The United States is coming off a gritty and composed 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle that secured their spot in the knockout rounds. They will close out their group stage against Turkey on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium. Turkey has already been eliminated after losses to Australia and Paraguay.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Thursday, June 25 / SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Kickoff Time: 10:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM PT
Channel: TSN (Canada), FS1/Fox One (USA)
Odds (If you place bets, please do so responsibly in moderation)
Moneyline: USA +260, Türkiye -110, Draw +300
Over/Under: 2.5 (Over -104, Under +114)
Reflection on Australia: What the USA Must Carry Forward
The US squad continues to control the game’s pace and possession in their recent 2-0 victory over Australia. The Americans continued to see success in building up from the back before springing offensive play from long balls down the flanks. On defense, their backline has remained organized, while midfielders will close in on attackers and shrink their space.
Snakebitten Turkey
Turkey is already out of the tournament after two scoreless losses and will be looking to make their mark on the tournament and finish on a positive note. Turkey has outshot their opponents heavily over their first 2 matches with 62 total shots to 16, and outshooting their opponents 13 to 6 in shots on target. They have also dominated possession with 72% against Australia in a 2-0 loss and 79% in a 1-0 loss to Paraguay.
It is a shame to see a team control so many aspects of their first 2 matches be eliminated.
Keys to the Game for the USA
Maintain physicality, avoid cards
Chris Richards and the back line showed that opponents will pay a physical price on U.S. soil, but did receive a yellow card late in the previous match against Australia. USA will want to continue to play a tough brand of football, but will want to avoid any bookings that could cause a player to miss a knockout match.
Exploit width and long balls down the flanks
It’s been working, and as long as it continues to do so, the U.S. should not stray from that style of play.
Control tempo and use squad depth wisely
With qualification secured, there may be opportunities to rotate, but the team must keep standards high to build real momentum heading into the knockout rounds.
Players to Watch
USA
9 Striker Folarin Balogun
Balogun has been sharp, scoring twice against Paraguay and creating the opening goal against Australia with his run and pass into danger that led to an own goal. He was even sharper in the first match, scoring twice.
17 Right Back Alex Freeman
Freeman scored the second goal, heading a deflected. He won 10 of his 14 duels last game and 91% pass accuracy.
13 Centre back Chris Richards
Richards stood out with a physical, gritty performance against Australia and has set a clear tone for the physical cost there is to pay in attacking US soil.
17 Midfielder Weston McKennie
McKennie has been a great distributor of the ball so far this tournament, whilst also demonstrating a strong ability to make defensive plays.
Turkey
8 Attacking midfielder Arda Guler
The young Real Madrid star has generated 3 shots on target over the tournament while presenting accurate passing.
14 Centre-back Abdulkerim Bardakci
Bardakci has been an extremely accurate passer over the first 2 games while providing solid defense. He had 100% passing accuracy in the most recent loss.
11 Winger Kenan Yıldız
Leads all Turkish players in shots with 12 despite not playing the first half of the first game; he has had just 1 on target. He has demonstrated strong passing and dribbling.
23 GK Ugurcan Cakir
Cakir has faced 6 shots on target while giving up 3 goals.
Prediction
USA 2-0 Turkey
The United States should have the advantages of quality, home support, and momentum. Turkey will certainly have motivation despite the disappointing fact that they cannot advance. Will Turkey be able to pull off an upset? Perhaps. But I expect the American squad to continue to play hard and defend home soil, emerging with another victory.
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