The USA men's national team takes on Canada Friday night at 7PM ET in the Pacific Nations Cup in a match that means a great deal.

This is, of course, the heated USA-vs-Canada rivalry. This is also the opening game of the Pacific Nations Cup. The winner here is very, very likely to book a place in the semifinals in Denver in September. The winner also will almost certainly (but not completely guaranteed) garner qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

After all of that, USA Head Coach Scott Lawrence says this is no different from any other test match.

Asked to compare this type of game to the earlier matches of 2025, Lawrence said, "it's never just another test match. You're representing the United States of America, every time. So this is no different pressure than any other game. Every time that we put on the jersey, or we go out there and sing our anthem.We represent an entire community of people, and we want to play well for them.

"So as much as a lot of people chase outcomes, the responsibility and the duty we have to this team, this organization, this jersey, and the legacy of the next generation of Eagles, never changes."

Jason Damm is back in the lineup. The former Clemson star is back after injury and will start at lock. Makeen Alikhan, who scored a try on debut against Belgium, gets a start at No. 8.

Rufus McLean comes in at wing and with Erich Storti at fullback Lawrence has made a few shifts in the deep three. Storti is one of three Saint Mary's products in the backline, with the center pairing of current Gael Dom Besag and former Gael Tavite Loppeti also starting.

Benjamin Bonasso captains the side once more but he said his adjustment to that role has been helped bby some excellent veteran leadership. That include AJ MacGinty at flyhalf.

Kickoff is 7PM ET, 5PM local time in Calgary. The game will be shown live on Paramoutn+