Soccer Betting Free Picks: England vs. USA
Added on Jun 11, 2010 by Jack Thurman in
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The World Cup 2010 could be the biggest sports betting event in history and thanks to the multitude of matchups and props there should be plenty of soccer betting value opportunities ahead. The biggest early matchup is a rematch of the 1950 World Cup victory where the US shocked England 1-0. That was the last time the two sides have met in competition, though they’ve met a number of times in exhibition play. This game will go at 11:30 AM Pacific on Saturday.
England vs USA (Group C)
June 12, 11:30 AM Pacific
Group C sets up well for both teams to advance to the knockout stage–barring a monumental tank job by either team they’re simply more talented than Algeria or Slovenia. As a result, this becomes an important game for both teams. A win by England could put them in a position where they could rest starters in their final group game against Slovenia. For the US, taking points here could all but assure their advancement into the knockout stage.
Obviously, the expectations surrounding each team are drastically different. The United States’ relatively small but growing base of soccer fans would be thrilled to make it to the quarterfinals. Anything beyond that would far surpass the most optimistic scenario. For England, there’s a lot of pressure to go deep in the tournament if not win it outright. All you need to know about these expectations can be answered with a simple look at the betting lines–despite their #8 FIFA ranking England is the #4 favorite at +750 behind Brazil, Spain and Argentina. The USA, on the other hand, is +10000. The US may be the ‘looser’ team heading into this matchup but that could be neutralized by England’s focus on this contest.
England has been an offensive powerhouse in the run up to the World Cup–in qualifying they scored 34 goals in 10 games with Wayne Rooney contributing 9. Rooney is by all accounts fit heading into tournament play, though that’s obviously what the England team hierarchy is going to tell the media. The USA has plenty of offensive talent as well–obviously none in the class of Rooney at his best–but solid players like Landon Donovan and his LA Galaxy teammate Edson Buddle along with Clint Dempsey and Joey Altidore who can put the ball in the net with regularity.
Defensively, both teams have looked sloppy heading into the World Cup. England has some decent backline talent but they’ve not quite gelled as a cohesive unit. The US has very good goalkeepers (a big question mark for the English side) but they simply don’t have the same level of talent defensively that the do on offense. The England team’s defense took another hit prior to the tournament with the injury to team captain Rio Ferdinand. As a result of the defensive issues surrounding both teams this should be decided by the offenses and in a shootout the US is no match for England.
England should win this game but the value just isn’t there at prices of -200 or higher. At the same time, we’re not anxious to go against them either. For that reason, our best bet is a proposition wager that you’ll find at most sportsbooks (the price we’re using is from Bookmaker). With two good offenses matchup up against struggling defenses we like the ‘Both Teams To Score’ prop bet. England has only had one shutout in their last six games (a 3-0 win at home against a weak Belarus side) while the USA hasn’t kept a clean sheet in their last six games. England should be able to outscore the Americans, but the US should at least get on the board. We’ll get a good price if they do.
Bet USA/England Both Teams To Score +140
