USA vs Wales Prediction and Odds | World Cup Game Betting Picks
USA vs Wales Prediction & Betting Preview
Read on for a top-notch USA vs Wales prediction for your World Cup soccer betting. The World Cup has finally arrived! After 4 years and some number of months. And it’s happening in November and December! In what might be the strangest World Cup yet, there’s no shortage of great matchups – and USA vs Wales is one of the most interesting Group Stage matches.
The USA missed out on the 2018 World Cup with a horrifying loss to Trinidad & Tobago, while Wales hasn’t been in the World Cup since 1958. Both teams have something to prove.
The odds have shifted somewhat with the US getting shorter odds, Wales longer odds and a draw longer odds. Furthermore, the odds for over 2.5 total goals have shortened from +160 to +135 – I expect to see goals even though many pundits are predicting a drab 0-0 draw.
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USA vs Wales Betting Odds
| Monday, November 20 | USA vs Wales Betting Odds |
|---|---|
| USMNT: | +150 |
| Wales: | +215 |
| Draw: | +210 |
| Total: | 2.5 Goals +135 (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
| Game Time: | 2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT |
The US’s Dilemma… How Effectively Can They Ignore Gregg Berhalter?
The USMNT is an extremely young team that has players who play their club football at Juventus, Chelsea, Valencia, Dortmund, Moenchengladbach, AC Milan, Lille, Arsenal, Leeds, Fulham, and so on.
That’s a pretty impressive list. Now, to be fair, just a handful of these players are actually vital to their teams. Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Tyler Adams, and Aaronson for sure. That said, Gio Reyna at Dortmund is almost certainly the most talented player the USMNT, at the ripe old age of 19. Yunus Musah, also 19 years old and plying his trade at Valencia, is right behind him.
With all this talent, the US decided to hire a coach who was fired by a 2nd division Swedish team and was bang average when coaching in the MLS. In the seeming eons since Berhalter has been hired, he’s been trying to institute some sort of system.
Gregg, WHAT IS The System?
The problem is, nobody seems to know what the hell Berhalter’s system actually IS, beyond exceedingly ineffective. And overly reliant on Pulisic – which is a mistake. Beyond the ridiculousness of writing an autobiography at age 24, Pulisic is simply not as good as he thinks he is.
The US’s best hope, then, is to rebel. Ignore anything Berhalter says and just play. The players legitimately seem to enjoy each other’s company and there is quite a lot of rough talent there. Weah bombing ridiculous shots, Reyna juking defenders, Adams and McKennie (if healthy) cleaning up every mess, and Aaronson running constantly and creating chances is how they will win. Ignore Berhalter, don’t defer to Pulisic, have fun, and the USMNT should be ok.
USA: Strengths & Weaknesses
The US has a quite deep field of midfielders and forwards. Weah, Aaronson, Reyna, Pulisic, Musah, Adams, Luca de La Torre, Sargent.. all solid players, with some having the potential to be great players down the road.
What they’re missing, unfortunately, is a striker and a reliable defense. Antonee Robinson is already an excellent Left Back, with the potential to play for any club on Earth. However… that’s about it. Dest is not a reliable Right Back, nor is Yedlin.
Joe Scally probably should get the nod at right back, but he’s very young and you can expect an error or two. Center backs are just disastrous. Walker Zimmerman has played well, but is so very limited. Tim Ream is more than serviceable and having an excellent season, but unlikely to start due to Berhalter’s preference for the catastrophically bad Aaron Long.
Striker is even more worrisome. Berhalter will almost certainly start Ferreira… who can score against Grenada and against crappy MLS teams. But not against anyone else.
Sargent is excelling at striker when played there with Norwich, but that’s a second tier team – and he has not impressed with US. Haji Wright has striker attributes, but is an unknown quantity at this point. Tim Weah may end up being the best option up top – he’s certainly the most skilled of that bunch.
Wales. Solid but Unspectacular. Dangerous on the Counter.
Wales isn’t going into the World Cup on much of a high note. Losing 4 of their last 5 competitive matches and being spectacularly outshot on that journey isn’t inspiring a lot of confidence.
Wales’ approach in the World Cup is going to rely on counterattacking. Not much of a possession-oriented team, Wales does fly down the wings on the counter. This could be an issue for the US, which has difficulty defending counters.
The vertical approach expected from Wales has the potential to lead to quite a few fouls and with them, set pieces from dangerous areas. The prospect of facing a fully-operational and motivated Gareth Bale on a set piece is not ideal for the USMNT. Could lead to a goal or two for Wales.
USA vs Wales Prediction: Recent Form
The USMNT barely qualified automatically for the World Cup from CONCACAF, finishing in 3rd place on goal differential, scoring 21 goals and conceding 10 in 14 matches. Following qualifying, they’ve failed to impress in multiple limp friendly showings.
Wales eked out second place in Group E of UEFA World Cup qualifying, scoring 14 goals and conceding 9 in 8 matches. 2nd place earned them a spot against Austria in a playoff, which Wales won 2-1 – which qualified them for ANOTHER playoff against Ukraine – Wales won that matchup 1-0 to qualify for the World Cup.
Since then, Wales has been in pretty atrocious form, dropping 4 games and drawing one in Nations League play.
USA vs Wales Prediction: The Betting Picks
Here’s three betting picks – take them as you will.
USA vs Wales Prediction #1:
I’m expecting a pretty dreary first half, with a lot of USA possession, but nothing to show for it. I could even see a Welsh first half goal on a calamitous US defensive error.
However, after personnel changes, the 2nd half will result in fireworks. I’m looking to see 2-3 goals in the 2nd half between the two teams. So, take the over on the total goals 2.5 at DraftKings at +135. This pick goes against the grain of US vs Wales predictions, with many pundits expecting to see a low-scoring, drab affair, so I’d expect those odds to get more favorable as match time approaches.
I see too much potential for set piece goals from Wales and eventual goals from heavy possession by the USMNT to put much faith in this being a low-scoring affair.
USA vs Wales Prediction #2:
Another great prop pick to take – Both Teams Score, No Draw at +250 at DraftKings. I’m expecting to see a 2-1 or 3-2 winner in this match.
USMNT vs Wales Prediction #3:
And a wonderful player prop to take if you’re feeling bold – Tim Weah as Anytime Scorer at +350 at DraftKings. Just a few USA vs Wales prediction possibilities!
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Stoppage Time | 2022 World Cup Betting Preview
The 2022 World Cup kicks off on Sunday as host nation Qatar takes on Ecuador. Which favorites will endure some trouble? Which darkhorses are ready to emerge? Join Carmine Bianco, Kevin Dolan, Pavlos Laguretos and Nick Borrman for Stoppage Time as we preview the World Cup from a variety of handicapping angles.
2022 World Cup Group Predictions
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