USA doing it for rugby league

USA coach Terry Matterson says his players are dedicated to spreading the word about rugby league.

The Tomahawks “shook the world” once again on Sunday, upsetting Wales 24-16 to put them within touching distance of a quarter-final clash against Australia.

Matterson, who only took charge three weeks ago, was quick to praise his players following their latest win.

He said: “I’m really proud. I didn’t know any of these guys two weeks ago and they’ve worked really hard for each other in that time.

“The boys just keep defying belief to be honest.

“We want to watch Manchester City (on Saturday) and they scored seven goals, so that probably gave us a bit of inspiration.

“The boys are having a wonderful time here and they are playing for the right reason – these guys aren’t getting paid.

“They’re making me proud and they’re making their families proud.

“The more we can do here will raise awareness. We got a few lines in the New York Times after the first win, so maybe we’ll get a paragraph after this one.

“It’s a big country and if we can get a small part of that market over there then it would be fantastic.

“In the qualifiers, the guys paid for a lot of their own travel. This isn’t only personal for them, they want to spread the word of rugby league.”

USA‘s quarter-final spot could be assured before they even take to the field against Scotland on Thursday.

If Cook Islands fail to beat Tonga at Leigh on Tuesday, the USA will have an unassailable advantage at the top of Group D.

Photo courtesy of www.swpix.com