PREVIEW – Not even one month later, and here we are with a Nations League Final rematch, this time in the form of a Gold Cup quarterfinal. The United States and Canada Men’s National Teams square off again, this time at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Yanks are looking to get one step closer to equaling Mexico with eight Gold Cup trophies. Canada hopes to earn their second, and prove that their World Cup Qualifying run wasn’t a fluke. One team is going home disappointingly in the quarterfinals. The US have essentially an entirely different roster than the one that took care of Canada in Las Vegas, while Canada has a lot of turnover from the Nations League.
USMNT vs Canada Prediction
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How they got here:
The USA drew Jamaica, and routed St. Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago 6-0 a piece, on route to seven points. They finished in a tie atop their group, but were able to beat out Jamaica on goal difference. In winning the group, the avoid Mexico, who also won their group, until a potential final matchup with El Tri.
Canada on the other hand had a much more disappointing group stage. After stunning draws to Guadeloupe and Guatemala, they beat Cuba 4-2 to finish with five points, and second in their group, behind the Cinderella story Guatemala. Not to mention, the noise from off the pitch over financial troubles within the Canadian Federation came out during the group stage. That certainly didn’t help.
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Prediction and Best Odds:
Given a very easy group stage, it’s hard to get over excited about the Yanks and judge their performances. St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago aren’t the best barometer’s to determine how a team will do against higher quality opponents. On the other hand, this Canada hasn’t really shown anything that makes me believe they’re a real threat to win the tournament. I doubted the USMNT coming into this tournament, but I’m not gonna doubt them here. USA 2, Canada 1.
Betting wise, DraftKings has USA -105, Canada +390, and a draw (through the second half) at +155. The USMNT are heavy favorites to win in regular time.
Photo Credit: Antonia Geiger, emdashphoto.com, Last Word on Soccer.
