The biggest sporting event on the planet – the World Cup – gets underway on Sunday with the host team (Qatar) taking on Ecuador. The U.S. gets started on Monday against Wales. And BetAnySports will be right on top of the action, with futures betting and as many props as you can handle.

In their opening Group B match, the USA faces Wales at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. And they are favored…. slightly.

United States  pk -140
Wales  pk +120

Three-Way Prop

United States +155
Wales  +210
Draw +200

Total Goals

Over 2 Goals -110
Under 2 Goals -110

For the United States men’s team that is getting ready to compete in the World Cup, the keywords are “youth” and “experience.” That is to say, they are younger than any other team in the 32-nation field, while at the same time possessing quite a bit of experience overseas in some of the best professional leagues in the world.

In point of fact, one member of this team, midfielder Christian Pulisic, who happens to have been the most expensive U.S. player ever transferred ($73 million, from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea) scored a goal in last year’s UEFA Champions League final.

We’ll see if the design of national team coach Gregg Berhalter is enough to make some noise. And it had better, because the last foray of the U.S. into World Cup territory ended in crushing disappointment.

The truth of the matter is that the Americans didn’t qualify at all last time. An elimination defeat suffered at the hands of Trinidad and Tobago in 2018 qualifying took care of that. As we speak, the only player that is left over from the last U.S. team that made it to the World Cup’s 32-team finals (2014) is DeAndre Yedlin, who plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer and refers to these 2022 festivities as this program’s “revenge tour.”

Berhalter, a godson of baseball legend Carl Yastrzemski who formerly coached the L.A. Galaxy in MLS, took over the U.S. fortunes following the 2018 disaster, and he made some roster cuts that were considered controversial. One of those involved 19-year-old Ricardo Pepi, who had three goals during the qualifying process. And it’s especially strange because analysts are concerned about where this squad will find scoring punch from. At BetAnySports, the U.S. is priced at +500 to win Group B (England is the favorite at -300) and 150-1 (+15000) to win the whole thing.

And on this team that averages roughly 25.5 years of age, Tim Ream seems a little out of place. But Berhalter said that keeping him on the roster was an “easy decision,” citing not only his natural leadership ability, but the fact that he is one of the guys who is playing regularly at the highest club level, as a defender for Fulham in the English Premier League.

Eight members of the U.S. squad are playing professionally in England. Six more at with various other top-tier clubs in Europe. And nine of them come from MLS.

There’s some pedigree involved here too. Gio Reyna, a 20-year-old who is one of the more talented members, is the son of Claudio Reyna, a former U.S. team captain and former teammate of Berhalter at St. Benedict’s High School in New Jersey.

It is not unusual for a World Cup team to have some problems to solve when it comes to injuries and/or fitness. Fortunately, the U.S. has escaped major injury issues for the most part, but some of the guys are banged up. Reyna has leg injuries. Midfielder Weston McKinnie (Juventus) has been out a few weeks with a thigh problem. Another midfielder, Luca De La Torre, who competes for Celta Vigo in Spain, hasn’t played in a month (leg injury). Matt Turner, probably the top goalkeeper, simply hasn’t played very much for Arsenal in the EPL. Many of the MLS players haven’t played in a while, so Berhalter conducted a special conditioning camp for them.

The U.S. team is currently ranked 16th in the world by FIFA. Wales is right there at 19th. And if you want to talk about a team on a mission, they have not succeeded in qualifying for the World Cup in 64 years. Some observers joke that Gareth Bale is the only player remaining from that team. But the truth is, the 33-year-old winger, a former star for Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur who is now with Los Angeles FC in MLS, is probably experiencing his only opportunity to play in the World Cup. For that reason alone, the Welsh legend is worth watching.

The U.S. team plays against England on November 25, then against Iran on November 29. If they qualify out of Group B, they will advance to the knockout round, beginning on December 3.

At BetAnySports, you’ve got all kinds of options when it comes to placing wagers on the World Cup. And there are so many ways to go, as you can play winners and totals on each individual match, as well as props and futures. And don’t forget that live betting is very much an option. Yes, the action keeps coming, and that includes the casino, where the brand-new VENUS LIVE is one of ten different choices……. Use your credit card or the virtual currency of Bitcoin to open your account. It’s fast and easy!