The USMNT is once again part of the World Cup, and although they have a tough Group to negotiate, they are capable of matching Wales in the opener.
US soccer fans will be eagerly anticipating their team’s return to the top table of international football but the top sports online betting sites don’t rate their chances highly. Bettors favor an exit at the Group Stage, which is priced around -125 while they are rated as +175 to reach the Round of 16. If you think they are capable of going as far as the quarterfinals, you can back them at +800, and for those looking for the biggest odds, a wager on the USMNT to win the World Cup is +10000.
The USMNT took a long way around to qualify for the World Cup, kicking off with draws against El Salvador and Canada in the CONCACAF Third Qualifying Round. They recovered from a slow start to record victories over Honduras and Jamaica and maintained an impressive run at home, defeating Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico.
However, things were different on the road as they lost in Panama, dropped two more points to Jamaica, and fell to a 2-0 defeat in Canada. Yet despite losing again, this time to Costa Rica, to end their qualification campaign, they still made it to the World Cup thanks to goal difference.
This USMNT squad won’t be the strongest the nation has ever sent to a World Cup. Although Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson are excellent fullbacks and Matt Turner, Arsenal’s backup goalkeeper, appears to be a reliable presence, the defense is ordinary at best.
The erratic but gifted Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah will be key in midfield, and much will depend on them having a good tournament. Their greatest strength rests in the wide areas, where Giovanna Reyna, Timothy Weah, and Brenden Aaronson will support Christian Pulisic of Chelsea.
However, their primary area of weakness is the striker positions. If the team wants to live up to or surpass expectations in this tournament, they cannot rely solely on Pulisic to score all their goals. Jesus Ferreira, Josh Sargent, and Ricardo Pepi have all had their chances but have come up short, and head coach Greg Berhalter needs to find a way to get more goals out of his squad.
The USMNT must start strong and aim for all three points against Wales in their opening match, given the challenge they face in their second game.
Still, it won’t be easy to take on Wales. The two teams are similar in that they both have lone-star players and struggle to score goals. But Gareth Bale has significantly more international experience than Pulisic and can score from any position in the opposition half.
A win here in their first game would be a great start, but I don’t think the USMNT can pull that off, and Greg Berhalter will be wary of pressing too hard and running the risk of losing. The USMNT will struggle to contain Bale and get past the strong Welsh defense, so a draw is the best they can hope for.
In terms of FIFA standings or big tournament results, there is no comparison. With a roster full of highly regarded young talent, mostly from the English Premier League, England reached the final at Euro 2021 and the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup.
However, they have been poor recently, losing both home and away to Hungary in the Nations League. The team has a history of having trouble playing opponents accustomed to their brand of football. Since a number of the USMNT plays their football in England, this match may be trickier than Gareth Southgate’s team anticipates, and if the USMNT is going to pull off a shock, it may happen here.
The odds for the final USMNT match have not yet been released, but Berhalter and his team may be most concerned about this game. Iran will enjoy being the underdogs, just as they were in 1998, and this is a fixture that always has an added edge.
The USMNT may feel like the away team here because Iran will be more accustomed to the Qatari climate than their other two opponents, and that is a problem, given the USMNT’s poor record on the road (no victories in the last eight). They will be the favorites in this contest, but I wouldn’t be comfortable backing them at small odds in what might turn out to be a tough game.
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