PREVIEW – The United States will begin its quest for a third straight World Cup title this Friday. The U.S. will play all three group-stage matches in New Zealand, which hosts the tournament with Australia. Their first match will be against first-time World Cup participants Vietnam at Eden Park in Auckland. Here is a preview of Friday’s United States vs Vietnam matchup.
United States vs Vietnam Predictions and Best Odds for July 21
It’s almost here. #USWNT x @Visa pic.twitter.com/s3QPNiHLH7
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) July 19, 2023
United States Current Run of Form
The USWNT has been on an eight-match win streak going into the World Cup. Since November 22 of last year, the United States is 8/0/0. During the SheBelieves Cup in February, the USWNT beat a trio of top nations in Canada, Japan, and Brazil. They have also not conceded a goal since April 8 after two shutout wins against Ireland and a 2-0 victory over Wales on July 9.
The 23.
We can’t wait to represent you Down Under 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/mXjaRRAZ08
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) July 10, 2023
Vietnam Current Run of Form
The Vietnamese national team is 2-3-0 since May 12 when they beat Cambodia 4-0 in the Southeast Asian Games semifinals. They secured a gold medal by defeating Myanmar 2-0 in the championship match. In preparation for the World Cup, the Vietnamese played three friendly matches against some of the countries participating in this year’s tournament. However, they failed to get a result after losing to Germany 2-1, New Zealand 2-0, and a whopping 9-0 against Spain.
Recent Head to Head
The United States and Vietnam have never played one another in international play. However, the USWNT faced a similar matchup in their opening match of the 2019 World Cup when they faced another Southeast Asian country in Thailand. The Thai team was ranked 29 in the world at the time and were massive underdogs against the defending champion American squad. The United States showed no mercy defeating Thailand 13-0 including a five-goal performance from striker Alex Morgan.
United States vs Vietnam Prediction
The United States will enter their match against Vietnam as overwhelming favorites. Vietnam is ranked #34 in the world compared to the top-ranked US team. Considering the similarity of circumstances for this year’s opening match to 2019, a United States loss would be the shock of all shocks. The question for this first match will not be will they win, but how much will they win.
Current Odds: United States vs Vietnam
ML: VIE +5000, USA -40000, Draw +2800
Total: o6.5 (-115), u6.5 (-115)
Photo Credit: John Babiak, Last Word on Soccer.
