After over two months, the 2022 World Cup qualifications are back with an exciting clash between Canada and the United States. The two teams will cross swords on Sunday, January 30, at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Canada.
There will be plenty of excellent betting opportunities for bettors to explore. Bookies like BetMGM have listed Canada at +190 and USA at +150. Those interested in taking a free bet can do so, by taking advantage of a no deposit bonus code.
Canada Undefeated
The Canadian national soccer team has shown exceptional form in this qualifying tournament and has yet to lose a single match. The Canucks enter this match with a 5-4-0 record and 19 points to their name, which is good for the top spot in the group, one point above the USA team.
Since their draw (0-0) with Jamaica in October, Canada have racked in four successive wins against Panama (4-1), Costa Rica (1-0), Mexico (2-1), and Honduras (2-0). Canada’s goal difference (+10) is even more impressive, with 15 goals scored and only five conceded.
Interestingly, Canada has not conceded more than one goal across the entire qualification tournament and have scored at least two goals in three of their last four outings. But while the Canadian team have been putting up impressive results, they did not look food in their match against Honduras on Thursday.
Even though Canada won with 2-0, one of the goals was an own goal by Maldonado, while Canda needed 73 minutes to score their second. Besides that, the game stats show that the game was much closer than what the final result suggests.
Honduras had more ball at their feet (59%), created more goal attempts (14-7), and had the same number of shots on goal (3). So even though Canada ended up winning, their performance on the day wasn’t compelling, and it’s fair to question how the game would have ended had Honduras not scored an own goal in the 10th minute.
The Stars and Stripes Showing Improvement
The United States soccer team lags behind its northern neighbors in the standings, but only by one point. Across the nine outings, the United States has managed just as many wins as Canada but have suffered one defeat against Panama back in October for a 5-3-1 record and 18 points.
But while the USA team have lost one more game than Canada, they’ve been just as efficient across their next four outings with a draw against resilient Jamaica (1-1) and three wins against Costa Rica (2-0), Mexico (2-0), and El Salvador (1-0), who the USA beat on Thursday.
Unlike Canada in their last game, the USA dominated in their most recent match against El Salvador. The Stars and Stripes were by far the better team on the day, with a 63% ball possession, and used the ball much better than their opponents with 17 attempts and five shots on goal to El Salvador’s six attempts and zero created chances.
Admittedly, USA wasn’t as threatening in the first half, which ended without a goal. But they got into the rhythm in the final 45 minutes and found the back of the net just seven minutes into the second half.
Betting Predictions & Picks
USA and Canada last met in September 2021 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, where they parted ways with a 1-1 draw. Their only other meeting of 2021 happened in July, when the United States soccer team won 1-0 as hosts, adding their second consecutive head-to-head win, following a 4-1 victory in November 2019.
Since 2011, The USA team has met with Canada eight times and have managed a 3-3-2 record, suggesting that there isn’t much to separate these two sides. Still, the bookmakers favor the United States squad for the upcoming match.
Priced at +150, Gregg Berhalter’s men enter the match as slight favorites over Canada (+190). However, while the United States squad is expected to win, there is a good chance we could see another draw on Sunday’s World Cup.
The wintery weather conditions won’t make it easy for either team to perform. Although the Canadian squad should be better prepared for the cold, their lackluster performance in the previous rounds inspires little to no confidence to take down the USA team.
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