When the draw came out for the knockout rounds of the Women's World Cup, the world watched and waited for a potential semifinal tie between the United States and Germany. Now, that dream matchup has become a reality, and the winner of this fixture will surely be the favored side to hoist women's soccer's greatest prize on Sunday in Vancouver.
ODDS ANALYSIS
It's not often that you see the Stars and Stripes an underdog in women's soccer, but in this case, that's exactly what has transpired. Even though Germany struggled mightily with France in the quarterfinals, it has had the much tougher road to get to this point and was favored to win this tournament at the outset for a reason.
The Germans are now slender PK -137 favorites over 90 minutes against the US, and they are +144 choices of the oddsmakers to win in normal time.
The United States is +120 to advance on to the World Cup Final either in normal time, extra time or in penalties.
The total is set somewhat high considering how low scoring these knockout round matches have been. The number to beat is 2.5 (under -157).
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I was pleased with the players that came into starting positions, and the players that came on as subs. We talked about trying to grow in this tournament, and today was a big, big step." – United States manager Jill Ellis on the play of Morgan Brian and Kelley O'Hara against China in the quarterfinals replacing the suspended Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday
RECENT FORM
Germany has already had to face the dreaded penalty kicks here in Canada, needing them to get past France in the quarterfinals. Prior to that though, the Germans blew past Sweden 4-1 after taking out a very easy Group B with only a suspect draw against Norway raising any questions.
The United States only took seven points in the group stage as well, but it has had the easier path to get to the semis for sure. Beating China and Colombia isn't saying a whole heck of a lot, but the fact that the Americans have done so without conceding a goal is also impressive.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
One has to think that this is going to be a tough match in which to find goals. The Americans just haven't looked confident in front of net anywhere along the way here in the World Cup, as Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan are still looking to get in form together with Sydney LeRoux.
The Germans still have a tremendous attack with Anja Mittag and Celia Sasic, but the United States has been strong at the back and will only get stronger when Holiday comes back in the fold following her one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation.
For live betting purposes, if this match goes into extra time, we would certainly want the United States. Nadine Angerer might be the hero for the one save she made in the shootout against France, but she was nowhere near good in the penalties. Furthermore, the Americans have now seen tape on the German penalty shooters. Just as the US fell to Japan in its second shootout in 2011, the same could be said for Germany if it has to play a second shootout.
That said, we still think that this one is going to be over in 90 minutes, and the Americans are going to come up on the short end of the stick. Germany will surely be the sharper of the two plays, and for our money, it is the much more cohesive team than the United States. One moment of brilliance will be enough to get the Germans into the final seeking the World Cup double with the men from last year.
Germany 1, United States 0
BookMaker has Women's World Cup lines for every match of the season. Germany is lined as a +144 moneyline favorite, while the total is set at 2.5 (under -157). You can make a futures bet and predict the champion, wager on head-to-head matchups or use BookMaker’s live betting feature to gamble while the match is happening.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The fixture between the United States and Germany is scheduled for Tuesday, June 30, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. ET at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The match will be televised live on FOX.
