USA Favored Over Wales In World Cup Opener

The 2022 World Cup officially starts for Team U.S. Monday with a match against Wales. The odds suggest that the United States Men’s National Team has a good chance to begin the tournament with a victory.

Just a few hours before the 2 p.m. ET start time in Qatar, the U.S. has +140 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook to defeat Wales in its World Cup opener. Because Wales has +220 odds and the odds of a tie are +200, a U.S. win is considered to be the most likely outcome.

“We want to be an aggressive team in this game,” USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said at a Sunday press conference. “We want to be able to hurt them.

“You have this game plan that you hope the group can execute, and you have these moments that are unscripted. Moments where you are forced to compete in duels and win duels and win second balls.”

USMNT forward Jesus Ferreira is given +210 odds to score a goal in the match, leading the way for players on both teams. Wales star Gareth Bale isn’t far behind with +220 odds to get on the scoreboard.

Ferreira, 21, is playing in his first World Cup. He leads a USMNT squad that has the second-youngest roster in the tournament.

“They’re a good young squad with some fantastic players,” Bale told reporters.

“We’re under no illusions that they’re here to win the game just as we are. We know their weaknesses, I can’t share them with you right now as long as we stick to our game plan and do what we do we’ll be OK.”

Haji Wright and Josh Sargent of the USMNT both have +250 odds to score a goal Monday. Kieffer Moore is viewed as Wales’ second-most likely goal scorer with +300 odds. Jordan Morris and Timothy Weah have a +310 odds to score a goal, followed by Christian Pulisic at +320.

Wales is in the World Cup for the first time since 1958.