Almost a week since the 2019 Rugby World Cup kicked off in Japan, it's time for Team USA to make its debut.
The Eagles take on England in Kobe, Japan, on Thursday morning in what should be their hardest test in the tournament.
The Americans' other opponents in Pool C include France, Argentina and Tonga, all dangerous opponents for a variety of reasons.
England, however, presents the sternest challenge of all. Along with South Africa, Eddie Jones' men are the bookmakers' favorites to topple New Zealand and did their prospects no harm at all by beating Tonga 35-3 in their opening game on Sunday.
Manu Tuilagi scored two tries and Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie had one each, the latter securing a bonus point.
England, however, was not as impressive as the scoreline might suggest.
The 2003 World Cup winners made 14 handling errors and a better team than Tonga could have punished some of those mistakes.
The USA are ranked 14th in the world, one ahead of Tonga, and Jones expects the Eagles to make life difficult for England.
"I know they've been down in Okinawa and they've had a two-week prep, so they're going to come out all guns blazing," the England coach was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
"It's going to be like 15 Donald Trumps out there, so we'll have to be on our job, because we know they're going to give it everything they've got, just like Tonga did.
"We don't need to make statements. World Cups aren't about statements. They are about progressing with an aim in mind and being at your best when you need to be at your best."
The USA has qualified for every Rugby World Cup except the 1995 tournament, but has never reached the knockout stage.
In fact, it has never won more than one game in the same tournament—it recorded solitary wins in 1987, 2003 and 2011.
Eagles coach Gary Gold acknowledges his team enter the match as heavy underdogs, but insisted playing world class teams was the only way to improve.
"You need to match fire with fire. When the power and the pace comes from England, we need to have the vigour from a defensive point of view," he explained.
"That's the idea, although it's a lot easier said than done. We understand the magnitude of what's coming and we're excited about it.
"We want to play against teams of the ilk of England because we need to improve. We've got massive respect for them—they're not World Cup contenders for nothing."
Here's everything you need to know ahead of Thursday.
When and where is the game?
England takes on the U.S. at Misaki Park Stadium in Kobe on Thursday, September 26.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. local time (6:45 a.m. ET).
It is the first game of the tournament hosted in the city, which is located in the south of Japan's main island and approximately 20 miles from Osaka.
Misaki Park will host Scotland vs Samoa on Monday, followed by Ireland vs Russia on October 3 and South Africa vs Canada five days later.
TV coverage
The game will be live both on NBCSN and on NBC Sports Gold.
NBCSN will broadcast a total of 26 games live throughout the tournament, while all 48 Rugby World Cup games will be broadcast exclusively in the U.S. by NBC Sports Gold. Fans can purchase a single match pass for $29.99, or a Rugby World Cup pass for $199.99.
An all-access premium package, which includes all 48 matches live and on-demand as well as season-long access to Rugby Pass for the 2019-20 season, comes in at $229.99.
Live stream
Fans can follow the action in a number of ways. Live streams will be available via NBCSportsGold.com and NBC will broadcast the matches on desktop, mobile tablet and connected devices.
Live streams will also be available via Apple and Android devices, as well as Amazon Fire TV and Roku.
Series record
England and the U.S. have met five times, with England winning in each occasion.
The teams have played each other at the World Cup three times—in 1987, 1991 and 2007.
England won the first encounter 34-6 and repeated the feat four years later with a 37-9 scoreline. It was a closer affair in 2007, with England winning 28-10.
Odds
According to Oddschecker, England is a 1/100 favorite, while the U.S. are 25/1 outsiders and the draw is at 35/1.
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