Group C see USA take on Canada in the first game of the CONCACAF and we should be in store for goals a-plenty.
The CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Gold Cup kicks off on Tuesday and we have a great match to start us off as Group (and tournament) favourites USA take on attack minded Canada in the first match of the Group stages.
The USA are the host nation and are clear soccer odds favourites to win this tournament, for a fifth time. However Canada will be no milk run and many bookies have them pegged to make it through the group stages. The USA’s last game may have been a humbling 0-4 reverse at the hands of the Spanish National side, but coach Bob Bradley has assembled a strong attack minded side that features such players as Landon Donovan (who missed the friendly against Spain because of illness), Jozy Altidore, Clinton Dempsey and Michael Bradley so qualification from this group should be a done deal. The Canadian side features Simeon Jackson, Dwayne de Rosario and Atiba Hutchinson, so it’s a fair bet that both sides will be expecting goals. Back in defence there still seem to be teething problems in this Canadian side, with no obvious first choice keeper and the absence (due to injury) of veteran defender Paul Stalteri, the strikers will be kept busy keeping the Canadians in front.
Goals or clean sheets
You can get some interesting betting odds on the USA winning to nil, starting at +550 on 1-0, +500 on 2-0, +700 on 3-0 and a whopping +1200 on 4-0. The odds on Canada winning to nil are a lot more tempting, but I can’t see the game ending that way round, if you fancy the sort of bet that will break bookies’ hearts and make you rich you can get +1600 on 1-0 or even +4000 on 2-0 (odds with Bodog).
The US side are keen to forget the Spanish defeat, and it’s bad news for the Canadians that they are the first side they get to start exacting revenge on. In Contrast Canada will arrive at Ford Field (Detroit Michigan) on the back of a 2-2 draw with Ecuador, but the odds still point at a States’ side win. Despite the bookies and their odds, Bradley isn’t underestimating Tuesday’s opponents, “They are a team that we have a lot of respect for, a team that comes into this Gold Cup feeling confident. They've had some good results in the last six months, and so we understand that the first game of any tournament is always a tough one, and we expect a real difficult game against a rival.” If you think he knows what he’s talking about and that you can rely on it for soccer betting then look at +350 for the draw.
Honours even?
A draw might not be a bad bet, the USA and Canada are quite even in the all-time series stats, with the U.S. holding a slim advantage of 12 wins compared to Canada’s eight (and nine draws). Don’t forget that Canada has quite the arsenal of European players to choose from, and will have nothing to lose. If you think that Canada will cause a real upset and win the game you can get some pretty big odds like +1800 with Bodog.
Personally despite the recent results, I don’t think that Canada is on a par with Spain, and the USA squad that will face the Canadians will be a reshuffled and rejuvenated side. Expect to see top draw performances from Right back Eric Lichaj, and the two Red Bulls; Juan Agudelo and Tim Ream, all of whom will be keen to impress their coach (and supporters) on the pitch on Tuesday night. It’s not just the US faithful that rate their team, FIFA have the USA ranked 22nd in the world and first in CONCACAF.
The basic odds on a US win aren’t that impressive (-333). What’s more interesting is predicting the half time / full time result; especially if it ends up a drawn game. USA winning at half time and the game ending in a draw is at +2000 while the Canadians winning the first half but drawing the match at +2200. If that’s too precise a bet you can get over or under 2.5 goals, at -154 (over) or +120 (under). I think that the game will go over, as there’s plenty at stake in this tournament and that tends to deliver goals. You can get some decent odds if you can pick the correct score; 3-1 to USA is at +1000..
Prediction: USA off to a flyer, 3-2 (big odds at +2800 with Bodog).