Expert Picks
Don’t call me a homer with this bet, but I think the USA is a talented enough team to win their opening match. They are dangerous in front of net with Folarin Balogun. When he’s on, he’s a rocket ship. Weston McKinnie will be extra influential to this team as well. Let’s not forget about Christian Pulisic. Captain America had a rough domestic season but he always shines when donning the Stars and Stripes. USA wins.
USA under manager Pochettino have started to find their goal scoring boots. They've played two friendlies in the month of May in which we saw them score an impressive three goals against a defensive Senegal, and also score a goal against a strong German squad. The big issues we're seeing with USA, is their defense is really susceptible to counter attacks and set pieces. The defense feels a bit disjointed, and a team like Paraguay who can't defend as well, will have to press. I expect goals in this game, with BTTS cashing, and USA picking up the victory.
I have gone on record multiple times not talking too highly about this USA squad. I think that while home field advantage during a competition is a massive deal, the team still has to come together as a cohesive unit to win. I generally don't see that cohesion with USMNT. With that being said, this is a squad that does possess quite a bit of individual talent, and it's a team that is expected to win the group. They'll have to deal with Turkiye eventually, but for now they need to start with a victory, for all their supporters, and the team itself as they play a much weaker Paraguay side.
Can't really sleep for some reason so may as well make some bad World Cup decisions. This is obviously a big number, but I give myself a pass on such via Draw No Bet -- and think should be substantially higher -- as I've said because I consider it two wagers in one (i.e. there's only one way in three I lose). I truly cannot imagine that we lose the WC opener on home soil but basically all I know about Paraguay is that it has the world's largest navy for a landlocked nation. I don't know why I know that. Not really sure the point (guess a bunch of rivers) but OK. The US is ranked 24 spots higher via FIFA.
This promises to be a low-scoring game between two teams that will be desperate to avoid defeat. Paraguay's games averaged just 1.33 goals during their qualifying campaign. Nine of their 12 matches saw under 2.5 goals, including three 0-0 draws. The Paraguayans are happy to sit back, soak up pressure, and try to grind out results. The USMNT are more of an attacking team, but it could take a while for them to break down this Paraguay defense, so under 2.5 goals looks appealing.