The pressure is off of Jurgen Klinsmann for the time being. He and his United States team have made it to the semifinals of Copa America, and they've guaranteed themselves two more matches against elite South American teams. They're the lone invitees left to this CONMEBOL-based tournament, but the fun and games are officially over. Argentina has been the favorite to win Copa America Centenario every step of the way, and it's going to be the heavy favorite against the Yanks on Tuesday night in Houston.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
United States +600
Argentina -275
Draw +350
Over/Under 2.5 (over -130)
ODDS ANALYSIS
The United States is going to be garnering a ton of bets in this match at a huge price of 6 to 1, but realists understand the fact that Argentina is winning this match significantly more often than not. The Argentines are lined at -275 on the moneyline, and they're nearly 1 to 4 favorites to advance to the Copa America finale from here.
Goals are definitely expected in this one. The total is only 2.5, a number which is high for a semifinal as it is, but the vig of -130 on the over is definitely a reaction to the fact that 15 goals were scored across the four quarterfinal matches in Copa America.
TOURNAMENT UPDATE
Argentina looked as scary as could be against Venezuela in the quarters. The team scored three times without answer before the Venezuelans drew one back, but even then, the team had an answer just a minute later to remove any possibility of a comeback.
The Argentines are now 4-0-0 in this tournament, though it's worth remembering that the only serious contenders they've played to date are Chile, another of the four semifinalists in Copa America.
The United States has almost quietly won three matches in a row. That comprehensive 2-0 loss to Colombia in the opener has long since been forgotten, and Klinsmann went from a dead man walking to one which is very likely to have a shot to bring this team to the World Cup in 2018 in a span of just 270 minutes.
LIVE BETTING
The big problem the Americans have in this match is that they're going to be without three of their regulars in the Starting XI. Jermaine Jones was issued a red card against Ecuador for a rather foolish act of slapping a member of the opposition. Bobby Wood and Alejandro Bedoya are both suspended based on yellow card accumulation.
The big question is whether this will be a blessing in disguise for the Yanks. They've got some potential stars in the making in Darlington Nabge and Christian Pulisic sitting on the bench, and these men are amongst the ones most likely to end up in the Starting XI with the suspensions in place.
Wood though, was arguably the best attacking option the United States had. Sure, Clint Dempsey has been scoring the goals, but Wood has had the best attempts from range and some of the most threatening runs. Against a team like Argentina when you need to take advantage of every chance you've got, losing out on three really strong options could hurt dramatically.
QUICK PICK
The Americans have had a nice run of late, but they're in a lot of trouble here. Their formation is very likely to be a lot different in this one than it has been with a 4-3-3 against the rest of the teams in this tournament, and that could cause a lot of confusion.
Lionel Messi has been the best player in this tournament, and he's only played basically the equivalent of two games. John Brooks has had a nice tournament at the back for the Yanks, but he's overmatched against Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria.
Don't be surprised if this match looks a lot like the opening soiree between the U.S. and Colombia. Argentina is the better of these two teams for sure, and it should show on the pitch and with the final result.
Copa America Odds: Argentina 2, United States 0
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between United States and Argentina will kick off on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at 9:00 p.m. ET. This fixture from NRG Stadium can be seen live on FOX Sports 1.
