, and they did in the last moments of the first half. Collins Injera toasted the Americans on the outside, and then a nice switch move put Billy Odhiambo back through a gap vacated by Hughes, and it was 14-14 at halftime.

Photos by David Barpal.

Frustrated because they had forced the issue at the end of the first half, the USA team knew they needed to regain the momentum. They did it almost immediately, chasing a deep kickoff to pressure the Kenyans. No points, but Kenya didn't have too many places to go. Eventually, Iosefo took a pass and cut back around the ruck where there was no one, and scored in the corner. Hughes hit the touchline conversion for the 21-14 lead.

And finally, another big Barrett run put the USA on the front foot and Test picked up and went over.

The bad news? Barrett left the game with what looked like an arm injury. The USA had trouble freeing up their speedsters, but they did realize one thing - one of the pieces of the puzzle they have been missing is Andrew Durutalo and his ability to steal ball in the rucks. The Americans were very aggressive in trying to get the ball or force a penalty, and that got them more possession, and led to more tries.

So on Sunday, the Eagles will take on Fiji in the semis at 12:50pm. Then they will play South Africa or Australia.

The Eagles' performance so far in Vegas will put them past England in the standings and possibly tied with or past Argentina, as well.