England / USA World Cup Preview

England / USA World Cup Preview

by Wannamakeabet.com senior analyst Tommy Lynch

USA vs England (-225) Total 2.5  

One of the most anticipated matches of this World Cup will be taking place Friday 2pm ET. The whole world will be tuned in as this young American team will take on one of the tournament favorites in England.

From the American stand point this will be a great measuring stick to where we are at with this golden generation. They are one of the youngest teams in the tournament and have a ton of pressure on them to perform after not making the last World Cup. From the England side this will be business as usual. Of course they would love to beat the Americans, but their eyes are set on lifting the trophy at the end of this.

From a tactical standpoint it will be interesting to see the approach the USA takes. In their first game against Wales they looked dominate in the first half when Wales was sitting back and letting the US control the game. However, in the second half when Wales set their mind on pressing and attacking the US there were some struggles especially with the physicality of the game.

England will be putting that pressure on the US from the first kick of the match. I think they will want to test the US early and not let them get comfortable because all the pressure is on them. If the US want to have any chance of getting a point from this match, they will need to withstand the opening 20 mins of this game and calm the nerves down.

The weakness of the US is up top at striker and on the back line. This is not a great recipe for success against quality teams like England. This is a tough match to predict without seeing the lineups for both of these squads. Kane was banged up in their first match and seems to be trending towards playing which would make a big difference if he is in or out.

My hope is the American side goes out and tries to play their game rather than sitting back and inviting the pressure of England. The key will be surviving that first 20 minutes and I think they will. However, as the game goes on, I think a few mistakes by this young team will lead to good chances for England and they have the quality to convert on those. As much as I would love to see the American side get a result, I think England ends up on top on this one.

England 2 USA 0