The United States Women's National Team always challenges itself with the best competition in the world, and this week is no exception. While the U.S. men are going to be showcased in Copa America Centenario, the ladies are going to be busy first in Denver, then in Cleveland for a pair of matches to be played against Japan, the team which it beat to win the 2015 World Cup.
Check back on match day for the best odds at BookMaker.eu on this and all of the great soccer fixtures we have to offer.
ODDS ANALYSIS
History will tell you that the American women are sure to be relatively heavy favorites in this match even if they aren't necessarily the better team by a massive margin here. They lay at least a goal, sometimes at least two or three, especially in matches played here on American soil as most tend to be.
Japan won't go quietly though, especially knowing that this is the best shot it's going to have in 2016 on the international stage. The Samurai Blue didn't qualify for the Olympics, a tournament which the Americans are favored heavily to win.
ROSTER ANALYSIS
This Japanese team isn't a joke. Mizuho Sakaguchi and Yuki Ogimi both have had fantastic careers playing for their homeland, and both have scored against the United States at one point or another. Ogimi in particular is quite dangerous up front. She's in the prime of her career at 28 years old, and she's got 57 goals to her ledger already in 130 fixtures for her country.
Toss in a defense which has four players with at least 70 Caps. There's certainly no lack of experience here.
If the Japanese are lacking somewhere, it's in net. We saw all sorts of problems in the World Cup Final last year against the Americans when Ayumi Kaihori allowed five to get past her. She's no guarantee for this match though, and if she isn't in the pipes, there isn't a goalie on this team with more than 20 matches of experience.
The Americans should once again be calling upon a fantastic side for this duel. Amy Rodriguez, Sydney Leroux and Megan Rapinoe are all going to miss the Olympics. Carli Lloyd won't be available for this match either after suffering a knee injury in the NWSL earlier in May, though she's still pointing towards playing in Rio in August.
Still, Becky Sauerbrunn has turned into a fine captain, while Heather O'Reilly will surely be playing in her 230th career game in an American uniform on Thursday night. Don't forget about Alex Morgan up front as well, though the hole here could be to her opposite side. With Rodriguez and Leroux not playing due to pregnancies, Christen Press has stepped in along with Crystal Dunn with Morgan. The chemistry isn't quite there yet, but the results based on talent alone are still ridiculously impressive.
LIVE BETTING
It's been a banner year thus far for the U.S. women. They're 11-0-0 and have conceded exactly one goal in those matches. They just ripped through Colombia by an aggregate of 10-0 in two matches in April, and most will find it tough to resist thinking the same thing could happen in these duels, albeit against a much better team.
Japan really struggled in Olympics qualifying, losing to Australia and China while drawing against South Korea. That was effectively the end of the dream to get to Rio, though the club did finish strong with wins over Vietnam and North Korea.
QUICK PICK
Japan has been brutally disappointing of late, and there's no two ways around that. Still, if you go back and look at what the Americans have done against the elite teams in the world of late, you'll see a lot of really close wins. In the SheBelieves Cup in March, the Stars and Stripes beat England, France and Germany, but all three wins were by a single goal.
Given the choice, we'd take the Asian Handicap here with the Japanese as well. They've got a way of breaking down this American defense which most haven't in recent years, and we do think they'll manage to get one home in this first of two matches. Japan won't win, but that one goal could be crucial towards the spread.
Soccer Odds: United States 2, Japan 1
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