The United States Men's National Team hadn't really played that one match this year that made you believe it had a shot of really competing in Copa America Centenario until it got on the field earlier this week. Sure, there are going to be tougher matches than the one against Ecuador from Wednesday night, but winning that match and doing so thanks to a sound defensive performance suggests that the Yanks might finally have their act together.
Of course, if the USMNT blows it against Bolivia in the final tune-up before heading to Santa Clara for the start of Copa America, all that great work against the Ecuadorians will be forgotten.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The oddsmakers almost seem to have caught on to the United States. There's plenty doubting whether this team has any real business sharing a pitch with CONMEBOL teams, and a price of +140 on the moneyline against Ecuador certainly told that tale.
In fairness, the match against the Ecuadorians should've ended in a draw if not for Darlington Nagbe's late show, but the Americans were always the better of the two sides and were definitely justified as the favorites to win that match.
Against a weaker Bolivia side, expect to see the U.S. as an odds-on favorite by a relatively small margin.
KEY INJURIES
Klinsmann still has some injury concerns to worry about even though Fabian Johnson and John Brooks have overcome their injuries to get back on the pitch. Geoff Cameron is on the 23-man roster for Copa America and could become a key cog at the back if there are problems at the left back spot. He's still out with a hamstring injury. Furthermore, the U.S. is searching for the exact right pairing up front with Jozy Altidore not fit enough to play in Copa America.
For the most part, Gyasi Zardes played much of the match with Clint Dempsey in attack.
LIVE BETTING
What we like about the United States is the fact that it finally put together a sound defensive match for a full 90 minutes against a legitimate foe. Outside of DeAndre Yedlin at right back, there have been all sorts of questions about the rest of these players on the back line for years and years. That's now five clean sheets in seven matches for the Americans, though in their toughest tests of the bunch, they allowed two goals to Iceland and two to Guatemala on the road.
Bolivia is seeing a lot of red at this point. This is clearly one of the lesser teams in South American soccer, and the results, particularly in World Cup qualifying are showing just that. The Bolivians have lost three straight and eight of their last nine, and their only victory since Copa America last year came against Venezuela in La Paz. The team has allowed at least two goals in 10 straight fixtures.
QUICK PICK
It's going to be tough to pick against the United States in this match. The Yanks are at home, and they definitely seemed the more interested of the two teams against Ecuador. It's as if this sense of importance has finally come up for the Stars and Stripes, and they really have performed well when they've looked the part of the encouraged team. All too often, they didn't play with that sense of urgency against Guatemala in World Cup qualifying or in the Gold Cup. They'd better play with that urgency starting next week, or they're as good as dead in Copa America, and Klinsmann very well could be out of a job.
This foe though, is one which should be beaten. We'd like to see Dempsey and some front man pairing work out, whether that be Zardes, Bobby Wood or Chris Wondolowski. We do think that chemistry will end up being built just a bit in this one, and we suspect we'll see more goals on Saturday than we saw on Wednesday against Ecuador.
Soccer Odds: United States 3, Bolivia 1
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