The United States men's soccer team has a couple big matches coming up this week. There are four matches left in the fourth round of qualification for the World Cup. The Yanks are facing a potentially really tough test against Guatemala on the road, and if they don't manage to take all three points from this match, there's going to be a real chance to fail to get out of this group.
There will be soccer odds at BookMaker.eu for this and all of the USA Men's National Team matches this year.
ODDS ANALYSIS
This is probably the toughest match of the six in the fourth round of qualifying for the World Cup for the Americans. They'll have to go on the road in a very tough environment. Let's not forget that the United States only managed a draw against Trinidad & Tobago on the road in the last set of qualifiers, and the Estadio Mateo Flores is notorious for being incredibly tough.
That said, Jurgen Klinsmann and company will end up being favored in this match, though the margin won't seem anywhere near as large as you might think for teams which are separated by 65 places in the FIFA World Rankings.
LINEUP ANALYSIS
Carlos Ruiz is the most capped player in the history of Guatemalan soccer, and he leads the team with 59 goals. He'll once again wear the captain's armband for his nation in this one, and he's largely going to have to go at this one alone. Minor Lopez or Henry Lopez should join him up front, while Fredy Thompson might end up being the only experienced midfielder in the lineup.
At the back, it's entirely possible that Guatemala will call upon a pair of MLS players, Elias Vasquez of Real Salt Lake and Moises Hernandez of FC Dallas.
Jozy Altidore is likely not to be available for this match thanks to a hamstring injury, and that could cause Klinsmann to run a 4-5-1 lineup in this one. Clint Dempsey is very likely to be the superstar in this fold up front, especially with younger guys like Jordan Morris, Julian Green and Rubio Rubin likely headed with the U-23 team to Colombia for a World Cup qualifying match being held at the same time.
Speaking of that U-23 team, Klinsmann will have an interesting time picking this roster. He's made it a point to send as strong of a team possible to Colombia. Which three veterans he decides to send with the squad will make a big difference here as well, though we would expect to see some of the defenders heading out with the younger squad.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We expect both games to be challenging, starting obviously in Guatemala City which is a very difficult venue. Their team is already in camp, so they go in a week earlier than we do into preparation for that game, so we expect a very difficult game and a very hot-tempered game." – United States manager Jurgen Klinsmann on the advantage Guatemala will have after calling upon its squad a full week earlier than he'll be able to
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
This is a really tough soccer match for the Americans. They've only won once here in Guatemala City in their last five visits, and this is being billed as the biggest sporting event in Guatemala this year. There are over 30,000 expected to be at the Estadio Mateo Flores in this one, and that could really pose some problems for the United States.
This is going to end up being a war for sure, and the Americans haven't proven enough of late that they're ready for this. Especially with a team which is going to be weakened by the presence of the Olympics as well, we can't see anything better than a draw here in a very important match both for Klinsmann and for the United States.
Guatemala 1, United States 1
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The fixture between Guatemala and USA is scheduled for Friday, March 25, 2016 at 10:06 p.m. ET at Estadio Mateo Flores. The match will be televised live on beIN Sports TV.
