The semifinals for the competitive Nations League is all set for this week, with four teams hoping to keep on with their pursuits of winning the title. As things stand, Honduras, USA, Mexico and Costa Rica all still have hopes of lifting the trophy later this month. So, who will get the job done? In this piece, we have our futures picks for the CONCACAF Nations League.
As you might have been able to assume, USA is the major favorite to take down Honduras in the semifinals. No disrespect to Honduras, but they simply don’t have the same kind of talent that the United States is able to put out on the pitch. With the USA continuing to send more and more players overseas, it adds to how talented the group has become.
Entering the semifinal showdown, the side also has plenty of confidence thanks to winger Christian Pulisic. The American just made history over the weekend in helping Chelsea FC win the Champions League over Manchester City. Chelsea was a massive underdog going up against Man City, but they were able to win 1-0 thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz.
| Nation's League odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | -250 | -250 | -250 | -250 |
| Honduras | +600 | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Mexico | -210 | -210 | -210 | -210 |
| Costa Rica | +500 | +500 | +500 | +500 |
Pulisic entered the game in the second half and nearly put Chelsea up 2-0. Unfortunately for him, a shot of his sailed wide. Regardless, Pulisic still celebrated in style after helping his team become the champions of Europe. It was a special moment for everyone involved. Now, Pulisic will be all set to start on Thursday against Honduras, as the expectation is the USA will win.
The Las Vegas sportsbooks have given the Americans -250 soccer odds, while Honduras has been set at +600. Those are some head-turning numbers, but they make sense. This is lining up to be a final between the USA and Mexico, which countless fans would love to see. Whenever those two teams meet, there’s plenty of drama. Our pick is no question for the US to advance to the final with a win over Honduras.
On the other side of things, Mexico should also cruise to a semifinal win over Costa Rica. Similar to the USA-Honduras matchup, the Mexico team also features far superior talent on the pitch compared to Costa Rica. With so many players suiting up all over the world, it simply adds to the higher level of competition and skill level that the Mexican players are able to bring to the field.
The Vegas sportsbooks agree with that thought here, as Mexico has been given -210 odds and Costa Rica has been set at +500. While we’re never one to rule out a passionate upset to go down, which of course would add to the drama of the tournament, it’s really going to be difficult for Costa Rica to get this done. While they also have plenty of great players, they don’t match up to Mexico.
For Mexico, you already know they’re going to be hungry to try and set up another final between them and the United States. Like we said before, whenever the USA and Mexico meet with a trophy on the line, it makes for must-see television. The USA vs. Mexico is without question the best rivalry in CONCACAF. The players and teams don’t like each other. For the Mexico-Costa Rica match, Mexico is no doubt our pick. We look forward to a USA-Mexico final.
Heading into the semifinals, people also want to know who will win the CONCACAF Nations League? With us picking a final between the USA and Mexico, one of those teams will surely end up being able to call themselves the champions. Bragging rights will be high, especially if the USA and Mexico do indeed go on to meet for the trophy. From this chair, we think it will be a see-saw battle in the final.
While the odds haven’t been released for the championship yet, we like the USA to end up winning it all. Would this be a surprise? Not at all. With Pulisic playing at such a high level, plus Sergio Dest and others ready to make plenty of noise as well, the USA has plenty of swagger right now. Unfortunately, they did just lose 2-1 to Switzerland, but we don’t think that will shake their confidence.
They didn’t have their full lineup in that match against Switzerland, so don’t read too much into that loss. With a fired up Pulisic and Dest, we think those two stars will take the lead in helping Gregg Berhalter’s men win it all. It certainly won’t be easy, as Mexico will be ready to fight with all their power to win the trophy as well. In the end, however, we’re going with the United States.
