The U.S. Men’s National Team will open its Copa America campaign against Bolivia on Sunday night.
It may be the first match of the tournament for the USMNT, but it is a must-win situation considering it will be facing the worst team in Group C.
Anything short of three points would potentially set up a situation where the USA needs a win against Uruguay, the third-favorite to win the Copa America, in their previous match of the group stage.
The good news is that the betting market is quite bullish on the Stars & Stripes to get the job done.
The USMNT is a whopping -550 favorite on the three-way moneyline for Sunday’s contest, and you would have to pay -180 to back Christian Pulisic and the Americans to cover the 1.5-goal spread.
It may be a bit surprising to see the Americans as such a chalky favorite considering their inconsistent form over the past calendar year, but Bolivia is perhaps the weakest team in this field.
La Verde is known for its ability to pull some big upsets in CONMEBOL competition, but almost all of their best performances come at their home stadium, which just happens to sit at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level.
Without that home-field advantage to rely on, Bolivia will need to focus on being physical and defensively sound, as they have no chance of outplaying the Yanks.
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That should set up a stodgy contest, as we’ve seen the USMNT struggle to break down sides that sit deep and defend all night.
This looks like an Under 2.5 to me.
The play: USA-Bolivia Under 2.5 (+125, DraftKings).