No medals for the USA Men's 7s team, as they lost to Fiji 24-19 Wednesday morning, and ended pool play 1-2 and just out of quarterfinal contention.

As predicted in these pages, one pool had three 2-1 teams, making it very difficult for a 1-2 team to get in as a better 3rd-place team. As it turned out, New Zealand ended up 1-2 with a points difference of +19. The USA, then, needed to win, tie, or survive a loss by three or less. They just missed it.

The Eagles started off well, keeping the ball alive and not going into contact against a Fiji team that looked very good in contact. Working the ball right then left the USA got to ball out to Danny Barrett, who then put on two moves and powered in from about 40 meters.

Fiji replied, though. The Eagles had the ball in the Fiji 22 but were rucked off it and Fiji went the distance with a few passes in between. With the game tied 7-7 the Eagles got a penalty when Ben Pinkelman was taken out in the air. Yellow card to Fiji, but in the end it was the Americans who couldn't keep the ball. Once again Fiji counter-rucked to get the ball ball ... never mind that one Fijian was crawling on his hands and knees and should have been penalized. Fiji took the turnover and scored to make it 12-7.

The second half started well for the Americans. Pinkelman nabbed a Fijian pass and linked with Folau Niua. Niua then passed off to Madison Hughes, and from a ruck Perry Baker was the first receiver, and cut through for a brilliant score and a 14-12 lead.

But Fiji came back. One missed tackle allowed for a small break, and offload, and then a try. Osea Kolinisau hit the difficult conversion, using the wind to put it through, and that was a crucial kick. 19-14 Fiji.

Then the killer. A penalty against the USA in the ruck - pretty harsh considering how Fiji was playing on the ground, and off they went. Try Fiji, 24-14.

With about 90 seconds left in the game, though, the USA had some fight left. Chris Wyles took the restart and quickly passed to Nate Ebner, who galloped the rest of the way for a simple, effective try. Here was then a crucial moment. Hughes had a very difficult conversion to make, against the wind, and missed. Had he made it, the USA would have been within three points at 24-21, and would have bypassed New Zealand for the quarterfinals. But the kick didn't make it, and the Eagles were rucked off the ball once more to end the game.

In the end, it wasn't a good performance by the USA. They didn't have sufficient answer for the more physical Argentina and Fiji teams, trying to play a wide game with big forward. And while they were on the receiving end of a few rough calls, you make your own luck. We saw almost none of Perry Baker, Maka Unufe, Zack Test, and Carlin Isles with the ball in hand and some space, and the USA is eliminated from quarterfinal contention by a single point.

USA 19

Tries: Barrett, Baker, Ebner

Convs: Hughes 2

Fiji 24

Tries: Kunatani,Ravouvou, Kolinisau, Mata

Convs: Kolinisau 2

Wednesday Pool Play Scores:

France 26 Spain 5
South Africa 5 Australia 12
Kenya 7 Japan 31
New Zealand 19 Great Britain 21
Argentina 31 Brazil 0
Fiji 24 USA 19

Pool Standings: