The United States will ease into the 2023 Women's World Cup with the lowest-rated Group E opponent, taking on 32nd-ranked Vietnam to open their tournament action.
Kicking off in New Zealand on Saturday afternoon (Friday night in the USA), Vlatko Andonovski's side will hope to put forth a quality effort to set them up best for higher profile games against Portugal and the Netherlands.
Andonovski believes that the world is catching up to the top sides, saying that Vietnam is amongst the echelon of teams improving its talent pool to where blowouts are no longer a part of World Cup lore. "The 8-0 games are gone," Andonovski said after securing a 2-0 victory over Wales in their lone sendoff friendly.
The United States women have only failed to top a World Cup group once in their eight appearances at the tournament all-time, and will aim to do so again as they gun for a third straight FIFA championship, something no team has ever done.
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Vlatko finishes with a fascinating quote: "We confirmed today something we'd known for years. We always hear that the world is catching up. The top 10 teams have always been there. The countries that are catching up are Wales, Zambia, etc. The 8-0 games are gone." #USWNT
— Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) July 9, 2023
USA vs Vietnam match facts
- Date: Friday, July 21
- Kickoff Time: 9 p.m. ET (Fri, July 21) / 2 a.m. BST / 11 a.m. AEST
- Location: Eden Park (Auckland, New Zealand)
- Official: Bouchra Karboubi (MOR)
- Last meeting: None (First meeting)
The #USWNT will have their 2023 #FIFAWWC group stage opener officiated by a Moroccan refereeing crew, led by Bouchra Karboubi.
— Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) July 20, 2023
She was the first female official to referee an Arab men's final, taking charge of the Moroccan Throne Cup last year. https://t.co/g0WPAfDN8c
MORE: A full breakdown of the USWNT roster for the 2023 Women's World Cup
USA vs Vietnam prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: USA (-35000)
- Score prediction: USA 4-0 Vietnam
The United States is an utterly overwhelming favorite in this match, with a gargantuan 5.5 goal handicap (spread). This likely stems from memory of the 13-0 thumping they gave the Thailand in the opening round of the 2019 Women's World Cup group stage.
In truth, Vietnam are not targeting a knockout stage, instead entering the tournament with more realistic goals. They will hope to earn a point off Portugal or Netherlands, which would be a resounding success, and even keeping games close will be a positive sign for the country.
Betting games like this where the odds are so obscenely skewed is difficult, and obviously there is no value on the moneyline or even the handicap, but there are openings if we look closely.
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| USA win | Draw | Vietnam win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 6.5 goals | USA -5.5 | VTN +5.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) | -35000 | +3500 | +5000 | +400 / -650 | +100 / -135 | -150 | +105 |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) | 1.01 | 24.00 | 25.00 | 5.40 / 1.08 | 2.11 / 1.68 | 1.64 | 2.17 |
| SkyBet (UK) | 1/500 | 80/1 | 250/1 | — | 1/1, 8/11 | — | — |
| Unibet (Australia) | 1.01 | 24.00 | 48.00 | — | 2.08 / 1.71 | — | — |
| Dafabet (India) | 1.01 | 60.00 | 60.00 | 7.00 / 1.10 | — / — | 1.72 | 2.13 |
USA vs Vietnam best bet
- Pick: Vietnam +5.5 goal handicap
- Odds: +106 (BetMGM)
While many have memories of the Alex Morgan five-goal game against Thailand four years ago, this will not result in a similarly lopsided scoreline. Vietnam are capable of holding their own and not being smoked by such a margin.
In fact, over just the past month in their World Cup warmup matches, Vietnam managed slim margins of defeat to Germany (2-1) and New Zealand (2-0) showing they can at least make a good account of themselves against top teams.
Additionally, it's not the profile of Vlatko Andonovski's USWNT to blow teams away, instead preferring to rest on the ball and build methodically towards a more comfortable result, rather than obliterate an opponent through waves and waves of attacking pressure. Under Andonovski, the United States has only beaten a team ranked above Vietnam by more than five goals twice — a 6-0 victory over 17th-ranked South Korea in 2021 (Carli Lloyd's retirement game), and a 6-0 result against 26th-ranked Colombia.
Finally, it's likely that Rose Lavelle, the most creative player in the U.S. midfield, will not start this match as she recovers from her knee injury, and therefore the USWNT will be without its most incisive spark. Lavelle may come in off the bench as she's in the "build-up phase" of her recovery, but it would be unwise for Andonovski to risk her from the start against a weaker opponent.
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USA vs Vietnam live stream, TV channel
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | FOX, Telemundo, Universo | Fubo, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes site/app, Universo NOW, Fox Sports site/app |
| UK | BBC One | BBC iPlayer, BBC website |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, RDS | TSN+, TSN site/app RDS site/app |
| India | DD Sports | Fancode |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport 1 NZ | Sky Sport NOW, Sky Go |
| Singapore | — | StarHub TV+ |
| Hong Kong | Now TV | Viu |
