USMNT: Can the USA outsmart the bookmakers at their Copa America 2024?
by Joseph King | by Yunchu Li
Will the United States repeat their 2016 run?
The United States will compete in the Copa America for the first time since 2016 as they kick off their opening match against Bolivia on 23 June. Their last time participating in this famous tournament saw an impressive campaign that ended with the Stars and Stripes making the semi-finals, where they were eventually eliminated by Argentina.
Eight years on and they are once again the host nation. However, they will be more bullish about their chances this time around given their young, talented squad. This will mark the second most important tournament that this group of players has competed in following the somewhat disappointing 2022 World Cup. The Americans were bounced in the round of 16 in that competition and should be eager to respond with a deep run here.
This is an excellent chance for the side to get meaningful matches under their belt which will serve them well for the 2026 World Cup where they are co-hosts. They’ve been drawn to a very manageable group along with Uruguay, Bolivia and Panama and will be expected to secure qualification along with La Celeste.
Will they be able to go one step further and make the final this time around? Find out by following every match at the tournament with our Copa America 2024 Livescore, provided to you completely free of charge!
Check out the latest Copa America odds!
The United States’ Golden Generation
There is real quality in this USA squad with many of their first choice 11 plying their trade at some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Captain and AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic is the unquestioned star of the team and is coming off a great season in the Serie A. Alongside Pulisic is a talented group including Monaco’s Folarin Balogun, Dortmund’s Gio Reyna, Juventus duo Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, as well as Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams and PSV’s Ricardo Pepi.
This is undoubtedly the most talented team that the United States has ever had.
This is undoubtedly the most talented team that the United States has ever had. There will be big expectations for the 2026 World Cup, when many of the team’s leading players should be hitting their peak playing years at around the 26-27 age mark. At the helm is Gregg Berhalter, who has certainly faced his fair share of criticism. In fact, Berhalter was ousted as the head coach in January of 2023 following a claim of possible domestic violence that occurred back in 1991, only to be found free of any wrongdoing and re-hired six months later.
He’s a figure that many fans might view in the same light that England fans view Gareth Southgate. A group stage exit would almost certainly see him sacked, as could a heavy defeat in the quarter-finals should they get there. Ultimately, the expectation for this tournament for the United States should be to make the semi-finals.
Copa America 2024 - USA’s fixture list
The USMNT are heavy favorites to secure a top two finish in a group containing Uruguay, Bolivia and Panama. At 11th in the official FIFA rankings, the United States are the highest-ranked nation in Group C. Uruguay comes in four places beneath them at 14th before a big dropoff to 45th-place Panama and 85th-placed Bolivia.
USA’s group stage fixture list
- USA vs Bolivia: 23 June, 23:00 BST - Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Panama vs USA: 27 June, 23:00 BST - Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- USA vs Uruguay: 2 July, 2:00 BST - Arrowhead Stadium
Looking for tips on how the USMNT and the other nations will fare? Check out our free Copa America 2024 predictions!
Best Bets to make on the USMNT
The USMNT enters Copa America 2024 with odds of 13.00 to lift the trophy on Unibet. This puts them tied with rivals Mexico as the fifth favorites, behind defending champions Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia. So, can they win the cup? The truth is that they’ve received a very unkind draw, meaning it will be tough for the Americans.
They will be expected to progress from their group and are 2.40 odds on VBet to best an in-form Uruguay and finish in the top spot. However, it’s the quarter-final draw which will spell trouble. Group C has been paired with Group D for the quarter-finals, meaning that they will most likely have a meeting against either Brazil or Colombia awaiting them.
The United States actually faced off against both of these teams just prior to the start of the tournament in a pair of friendlies. They suffered a demoralizing 5-1 defeat to the Colombians on 8 June and were lucky to escape with a 1-1 draw against Brazil four days later.
Should they wind up drawing either of those two teams, which is looking likely, then there’s a good shot the USA will be knocked out. Therefore, a quarter-final stage of elimination bet with odds of 1.66 on Bet365 looks to be a reliable play.
Another market to look at is the team top goalscorer. Christian Pulisic can be grabbed at odds of 4.50 on Bet365 to finish as the highest scoring American player. The 25-year-old is already up to sixth all-time on the USA’s top scorer list with 29 goals in 68 matches and his 0.43 goals per game mark is the best of anyone in the current top 10. He’s also going to be involved in free kicks and will be one of the first options to take penalties. If the United States are to make a deep run, it will be Pulisic that is at the heart of it.
Remember to take advantage of our odds comparator tool so you can find the best possible Copa America 2024 odds for all of the matches! Good luck with your bets!
