The USA holds a World Cricket League divisional event for the first time when Los Angeles hosts the six-team Division 4 tournament from 29 October to 5 November.

The top two sides from among the competing teams – Bermuda, Denmark, Italy, Jersey, Oman and the USA - will advance to WCL Division 3 while the bottom two will drop to Division 5 in the system of continuous promotion and relegation between divisions. The third and fourth teams will remain in Division 4.

Division 2 in this cycle allows teams a chance to qualify for the 2018 World Cup Qualifier. The top two teams from Division 2 will join the top four sides from the World Cricket League Championship and the bottom four sides from the ICC ODI Team Rankings in the 2018 Qualifier.

The USA team, which dropped down from Division 3 along with Bermuda and with whom it will clash on the opening day, is buoyant ahead of the tournament with its new coach Pubudu Dassanayake hoping his team would rise to the occasion.

“Regardless of the division, WCL tournaments are always tough. Our outcome will depend on how we handle the pressure periods. I'm confident everyone will lift their game and stand up to the occasion. It's a well-balanced squad and now it's all about transferring ability into performance," said Dassanayake, a former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper who has coached the Nepal and Canada teams in the past.

USA captain Steven Taylor, an attacking left-handed batsman, says: “The World Cricket League isn't an easy tournament. The squad and I have been working really hard. We've put in the work, so now we are going to look for good results by playing some fearless and intense cricket.”

Bermuda captain Oliver Pitcher says his team are aiming to get back to Division 3.

“The team and I are very excited about the upcoming tournament and the chance to reclaim a place back in WCL Division 3. There have been a lot of changes in the squad and many new young faces are eager to prove themselves on the international stage,” he said.

Jersey, newly-promoted from WCL Division 5 along with Oman, comes into the tournament with good preparation according to its captain Peter Gough.

“We feel like we're in really good shape going into the tournament. We have played four of the teams before, so we know we're going to need to perform well to be successful, but we've got every belief in ourselves we can do it,” Gough said.

Italy captain Damian Crowley said his team was aiming to play positive cricket during the tournament.

“We have a good mix of experience and new players in our squad so I am looking forward to the fresh team dynamics and the development of younger players,” he said.