The United States hasn't been the most impressive team in the Women's World Cup this year, but it still has a tendency to be the most dominating team in Canada.
A Round of 16 match against Colombia was a gift, as this is the weakest team left standing in the tournament.
ODDS ANALYSIS
There is no team favored by a bigger margin in the first knockout round of the Women's World Cup than the USA. The Americans are -670 moneyline favorites and are favored by two goals on the Asian Handicap at -130 vig.
As a result of the high spread, the total has to be the highest in the Round of 16 as well. The total sits at 3 (under -135).
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I'm happy with the way we played both with and without the ball. We can attack with confidence if we have a good backline. It's a shame we only scored one goal, but we're very happy to finish top of a difficult group." – USA manager Jill Ellis on the last match of the group stage against Nigeria
RECENT FORM
There has to be at least a tad bit of concern if you're an American supporter here in Canada. The Stars and Stripes were heavily favored to get all nine points at the group stage, and a 1-1 draw against Sweden was a brutal disappointment. However, when the team really needed to kick into gear against both Australia and Nigeria in the first and third matches respectively, it did the job and got the maximum points, albeit in not necessarily the most impressive fashion.
Colombia pulled off the shock of this tournament by upsetting France in the second group stage game. That parlayed with a 1-1 draw against Mexico in the opening fixture was more than enough to get into the knockout rounds for the first time in the nation's history. Still, the last match against England was much worse than a 2-1 final score suggested.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Experience is going to be the key here for the United States. Colombia's women are very young and not ready for a moment like this one, and even if it was to lose by 10 goals, the tournament would still be considered a smashing success.
The United States still needs to find its mojo up front, and we expect to see Ellis not be afraid to use as many as three attackers at one time if need be. Abby Wambach is back in form after a rough go of it in the lead-up matches to the Women's World Cup, as she scored the goal against Nigeria which proved to be the difference on the day.
Hope Solo remains one of the best net minders in the world, and Julie Johnston, Ali Krieger and the rest of the Americans playing at the back have been fantastic. Lady Andrade did have a fantastic group stage of this tournament, but for the most part, she is just a one-woman band. The USA has never had trouble shutting down attacks which are basically just one-dimensional, and this shouldn't be an exception.
In the event that depth is needed, bringing in Alex Morgan or Amy Rodriguez in attack or someone like Shannon Boxx in the midfield could do the trick.
In the end though, we don't suspect that the United States will be in any danger in this match. This one should be over before it really gets started, and anything less than a four or five-goal victory will truly be disappointing from the American aspect.
United States 4, Colombia 0
The Women's World Cup lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker Sportsbook with the United States lined as a -670 moneyline favorite and a total of 3 (under -135). Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, spreads and totals. Live betting is open during every step of this match!
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 the United States and Colombia is scheduled for Monday, June 22, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. ET at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
