The United States are still looking to find their feet under new manager Gregg Berhalter. There have been a lot of growing pains since he took over from Jurgen Klinsmann, and the roster has undergone some major changes.
- Date & Time
- June 14th, 2019
- Location
- Allianz Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Media Coverage
- FS1
- Score Prediction
- United States 2, Guyana 0
The United States are still looking to find their feet under new manager Gregg Berhalter. There have been a lot of growing pains since he took over from Jurgen Klinsmann, and the roster has undergone some major changes. Those were needed after the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and now we will see how Berhalter and this team perform in their first major international competition. The Stars and Stripes should get off to a rollicking start against Guyana.
United States vs. Guyana
2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Odds:
Unlike almost every other country in South America, Guyana don’t have much of a soccer history. They have largely identified more with Caribbean countries than South American ones, and they have never been to a World Cup or even a Gold Cup before this year. The Golden Jaguars are ranked 177th in the world according to the latest FIFA rankings, and they didn’t play a match for two years from 2012 to 2014 for off-field reasons.
Guyana are 2-1-3 in international play over the last 12 months, and they haven’t played the best competition. They crushed the Turks and Caicos Islands 8-0 and defeated Belize 2-1 in Nations League qualifying, and their other result was a 1-1 draw against Barbados. Those three losses weren’t against good teams though. Guyana fell to French Guiana in November, and they lost to Bermuda 1-0 and Haiti 3-1 in the last week.
After an interminable time where the USMNT had an interim manager, Berhalter officially became the team’s manager at the start of the year. Things got off to a good start under Berhalter, and the United States won their first three matches to nil. They knocked off Panama, Costa Rica, and Ecuador by a combined score line of 6-0, but things have fallen apart in the last couple weeks.
The USMNT were hefty favorites in home friendlies before the Gold Cup, but they lost them both and failed to score a goal in either match. They were flustered by Jamaica and lost 1-0 to the Reggae Boyz in Washington DC, yet the biggest shock was still to come. Over the weekend, Venezuela picked the Americans apart in the back in a 3-0 win that exposed the youth on the team.
Guyana Player to Watch
Emery Welshman is the most recognizable player on the team. Welshman has the most goals of any player on Guyana’s national team, and he played his college ball in the United States. He has bounced around the MLS, NASL, and Canadian Premier League over the last seven seasons, and he can create some problems in the back. Welshman has netted seven goals in nine games with the Golden Jaguars.
United States Player to Watch
The problems that plagued the USMNT in the back against Venezuela can’t arise again here. In particular, Matt Miazga must play better. He is being counted upon to be the linchpin in the back for the United States, but he was caught out of position multiple times against Venezuela over the weekend. The Chelsea center back will be leaned on heavily throughout the Gold Cup.
United States vs Guyana Betting Prediction
Given their performance over the last week, it’s hard to have faith in the USMNT’s attack. They have continually failed to muster much in that end, so I can’t see them covering a hefty goal line against Guyana here. I think they will net multiple goals and avoid abject disaster, but this won’t be a pretty performance on Tuesday.
