Gregg Berhalter makes his return to the touchline for the United States as the USMNT hosts Uzbekistan in St. Louis on Saturday in the first of two September friendlies.
Interim head coaches Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan led the USMNT in the immediate aftermath of Berhalter's contract expiration, but now that U.S. Soccer has decided to bring back the coach of the previous World Cup cycle for another four years, the 50-year-old begins his second stint in charge tonight.
Berhalter has named a strong squad for this September international window, calling in regulars Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, and Antonee Robinson amongst a number of other players at big European clubs. Also appearing are young talents like Cade Cowell and Benja Cremaschi, with Berhalter hoping to convince the latter to pick the USMNT over his dual eligibility with Argentina.
The U.S. has never faced Uzbekistan previously. The Asian opponents are ranked 74th in the world.
LIVE BLOG: Follow along with highlights & commentary as the USMNT meets Uzbekistan in St. Louis
USA vs Uzbekistan match facts
- Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
- Kickoff Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
- Location: CityPark (St. Louis, MO)
- Official: TBD
- Last meeting: None (First meeting)
MORE: Full USMNT roster for September friendlies vs Uzbekistan and Oman
USA vs Uzbekistan prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: USA (-350)
- Handicap lean: USA -1.5 (-118)
- Score prediction: USA 2-0 Uzbekistan
As a World Cup knockout-stage participant, the U.S. is understandably favored as they host 74th-ranked Uzbekistan in St. Louis.
The U.S. has tasted defeat just once in four matches against Asian opponents under Gregg Berhalter, dropping a 2-0 friendly result to Japan two years ago in Germany. They beat Qatar in the 2021 Gold Cup and topped Iran at the most recent World Cup, while drawing Saudi Arabia in a pre-World Cup friendly.
Uzbekistan was not far off from World Cup qualification two tournaments ago, failing to reach the playoff stage on goal differential in the 2018 cycle. This past World Cup, they missed out after finishing second behind Saudi Arabia in their second-round group.
| USA win | Draw | Uzbekistan win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 2.5 goals | USA -1.5 | UZB +1.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) | -350 | +450 | +900 | +130 / -185 | -140 / +100 | — | — |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) | -388 | +402 | +800 | +118 / -185 | -139 / +100 | -118 | -114 |
USA vs Uzbekistan: best bet
- Pick: Under 2.5 goals
- Odds: +100 (BetMGM)
Despite the talent differential between these two clubs, the U.S. has faced Asian opponents four times under Gregg Berhalter, and all four times the match finished under the 2.5 goal threshold.
Being a friendly, this game has the potential to be a slogfest. Players not used to playing together could see the field in the early stages, while copious substitutions might bog down the latter third of the match.
As the game falls early in the World Cup qualifying cycle, Berhalter will likely look to tinker with his tactical approach and personnel deployment, meaning the U.S. could be less sharp than expected, especially up front.
USA vs Uzbekistan prop bet
- Pick: Christian Pulisic anytime goalscorer
- Odds: +120 (FanDuel)
Christian Pulisic is in exceptional form with his new club AC Milan, with two goals in his first three games.
The other U.S. goal scoring threats — chiefly Folarin Balogun and Ricardi Pepi — are not nearly in such a run of quality. Balogun has yet to play this season after just completing a move to AS Monaco, while Pepi has ridden the bench to start life at PSV. Tack on that Tim Weah is yet to score or assist for Juventus in his new wing-back role, Brenden Aaronson has more red cards than goals at new club Union Berlin, and Cade Cowell only just bagged his first MLS goal of the year, and there's hardly anyone else in the kind of form Pulisic has enjoyed.
Obviously, as a creator in addition to his goalscoring responsibilities, there's always a chance that Pulisic ends up setting a teammate up instead of scoring himself, but he has four goals in his past six international games, and he will be the main threat against Uzbekistan here.
USA vs Uzbekistan live stream, TV channel
MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | TNT, Universo, Telemundo | Fubo, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo NOW |
