The time has come for Carli Lloyd to say goodbye to the USWNT and soon, to her career as a whole. The second of two friendlies against South Korea will be played tonight, on the back of a very unlikely and weird 0-0 draw last week.
Sportsbooks believe that not only the first result kind of a fluke but also that the mental side of Tuesday’s match will play a part. Books don’t see another clean sheet for the South Koreans in the final match of 2021 for the USWNT.
A look at the USWNT betting odds against South Korea
First and foremost, the United States, and particularly Vlatko Andonovski will surely try to shake off the bad taste of that draw against a very organized yet lucky South Korean team. The “Olympic ghost” loomed on the horizon with a similar lackluster performance to what supporters saw in Tokyo 2020.
Nonetheless, the United States should have clearly won that match despite not showing their true potential on the pitch with the talent at disposal. FanDuel Sportsbook has the USWNT a -950 favorite on the 3-way moneyline, while PointsBet Sportsbook slots the same at -750.
The match begins at 8 p.m. ET and fans in the US can watch it on FS1. Bettors who think the result from the first match will repeat itself can get +1340 odds on Under 0.5 goals at FanDuel or +2200 odds on a Correct Score market on PointsBet.
Part of the reason why books are offering such favorable odds on another scoreless draw is the USWNT’s track record in international friendlies. Before Friday, the US had won 22 consecutive matches in such fixtures on US soil.
Why goals seem a safe bet on Tuesday night
The USWNT had 1.67 xG created last week, with 17 shots attempted and eight on target. That represented a sharp decline compared to the matches against Paraguay but way higher than most of the games in the Olympics. The only Olympic match that bettered it was the 4-3 bronze medal victory over Australia.
The USWNT possession was also quite high, 65%, again, way higher than in the summer competition, as the only match which came close to those numbers was the US’ 6-1 thrashing of New Zealand. Finally, the centerpiece of Tuesday’s match is the last appearance with the Stars and Stripes colors for Lloyd.
That could play a part psychologically, as her teammates will surely look to set Lloyd up to score a few times. As a proper send-off is in the cards, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to go with at least three USWNT goals and perhaps even a hat-trick for the Philadelphia native in her last game with the National Team.
