Women's World Cup betting: Best opportunities for U.S. vs. Netherlands
The United States women enter this match on the back of a … shall we say … muted performance against World Cup debutantes Vietnam last week. The team pulled off a 3-0 win, but things were tenser and less fluid than we’ve come to expect from the USWNT.
The good news? The Netherlands is in precisely the same boat. It beat an inexperienced Portugal team 1-0 and faced its fair share of criticism for racking up a scoreline that tight. “Portugal were really combative,” coach Andries Jonker said after the match. “There were moments when we were great and moments where there is room for improvement.”
The USWNT and the Netherlands: two old enemies, opponents in the last World Cup final, each entering this group stage clash with the same weight of expectation draped over their shoulders. Who will be victorious? Who will surprise the world? And, most importantly, how should we bet on it?
The bet: Result
The USWNT is the slight favorite here, given the team’s top global ranking and performance against the Netherlands in 2019 final. But these two teams met again between that game and this one — in 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics. It was a slightly different story, with the Netherlands holding on for a 2-2 draw before ultimately losing the match on penalties.
These two teams are headliners on paper, but there’s a chance that this game could wind up being a bit of a tactical disappointment. Both teams will feel confident of beating their remaining competitors and qualifying for the knockouts; both will also be uninterested in suffering additional injuries before they make it there. With all that in mind, a draw (at +250) that does not preclude each team from scoring is an interesting, and intellectually sensible, choice.
The bet: Corners
Even if the USWNT and the Netherlands play this match down on the field, there’s no escaping their shared ethos: both are fast, fluid teams that love to attack. “They have a very expansive shape in the attack,” USWNT forward Alex Morgan said of the Netherlands. “Their midfielders are just very aggressive players and they transition really quickly as well.”
Corner kicks are a great generalized measure of a team’s attacking prowess; the more corners you rack up, the more time you spent working in the opponent’s box. At +480, FanDuel’s special “Each Team to Have 2+ Corners in Each Half” feels like a great choice for these freewheeling, attack-minded teams.
The bet: Anytime shots on target
Remember those "very aggressive" Dutch midfielders Alex Morgan called out? With the Netherlands’ attacking shape, there’s a great chance they’ll be involved in some quality attacks. FanDuel currently has Dutch midfielder Jill Roord at +125 to have a shot on target at any point in the match. But the most interesting Dutch bet in this category just might be Esmee Brugts at +250 — she’s a proven goalscorer for her club team in the Netherlands and one of the team’s brightest young stars.
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