In their final match before the 2022 World Cup begins, the United States will look to turn things around in a Tuesday friendly against Saudi Arabia in Murcia, Spain.
The USMNT fell 2-0 to Japan in their last outing on Friday and it was a match that exposed several weaknesses for manager Gregg Berhalter and his squad. Most concerning, the Americans struggled to deal with Japan’s hounding press, constantly turning the ball over in midfield and failing to progress the ball up the field, leaving the forwards isolated up front.
With the World Cup now just weeks away, the poor performance has set off the alarms among fans ahead of a tough group stage that features England, Wales, and Iran.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, managed a scoreless draw against Ecuador on Friday, keeping the South American side off the board despite facing 11 shots, with six of them on target.
This will be the first meeting between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia since the 1999 Confederations Cup, and the eighth meeting all-time, with all seven prior head-to-heads coming in the 1990s. The United States has won three in a row against the Asian side, with Brian McBride scoring in a 2-0 win last time out.
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How to watch USA vs. Saudi Arabia
- Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2022
- Time: 2 p.m. ET
- TV channel: FS1
- Spanish-language TV: TUDN, UniMas
- Streaming: fuboTV, Fox Sports Go app, Univision Now, TUDN.com
Tuesday’s friendly match between the United States and Saudi Arabia from Estadio Enrique Roca in Murcia, Spain will be televised by FS1 (England), TUDN and Unimas (Spanish). All three channels are streamed on fuboTV.
Fans can also stream the match via each broadcaster’s owned platforms: Fox Sports Go, Univision Now, or TUDN.com.
MORE: Matt Turner the only standout performer in 2-0 friendly loss to Japan
USA vs. Saudi Arabia projected lineups & team news
USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter confirmed that Christian Pulisic will be back in the lineup after missing the Japan match following a slight knock in training. Pulisic’s absence was notable, with the midfield unable to build forward in consistent attacking moves.
In addition, Berhalter also revealed that Ricardo Pepi will get another chance in the starting striker role as the battle for the center-forward spot continues. Jesus Ferreira started against Japan, with Josh Sargent coming off the bench.
Reggie Cannon will not be available after suffering a groin strain, which will sideline him for “a few weeks.” He joins a list of players who are out due to injury, including Valencia’s Yunus Musah, whose absence was particularly felt in midfield. Antonee Robinson, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Zack Steffen also stayed at home for these September friendlies.
Weston McKennie was left to manage ball possession in lieu of Musah against Japan, and he struggled throughout the 90 minutes. Sam Vines also had a tough time at left-back in place of Robinson, and Joe Scally could see a chance to impress against Saudi Arabia.
Matt Turner was the lone standout performer against Japan, and likely earned the starting job at the World Cup with his excellent showing. One of Ethan Horvath or Sean Johnson could get the start against Saudi Arabia, with the two battling for the No. 3 spot behind Turner and Steffen.
USMNT projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Johnson (GK) — Scally, Zimmerman, Long, Dest — McKennie, Adams, Acosta — Pulisic, Pepi, Aaronson.
MORE: Pulisic’s absence vs. Japan underlined his importance to USMNT squad
The entire Saudi Arabia roster for this international break is made up of domestic-based players in the Saudi Professional League. It is likely that the current roster will look extremely similar to the one eventually selected for the World Cup.
The weakness of this Saudi Arabia side is an inability to score goals. The leading goalscorers on the roster are midfielders Salem Al-Dawsari and Fawad Al-Muwallad, both on 17 goals. They are the only two with double-digit international goals, and two of the three listed forwards on the roster have never found the back of the net on international duty.
The midfield, however, is extremely experienced, with three players sitting at over 60 caps and one more at 49. Goalkeeper Mohammad Al-Owais played extremely well against Ecuador on Friday, making five saves, although he probably got away with a penalty after taking down Enner Valencia in the area.
Saudi Arabia projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Al-Owais (GK) — Al-Sharani, Al-Bolehai, Al-Amri, Abdulhamid — Al-Najei, Sharahili, N. Al-Dawsari — S. Al-Dawsari, Al-Buraikan, Bahebri.
USA vs. Saudi Arabia betting odds, lines, picks & prediction
Odds via Caesars (USA) & Sports Interaction (Canada)
Understandably, the United States are considered significant favorites over Tuesday’s opposition, given minus odds to win on the moneyline. Anything less would be a severe disappointment and leave U.S. fans seriously concerned about their World Cup prospects with the tournament less than two months away.
Saudi Arabia have failed to score in all three of their international friendlies since the end of World Cup qualifying, held off the scoresheet by Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. That has led to today’s odds favoring fewer goals, with the U.S. also struggling with a striker crisis. Ricardo Pepi will get the start up front for the United States, hoping to prove the bookmakers wrong.
| Caesars | Sports Interaction |
|
|---|---|---|
| USA win | -115 | 1.89 |
| Draw | +220 | 3.36 |
| Saudi Arabia win | +295 | 3.91 |
| Both teams to score Y / N |
+105 / -135 | 1.92 / 1.70 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
+122 / -155 | 2.18 / 1.64 |
| USA -0.5 | — | 1.91 |
| Saudi Arabia +0.5 | — | 1.83 |
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