The Women’s World Cup will kick off on Friday, but the defending champions won’t be in action until Tuesday. The United States will start their campaign to win...
- Date & Time
- June 11th, 2019 3:00pm
- Location
- Stade Auguste-Delaune, Reims, France
- Media Coverage
- FOX
The Women’s World Cup will kick off on Friday, but the defending champions won’t be in action until Tuesday. The United States will start their campaign to win their fourth World Cup against Thailand, and the Americans are massive favorites to make quick work of the Chaba Kaew. These teams met less than three years ago, and the USWNT handed Thailand their worst loss in team history. Carli Lloyd, Christen Press, and Heather O’Reilly scored in less than five minutes, and the United States ended up with a 9-0 victory. Thailand are hoping to put up more of a fight this time around.
United States vs. Thailand
2019 Women’s World Cup Odds:
This is Thailand’s second appearance at the Women’s World Cup. Thailand made it to the 2015 edition, and although they were hammered by Norway and Germany and failed to make it to the knockout round, they did score their first win. They knocked off Ivory Coast 3-2 with Orathai Srimanee scoring twice.
Unfortunately, they have not performed well over the past 10 months. Thailand have lost 11 of their 12 games, and the only feel-good moment was a 4-0 win over Hungary in Cyprus. Coming into the World Cup, Thailand have lost five straight matches, and they have lost by three or more in four straight games.
The USWNT have rolled through their competition on the way to France. They are 20-3-1 over the last 12 months, and the oddsmakers have made them the favorites to win the World Cup. In their run-up to the World Cup, they crushed their foes, winning their last four matches by a combined margin of 17-0.
The Stars and Stripes have not looked as indomitable as they did in the past though. While they smashed all the teams that are considered very good or worse, they weren’t beating the best teams in the world. The United States were forced to settle for draws against England and Japan at the SheBelieves Cup, and they allowed Australia to net three goals in a friendly in March. They fell to France 3-1 in Le Havre back in January, and that is worrisome considering the two sides look set to meet in the quarterfinals if they both win their groups.
Thailand Player to Watch
There is one Thai player that is familiar to American fans. Suchawadee Nildhamrong (known as Miranda Nild in the United States) made a name for herself at the University of California. She was one of the best players at the collegiate level while at Berkeley, and she has looked great for the national team. Suchawadee has scored 12 goals in 17 games with Thailand.
United States Player to Watch
The USWNT are likely going to be able to name the score in this one, so it will be fun to see how many goals Alex Morgan ends up scoring. Morgan became the seventh player in US history to score more than 100 goals in international play earlier this year, and she could end up winning the Golden Boot in France. She is in the prime of her career and has a bevy of talented attackers in support like Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and Christen Press.
United States vs Thailand Betting Prediction
The size disparity will jump out at you when you watch this match. Thailand are very undersized, and that will pose a problem against the taller and stronger Americans. They should dominate possession and win a lot of challenges on Tuesday. I believe they will be able to cover this huge spread, winning by six or seven goals.
