The long run of success that this generation of women has brought to the U.S. national team may have come to an end at the Olympics, when Canada held the U.S. scoreless in a 1-0 win in the semifinals. Many of the key players for the team, such as Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Christen Press, are well into their 30s and may have seen their last Olympic cycle — if not their last World Cup cycle as well. Next up is a match for the bronze medal against Australia; the two sides met earlier in the Olympic tournament in group play and had a scoreless draw.
Let’s take a closer look at this matchup as you consider your Olympic betting options.
Olympic News: Women’s Soccer Bronze Medal Match Preview
U.S. (-135) vs Australia (+370) (Draw +250 / O/U 2.5)
Thursday, August 5, 2021, 4:00 AM ET Live
One of the biggest stories going into this match is the status of U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. She had to leave the semifinal match against Canada in the first half with a knee injury, and backup Adrianna Franch was not able to stop the penalty kick for Canada that became the match’s only score. Naeher did not suffer structural damage but hyperextended her knee and had a bone contusion in a collision with U.S. defender Julie Ertz. She is expected to miss several weeks, and so Franch will be between the pipes for the U.S.
The clean sheet that Canada posted against the U.S. should not have been a surprise, as the U.S. experienced its third shutout of the Olympic tournament. In the opener of group play, they took a 3-0 hiding from Sweden, and then the U.S. and Australia had a scoreless draw. In the 75th minute of the U.S.-Canada match, Jessie Fleming converted a somewhat dubious penalty, and then Canada drew back into a defensive shell to hold on for the win, but the U.S. never really threatened at any point in the match. It was the first win for Canada since March 2001 against the United States. U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe said afterward, “We just didn’t have it today. Just too many errors from us, again.”
The U.S. posted a passing accuracy rating of 77% and launched 17 shots against just five for Canada, but only six of those 17 were on target. The U.S. tried 36 crosses but could not put any of them in the back of the net. Carli Lloyd did put one cross off the crossbar with her head, but the U.S. never looked together in the offensive half as far as coordinating an attack. After the loss to Sweden, the U.S. rebounded with a 6-1 pounding of New Zealand, but Australia will be harder to break down.
In the other semifinal match between Australia and Sweden, Australia used a three-player back line that forced Sweden to move to a 4-4-2, so that Australia could not use a quick counter. However, Australia turned the ball over too many times in the middle third. Sweden won, 1-0, on a goal from Fridolina Rolfo, who scored off a bad bounce from the Australians, and then Sweden upped its possession game to keep Australia from getting chances.
Obviously, on paper, this is a game that the U.S. would win. It will be interesting to see how hungry they come out in a game that they are playing for bronze, which is not the color of medal they are accustomed to chasing. The mental strength of the U.S. has never been in question, but this is a team that has failed to muster a consistent attack throughout this entire tournament; when they have managed to score, too often those goals have been waved off due to offside penalties. I see Australia taking advantage of a disappointed American side and delivering the upset.
Final Prediction:
Australia 2, U.S. 1
