United States vs Wales Prediction, Preview, Stream, Odds, & Picks

United States: Young and talented

Group B is much more open than most pundits are saying.  Depending on the form and individual performances, there’s little between the USA, Wales, and Iran, which should make all matchups a must-see. The USA missed out on the 2018 World Cup with a disappointing loss to Trinidad & Tobago. The USMNT is an extremely young and talented team that has players from top teams in Europe like Juventus, Chelsea, Valencia, Dortmund, Gladbach, AC Milan, Lille, Arsenal, Leeds and so on.

The problem is that nobody seems to know what their system actually is. Basically, Gregg Berhalter is the real problem here. The USA has a quite deep field of midfielders and forwards but they have big issues in the defensive line. The USA were not exactly dominant in the final eight-team group, and it was only because of goal difference that they avoided the inter-confederation play-offs.

This is a side that is capable of playing high-tempo, high-energy soccer but it’s a mistake to back them if you’re betting online because they always have problems against solid teams like Wales. In their most recent friendly game against Saudi Arabia, the USMNT played to a goalless draw, which means that now the team has gone three consecutive matches without a win.

Wales: Defensive solidity

It has been 64 long years since Pele’s first World Cup goal ended Wales’ 1958 campaign. Wales faced a tough European qualifying campaign under Rob Page to make it to Qatar, but finished second in a group featuring Belgium, ranked second in the world, and the Czech Republic. Playoff victories over Austria and Ukraine in front of a superb home crowd followed, and Wales were booking their flights to Doha.

Scoring goals has often been a Welsh weakness. However, this current Wales team enters the World Cup tournament having scored in 14 consecutive matches until breaking that streak in their last match of the Nations League against Poland. Their playing system very much depends on the personnel available.

Wales’ approach in the World Cup is going to rely on counterattacks.  Not much of a possession-oriented team, Wales does fly down the wings on the counter. Wales are not a one-man team as everyone is thinking. Gareth Bale’s fellow forwards, Daniel James and Brennan Johnson, both play for Premier League clubs, while midfielders Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey provide further quality, as does defender Ben Davies. They are a tough team to play against but under any circumstances don’t include them in your soccer picks and parlays.

United States vs Wales Match Information

• Match: United States vs Wales
• Day/Time: Monday, Nov. 21, 9 a.m. EST
• Location: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (Al Rayyan)
• United States vs Wales Live Stream: Fubo TV

United States vs Wales Betting Lines

Team	Handicap	Moneyline	Total	Team Total
USA	pk -140	+150	O 2 -110	O ½ -240 U ½ +200
Wales	pk +120	+220	U 2 -110	O ½ -190 U ½ +165
USA vs Wales Draw		+200

United States vs Wales Picks & Prediction

• ML: Berhalter’s men chose not to have a warm-up friendly, so they come into this tournament in indifferent form after failing to win any of their last three internationals. They enter this clash as slight favorites being priced at +150 on the three-way moneyline according to the latest soccer odds while Wales are priced at +220. Americans lack a truly lethal striker they have plenty of dangerous forwards. The likes of Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronson, Tim Weah, and Gio Reyna all can create many problems. We expect the two teams to cancel each other so the value is on the draw at +200.
• ATS: A defeat would be a bad result for both teams and in particular, the USA, who will face England next. Both sides are most dangerous in transition, but we will probably see the USA have more of the ball. Wales are an experienced team who has faced many of the world’s top teams so the value is on Wales PK at +115.
• Totals: The goal line is set at two with the under being priced at +100. Wales have conceded in 10 of their last 11 internationals and although none of those matches have been heavy defeats, they only conceded three once (a 3-2 defeat in The Netherlands). They will give themselves a tough task should they need to score twice to win any matches. Nobody wants to lose their first match at the World Cup so we expect a low-scoring affair.

“The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.”