The United States men’s rugby sevens team entered Wednesday’s Pool A finale against No. 1 ranked Fiji knowing they’d need a shock win, draw or loss by fewer than four to advance to the knockout rounds of the Olympics.
They lost by five.
Tries from Danny Barrett, Perry Baker, and New England Patriots safety Nate Ebner helped the Yanks to a valiant effort, but a late conversion attempt from an acute angle struck the goal post in a 24-19 loss.
USA went ahead through Danny Barrett, who combined grit and agility in racing through the Fiji defense for a try.