Preview: USA v Italy
The former Harlequins head coach, who began his reign on June 1, is sticking with the bulk of the team that suffered a 24-30 loss to the Pumas in Santa Fe last weekend for Saturday's game at San Jose's Avaya Stadium.
O'Shea said the narrow loss to Argentina had set the standard his players need to reach if they are to fulfil the ambitious Irishman's stated goal of becoming the best Italian side in history.
"Last week, the group offered what must be the point of reference in terms of work-rate and approach and the result could have been different," O'Shea said.
"There is a lot of potential and the goal is to build a true Italian identity in everything we do.
"We definitely want to be a winning team and to be effective in the details is what makes the difference at this level."
O'Shea said he had resisted the urge to make wholesale changes in order to preserve continuity after a grueling 30-hour trip from Argentina.
"I know it is not easy for the guys who have not yet found a place, but we have to concentrate on beating the United States," said O'Shea.
The only change to Italy's starting line-up is the introduction of Robert Barbieri, who comes in at blindside flank for the injured Abraham Steyn.
The US Eagles, meanwhile, are also rebuilding under the guidance of former New Zealand coach John Mitchell.
It is the first international get together for the Eagles since their promising display in the inaugural Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) earlier this year, where they finished second in the overall standings behind Argentina.
Mitchell has handed a debut to scrum-alf Nate Augspurger for Saturday's Test as he welcomes back the return of several overseas players who were not available for the ARC.
"The ARC was much more a development team, whereas this team has genuine experience from overseas, professional sevens players, and the players that played well in the ARC have been rewarded," Mitchell said.
Mitchell has run a critical eye over his playing staff since taking over, readily jettisoning players who have not met his standards for fitness of discipline.
"We've eliminated some players that haven't met our standards, and some players have missed selections because of lack of conditioning and the number of penalties they've given away," Mitchell said.
US captain Todd Clever, recalled by Mitchell earlier this year after being axed for the 2015 World Cup, once again leads the team in what will be his 67th international for the Eagles.
Mitchell, meanwhile, drew comparisons between O'Shea's task with Italy and his own role with the Eagles.
"We've taken a look at Italy in the Six Nations and the match against Argentina," Mitchell said.
"O'Shea's in a very similar circumstance to ourselves; he has already been saying that he believes he can create an exceptional Italian side if he can get them fit. They have good talent and stayed in the contest at the weekend for a long time, and fought their way back into it at the end."
Players to watch:
For USA: Wing Takudzwa Ngwenya is lighting fast with ball in hand. If Italy give him too much space to work with then they could find themselves in trouble.
For Italy: Michele Campagnaro is one of the best centres in Europe at the moment. He was brilliant for Italy in this year's Six Nations and will be the go to man when Italy goes wide against the USA.
Head to Head: Look no further than the two No.7s. Simone Favaro gave Argentina headaches with a superb performance last week, while Todd Clever has shown in recent months that he is in great form.
Recent results:
2012: Italy won 30-10, Houston
2011: Italy won 27-10, Nelson (WC Pool match)
2004: Italy won 43-25, Biella
1991: Italy won 30-9, Otley (WC Pool match)
Prediction: Italy have too much quality in their side for the United States and should win by at least 15 points.
USA: 15 Will Holder, 14 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 13 Thretton Palamo, 12 Shalom Suniula, 11 Blaine Scully, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Nate Augspurger, 8 Cam Dolan, 7 Todd Clever (captain), 6 Andrew Durutalo, 5 Greg Peterson, 4 Nate Brakeley, 3 Chris Baumann, 2 James Hilterbrand, 1 Titi Lamositele.
Replacements: 16 Joe Taufete'e 17 Ben Tarr 18 Angus MacLellan 19 Harry Higgins 20 Tony Lamborn 21 Stephen Tomasin 22 Chad London 23 Mike Te’o.
Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Tommaso Castello, 11 David Odiete, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Andries Van Schalkwyk, 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Robert Barbieri, 5 Marco Fuser, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Ornel Gega, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Oliviero Fabiani, 17 Sami Panico, 18 Pietro Ceccarelli, 19 Valerio Bernabò, 20 Maxime Mbandà, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Giovanbattista Venditti
Date: Saturday, June 18
Venue: Avaya Stadium, San Jose
Kick-off: 18:00 local (01:00 GMT, Sunday, June 19)
Expected weather: It will be sunny and pleasant with a high of 25.
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (England), Chris Assmus (Canada)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Agence France-Presse
