They may sing hand on heart when the Star Spangled Banner plays but there is a distinct Australian flavour to the US World Cup squad.
Two American Eagles, second-rowers Greg Peterson and Hayden Smith, were born in Australia, while another five members of the 31-man squad have played rugby union or rugby league in Australia.
Peterson, a 203cm, 122kg lock who played for Sydney club Manly and the Australian under-20s, spent three years with the NSW Waratahs, but only received one state cap. 
After playing for English club Leicester Tigers in 2014-15, Peterson was invited to play for the US, qualifying through his American-born father Carl, who played American football for Northwestern University in Chicago.
Peterson's grandfather Robert Don also played rugby for the US. "I made the decision to join the USA Eagles because I felt my -career was stalling in Australia," Peterson said.
"I had been in contact for some time with USA coach Mike Tolkin and he said there would be opportunity for me to join the team.
"With no professional opportunity at any of the Australian teams I decided to take a gamble. Ever since then I haven't looked back and have enjoyed every minute of being a part of this team." Smith was born in Penrith and grew up in Bullaburra in the NSW Blue Mountains. While training with the Sydney Kings he won a basketball scholarship to study and play in the US.
At Metro State University in Denver, the 1.98m Smith transferred from basketball to rugby.
He also has the distinction of being one of the few Australians to play in the NFL. After playing with US rugby team Denver Barbarians and English club Saracens, Smith was signed by the New York Jets as a tight end in 2012-13.
Returning to rugby, Smith is again playing for Saracens in -England. The Samoan-born Sunila brothers, Andrew and Shalom, played rugby union and league in Australia.
Andrew, a centre, played for Manly in the NRL from 2008 to 2010, while Shalom, a halfback or five-eighth, played for Brisbane rugby club Sunnybank and the South Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup rugby league competition.
Three other American players - front-rower Chris Baumann (Randwick), backrower Al McFarland (Randwick and Northern Suburbs) and backrower Louis Stanfill (Canberra Royals) also played club rugby in Australia.
Former Randwick coach Wade Kelly wrote about Baumann on the club's website. "He wandered in about six one night through the back gate at Latham (Park) and to be honest I was worried he was going to knife me," Kelly wrote.
"He went on to tell me he'd been playing a bit overseas and he'd just moved to Coogee. I later found out he was living above Maccas in the backpackers and to pay his rent he was doing their night security.
"Scraggy hair and handlebar moustache I asked what his goal was. 'Ummm ... man I'm not leaving here until I have played for the Waratahs'.
"In round two versus Parramatta I had him as a reserve. I didn't put him on and he was filthy. He mumbled on his way out 'I would have given it to Polota-Nau'.
"Chris Baumann has not only been a great Randwick man, but he is one of the best characters I've ever met." Almost half of the US squad (13 of 31) play professionally overseas, while another 13 play in semi-professional domestic competitions. Five are on the American Olympic sevens team.
"It is difficult," Peterson said. "We spend 80 per cent of the year playing for different teams in different countries. But that does not mean those domestic players are of a lower calibre. A lot of them could very much hold their own, if not thrive, in a professional organisation in the UK or France.
"But the time apart does make it hard at the start of tours or tournaments to build the continuity that an international team needs. That said, it does not take long because all the players know what is expected of them and the team." Peterson is confident the -Eagles will be competitive against the Wallabies in their Test in Chicago tomorrow morning (AEST) and could cause an upset at the World Cup in England.
"We have had some strong performances leading up to the Wallabies match," Peterson said. "If we stick to our game plan and our structures, we can give them a run for their money.
"With regards to the World Cup the pool we are in (with Samoa, Scotland, South Africa and Japan) could see a few upsets. There will be some difficult games, but again if we play to our structures and game plan, we can compete with any team." Rugby has been described as the fastest-growing team sport in the US. Peterson hopes a professional domestic competition will be established within the next three to five years and would like see America host the World Cup.
"The potential for rugby is huge," Peterson said. "The US has a huge registered player base, which I believe is bigger than Australia's or New Zealand's.
"Americans love sport, especially if it is fast and physical. There are some amazing facilities around the country and it would be incredible to see America embrace one the biggest sporting events in the world." Peterson, who will join Scottish club Glasgow after the World Cup, said it was unlikely he would return to play in Australia."Being classed as a foreign player it makes it difficult for me to return," Peterson said. "It is hard being away from family and friends, but I believe I am doing them proud with what I am doing."