2026 World Cup Odds, Best Bet: Expect Offense Aplenty In USA-Australia

The United States dominated Paraguay from start to finish in the opening round of their FIFA World Cup campaign. It didn’t take long for the United States to get on the board, thanks to a Paraguay own goal in the seventh minute. The USMNT went on to add two more goals in the first half, both produced by Florian Balogun, and took a 3-0 lead into the break. In that match, the United States dominated possession and held Paraguay to just nine shots. While Paraguay was able to find the back of the net, it was a celebration for the USA and its fans. However, with that celebration now comes expectations. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. There is now a belief that this team is better than many thought prior to the tournament. But, in the World Cup, there is little time to rest, and the USA's next challenge comes Friday against Australia. The Socceroos are coming off their own impressive performance, shutting out Türkiye 2-0 in what felt like a complete display of tactical discipline. Now, this matchup with the United States is interesting. If Christian Pulisic can find a way to play after suffering a calf injury in the win over Paraguay, then I expect the United States to cut through the lines and use that creativity on the wings to unlock this difficult Australian back line. However, if he is out, I think the United States might opt to play more centrally, and that could be an issue against that aforementioned Aussie back line. Part of me believes the United States can win this game by multiple goals. But there is also a realistic expectation that it probably won't keep a clean sheet. The USMNT has conceded a goal in 14 of its last 15 matches. It also conceded to a Paraguay side that had its best and most influential player hobbled due to a pre-tournament injury, meaning Paraguay lacked a lot of offensive juice. Now, the U.S. must deal with the elite transitional pace of Mohamed Toure from Norwich City and Nestory Irankunda from Watford. The way the United States loves to commit bodies into the attack makes me feel like there is a legitimate chance Australia will score on the break. As for the Americans, I do believe they will score in every match in the group stage. Australia did keep a clean sheet against Türkiye, but it allowed 30 shots, and there were moments where Türkiye had every opportunity to score.