The USA have made four changes, one of them positional, for Saturday's Test against Ireland at Lansdowne road.
Lock Alec Parker, flanker Brian Surgener, and right wing Val Lakomskis come into the team while Kort Schubert moves from flanker to number 8.
Schubert, who plays for Cardiff Blues, captains the team for the seventh time.
He is joined in the back row by Surgener and openside Tony Petruzzella, while the lock pairing is Parker and Gerhard Klerck.
Parker, now with 40 caps, is one of two players who appeared at the 1999 World Cup - the other being reserve flanker Fifita Mo'unga.
The props are MacDonald and Jacob Waasdorp; the half-backs are Mose Timoteo and Mike Hercus, who is closing in on the American points-scoring record.
Hercus, with 21 internationals to his name, currently stands at 269 and needs 18 points to set a new mark.
Salesi Sika and Paul Emerick, who played full-back at the 2003 World Cup but has since shifted to midfield, are the centres - with David Fee and Lakomskis, making his first international start since 2002, the wings.
Francis Viljoen is the full-back - and the reserve forwards comprise prop Chris Osentowski, hooker Mike Hobson, utility forward Jurie Gouws and flanker Mo'unga.
The backs are scrum-half David Williams, fly-half Matt Sherman and centre Albert Tuipulotu.
USA team: Francois Viljoen (Washington), Al Lakomskis (Belmont Shore), Paul Emerick (Catania/ITA), Salesi Sika (Brigham Young University), David Fee (Chicago Lions); Mike Hercus (Sale/ENG), Mose Timoteo (Golden Gate); Kort Schubert (Cardiff/WAL, capt), Tony Petruzzella (California Polytechnic), Brian Surgener (Back Bay); Gerhard Klerck (Treviso/ITA), Alec Parker (Gentlemen of Aspen); Jacob Waasdorp (Warringah/AUS), Matt Wyatt (OMBAC), Mike MacDonald (University of California).
Replacements: Mike Hobson (Air Force Academy), Chris Ostentowski (Belmont Shore), Jurie Gouws (Santa Monica), Fifita Mo'unga (Gentlemen of Aspen), David Williams (Chicago Lions), Matt Sherman (Randwick/AUS), Albert Tuipulotu (Gentlemen of Aspen).
