The FIFA World Cup in Qatar is finally upon us after years of anticipation, and the United States Men's National Team will take on Wales in their opening soccer game in Group B.
It's the eighth time in the last nine World Cup's that the USA will be taking part in the group stages, but for the first time since 2014 when they made it to the Round of 16 before being eliminated by Belgium in extra-time. Wales make their first appearance in the biggest tournament in the world since 1958.
We'll take a look at this historic game between two sides who expect to qualify for the next round and provide you with the best free soccer picks for the clash to see if we can earn you some extra cash for the holiday period.
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USA vs Wales information
- Monday, November 21, 2022
- Al Rayyan Stadium, Qatar
- 14:00 ET kick-off
- Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 Group B
USA vs Wales odds
- United States - (+170)
- Wales - (+205)
- Tie - (+203)
The United States had a fairly straight forward qualifying process for this tournament, finishing third behind Canada and Mexico with a record of seven wins from 14 games, scoring 21 goals and conceding just ten.
Coached by Gregg Matthew Berhalter, the States have lost just one in their last six games in all competitions, with their last defeat coming against Japan back in September.
Their other games in that run have seen them win twice and draw three games, beating Morocco and Grenada while drawing with all of Uruguay, El Salvador and Saudi Arabia.
Star man Christian Pulisic is coming into the game out of form, struggling to hold a place down in the side at Chelsea while other top players like Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna have all had lacklustre campaigns too.
For Wales, their route to the tournament was tougher as they finished second behind Belgium in their qualifying group with four wins from eight games after scoring 14 goals and conceding nine.
That forced them into a playoff situation, where they were able to defeat Ukraine 1-0 to claim their spot in the competition thanks to a goal from star man Gareth Bale as he once again stepped up to the plate.
Their last five games have seen them lost four and draw one in the UEFA Nations League in games against Poland, Netherlands and Belgium, but they're fully prepared for this group stage and will look to make this a tough game.
Soccer picks: Both teams to score
Both of these teams will arguably see this fixture as the most important of the entire group stage, because many see them as competing with each other for the second qualifying spot into the knockout rounds.
With England and Iran as the other teams in their group, most people expect England to qualify at a canter while Iran are supposed to struggle against everyone as the weakest side, meaning this could be make or break for these sides should everything else go as expected.
Both Wales and United States have their greatest strength in their attacks, with star forwards leading the line and relatively weak defensive lines.
That should see both teams pushing forward looking for goals, rather than sitting deep to defend and hoping to catch the opposition out at the other end.
Both teams like to pack the midfield and use pace out wide, but there is no doubting that there will be some caution to the approaches as they look to avoid what could be a catastrophic defeat for either side.
Set-pieces are likely to be vital, and expect enough quality on the pitch to see goals from both sides throughout the 90 minutes even if you can't be sure of a winner.
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Soccer picks: Gareth Bale to score anytime
When Wales need someone to step up to the plate and deliver for them, there is nobody in their history who has been able to do so like Bale has.
He's their all-time top goalscorer, their captain and their best player by a distance, but despite a mountain of injury problems in recent years he's still never let them down.
Despite moving from Real Madrid to the MLS with LA FC and struggling initially for fitness and game time, Bale showed that he is arriving to this competition in tip-top form and with the perfect mentality with his performance in the MLS Cup final.
He came on as as substitute and with LA FC finding themselves behind with just minutes remaining in extra-time, he leaped above the defense and slammed a header into the net to equalise and take the game to penalties, with LA FC winning the trophy.
This is likely to be his final chance of any sort of success with the national team and he will want to sign off with memorable performances. Add to the fact that he is on penalties and free-kicks too, Bale is more likely to score than anyone else in this game so he's worth the bet.
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