A couple of weeks ago, Wales captain Gareth Bale got into the spotlight of American sports fans by scoring the decisive goal for LAFC in the 8th minute of the stoppage time in the 2022 MLS Cup Final.
Fast-forward to Monday, November 21, and the Welshman is going to be on the radar of American soccer fans once again. This time, it’s because his national team will lock horns with the USMNT in the first round of the 2022 World Cup.
You can think of the USMNT vs Wales game as a crucial battle for the no.2 spot in the World Cup Group B (it’s very likely England will finish in the no.1 place). The winner of this game would make one giant leap toward the World Cup knockouts, so you can be 100% sure all the players on the pitch will give their utmost on Monday.
But who’s going to win? To see what we think about the USMNT vs Wales game, just keep on reading!
USMNT vs Wales Odds
Match-Winner
| United States | +162 |
| Draw | +200 |
| Wales | +200 |
Goals Over/Under
| Over 2.5 | +162 |
| Under 2.5 | -200 |
*Odds taken from bet365 on Wednesday, November 16.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar
- Date: Monday, November 21, 2022
- Time: 2:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: FOX/Telemundo
The United States Roster Has Never Been This Strong
Team USA is the third-most bet-on World Cup team with 11% of all the wagers. Even though the odds are pretty long (+13000), no one can say that bettors are crazy to back this team. The thing is that the roster of the USMNT hasn’t been this strong in a while. In fact, one may argue that this is the strongest squad in the history of Team US.
In the past, most of the USMNT players were playing in the MLS, which used to be a not-too-competitive league. In 2022, the American top tier is a fantastic championship with some really good players, nine of which have gotten the call-up to the World Cup.
The other 17 USMNT players are playing in top European leagues – the English Premier League (6 players), Spanish La Liga (2), German Bundesliga (2), Championship (2), Italian Serie A (2), Scottish Premiership (1), Turkish Superlig (1), and French Ligue 1 (1).
The standout name in the USMNT’s World Cup squad is Christian Pulisic. Admittedly, he hasn’t been getting a lot of playing time in Chelsea this season, but there’s no arguing that he’s an exceptional talent.
The best thing, however, is that Team US isn’t a one-man army. This team has plenty of other players who are almost as equally good as Pulisic – Giovanni Reyna, Timothy Weah, Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson, Sergino Dest, and others.
Gareth Bale’s Job in Qatar is to Score Goals
Gareth Bale is the biggest star on the Wales roster, as well as the man in charge of scoring goals. He’s scored 40 goals for his national team, which is twice as much as Aaron Ramsey, the second-top scorer in this team’s World Cup squad.
That said, if Bale doesn’t play great in Qatar, Wales probably won’t score many goals. Unfortunately, the Welshman isn’t in great form right now. He did score a historic goal in the grand finale of the 2022 MLS, but that was his first (and only) goal since summer. In fact, the former Real Madrid superstar has scored only six goals in 2022.
On the bright side for Wales, this team does have plenty of amazing players in other parts of the pitch. Their defense is very good, with players like Ben Davies, Neco Williams, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, and others. Further, they also have a good goalie. Actually, they have good goalies – Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward, and Adam Davies.
USMNT vs Wales Prediction
The Americans are favored by the bookies for a reason. As a team, they are stronger than Wales. What should worry them is that Wales has Bale who can win games on his own, as well as a pretty decent backline. That said, beating the Welsh isn’t going to be easy but we think the Yanks can pull it off.
Pick: United States to win