Top Olympic Soccer Betting Picks: USWNT vs. Canada (8/2)
Just one more week remains of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and as seems to be the case with many of the recent summer games, the United States and China are jockeying for the top spot on the medal leaderboard. China has 24 gold medals to lead all nations and 51 total medals – good enough for second. The United States’ 20 golds are second to China, but their 59 overall medals are tops in the games by an eight-medal margin.
Team USA has the chance to take two steps closer to two more medals on Monday, as the baseball team battles Japan and the women’s soccer team takes on border-rivals Canada in the quarterfinals. Both games start early – 4:00 AM on the pitch and 6:00 AM on the diamond – so get those bets in early. Here’s my best bet for each game.
Bet $20 on USWNT to Win vs. Canada, win $100 Regardless of Outcome >>
Keep in mind, this is a three-way, 90-minute bet, so Team USA must win without the game going into extra time or penalty kicks. The United States has a much more complete squad on paper, and they’ve got a ton more experience in high-pressure matches like this one. On the other hand, Canada has far exceeded expectations and has still yet to lose a match in the 2020 Olympics. I think their Cinderella run ends here; they don’t have enough firepower to keep up with the USA.
In their four matches thus far, the Canadian women have netted a total of four goals. They’ve scored multiple goals in a game just once – against Chile – and were just shut out by Brazil before defeating them 4-3 in penalties to move onto Monday’s match against the US. Canada plays extremely tactical defense in their own half, but they’ve yet to battle a side with the offensive prowess of Team USA. With Canada averaging just a single goal per game, it’s hard to envision them matching the United States goal-for-goal, especially if the US jumps out to a lead.
Team USA hasn’t looked great by any means in these Olympics; they’ve even been shut out twice, including a 3-0 shocker in the opening game against Sweden. But they’ve still managed to put home eight goals in the two other matches. A key reason I really like the US in this match is their ability to bounce back and respond to adversity. They’ve done it twice already in the tournament and have an opportunity to do it a third time on Monday.
After getting completely outplayed by Sweden in the first match, the US bounced back with a 6-1 drubbing of New Zealand. In their third match, they were shut out by Australia in a 0-0 draw and played mostly uninspired soccer from start to finish. But, like clockwork, Team USA bounced back to capture a 3-2 victory on penalties over the Netherlands to advance to the quarterfinals. The United States were staring elimination directly in the face when the Netherlands had a penalty kick in the 81st minute, but USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher turned the shot aside and kept hope alive for her team. This team can play much better, and they know it, and they’ve got a chance to prove it against Canada. I expect them to come out on fire and control this match from start to finish, so I’ll gladly lay a bit extra juice on the much better Team USA.
Pick: USA Women’s Soccer Moneyline (-130)
Join the BettingPros Discord Chat for Live Betting Advice >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our How To Bet and Sports Betting Strategy and Advice pages are for you. You can get started with our Sports Betting 101 Section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced sports betting strategy — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.
Mike Wagenman is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @mjwags23.