It's a case of déjà vu for the USA Eagles as they prepare for a crucial World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay Saturday in Montevideo.

The Eagles are currently in second place in the Americas Zone, but both Chile and Uruguay are breathing down their neck, so a win is imperative for the US.

The Americans found themselves in a similar situation four years ago when they were striving to qualify for the 1999 RWC in the UK and France. In August '98, the Eagles faced off against Los Teros, again in South America, and again it was a 'must win' game to ensure themselves a RWC berth. On that occasion the USA managed to prevail 21-16, although the Uruguayans gave them a heck of a scare.

Three players from that Eagle team are still in the squad as the USA tries to repeat history. Current skipper Dave Hodges, scrumhalf Kevin Dalzell and center Juan Grobler will remember how close they came to being relegated to 'also-ran' status last time 'round and undoubtedly will be going through a gamut of emotions in the build-up to this Test.

The hooker from that same 98/99 side, Tom Billups, is now the Eagles head coach and he'll also be drawing on his experience and memories to marshal his troops for one final effort.

The congested Americas Zone points table as it stands has Canada (4-1) 13pts, ahead of the USA (2-3) 9pts, Chile (2-2) 8pts and Uruguay (1-3) 6pts, so a loss for the United States combined with a win by Chile over Canada would see the Eagles drop to third place in the standings. That would mean their fate would then hinge on the following week's clash between Uruguay and Chile.

A Chilean victory would force the USA into a repechage, but a Uruguayan 'W' would spell the end altogether for the United States.

Mind you, all of this last minute anxiety and uncertainty could have been avoided had the Eagles not stumbled along the way during the summer. Certainly the Canadians had the better of them in their home-and-away series, but even so, if it hadn't been for ball handling errors and a string of make-able missed shots at goal, the Americans might've finished 1-1 with Canada.

The US began to assert itself in its two home matches against Chile and Uruguay, but the wheels fell off in Santiago last weekend when the Eagles found themselves playing catch-up football and wound up losing to Los Condores of Chile.

Now the Eagles must take control of their own destiny, they need to win and win well on Saturday to ensure everything they've been working for doesn't go down the gurgler.