A very late Landon Donovan winner against Algeria gave USA top spot in Group C and they will enter the group stages buoyed by that result which saw them pip England to first place.
Bob Bradley’s men now come up against Ghana but the Africans have been poor since an opening 1-0 win over Serbia and USA should advance to the quarter-finals.
Most cannot separate the teams in the betting but I make USA the clear favourites and crucially they have recent experience of big matches to call upon.
USA beat Spain before narrowly losing out to Brazil in last year’s Confederations Cup and Ghana are a few classes below that calibre of opposition, as witness in their tame effort against Germany when beaten 1-0 in their final Group D fixture.
It would have been tough on Bradley’s boys were they held by Algeria, having dominated throughout, and clearly they possess an excellent team spirit, despite lacking the individual talent.
I’ve been really impressed with Jozy Altidore in attack but it is Donovan and Clint Dempsey that are the real stars for USA and that duo will be relied upon once again.
Surprisingly, Ghana’s only goals at these finals to date have come from penalties and, while lone striker Asamoah Gyan has worked tirelessly in the three matches in South Africa so far, this could be fairly comfortable for USA.
Given we have now reached knockout time the To Qualify market is an attractive proposition and this is where the value lies on Saturday evening.
It may well take longer than 90 minutes for the two to be separated and a low-scoring draw in normal time would hardly be unexpected.
At 5/6 with Bet 365, USA are preferred to Ghana and they’ll now be seeking an extended stay in South Africa.
Uruguay or South Korea await the victors and the wily Bradley will expect to overcome either of those opponents en route to the last four.
2pts Back USA To Qualify (vs. Ghana) @ 5/6 (Bet 365)