The Italy game, tied at 10 after a half hour, was 'a chance that slipped away', Mike Tolkin said in an interview regarding the national team's June results.
The season-opening Canada match was 'rusty', he noted, while Georgia was a 'coming out' as the four-try performance showed encouraging signs of the more expansive gameplan the first-year coach is looking to implement.
In a preliminary summary, Tolkin observed that 'We have to start taking advantage of other people's errors', pointing out that Italy dropped the ball on three consecutive kickoffs but America subsequently scored just three points. 'Special teams' are a facet the Eagles can exploit, he believes.
Scrummage and kicking remain liabilities, he acknowledged, though in his view the Eagle pack progressed from last October's Italian World Cup match to Saturday's encounter.
The former Xavier and New York Athletic Club coach talked most excitedly of the USA's attack, unveiled during the three-and-a-half week assembly. With many if not most of the squad likely to return for November's games against Tonga, Russia, and Romania, these are 'teams we can go after', he said.
The fall schedule opens with the Americas Rugby Championship. In a change from Eddie O'Sullivan's tenure, Tolkin expects the balance of the group to have little if any international experience, whereas in previous years the squad essentially comprised domestic-based internationals.
After beating Georgia in Denver and falling to Italy in Houston and Canada in Kingston, Ontario, the US retained 17th place in the International Rugby Board standings, moving up nearly a full point to 66.61 from 65.63. 18th-place Romania also gained points over the course of the month, while Russia climbed from 22d to 19th.