USA vs Wales: Prediction, kick-off time, streaming, television details and more

Publish date: 2024-05-06

The USMNT was eliminated from World Cup 2022 by the Netherlands, 3-1, in the Round of 16.

The USA and Wales played to a 1-1 draw in their 2022 World Cup opener.

The second Group B clash will draw a close to proceedings on the second day of the 2022 World Cup.

USA and Wales will do battle at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Ar-Rayyan with the game kicking off at 19.00 GMT (14.00 EST) and 22.00 local time.

UK viewers will be able to watch the game on ITV while FOX and Telemundo will be showing it in the US.

Abdulrahman Al Jassim is the referee for the match. He is the only Qatari referee present at the 2022 World Cup and has big-game experience, having been in charge of the 2019 Club World Cup final (won by Liverpool) and the 2020 AFC Champions League final.

Team news

The USMNT’s strength in depth defensively will be put to the test in Qatar as both Chris Richards and Miles Robinson have been forced to miss the World Cup with injuries.

That will only increase the pressure on the likes of Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna and Brenden Aaronson to sustain a decent attacking output as they are the stand-out members of Gregg Berhalter’s squad.

As for Wales, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey carry most of the load when it comes to the hopes of the people of Wales. Meanwhile, fellow veteran Joe Allen is an injury doubt heading into the opener.

Despite struggling to make a consistent impact in LAFC’s MLS Cup-winning campaign, Bale has still shown at international level that he is capable of the sublime.

This World Cup provides the perfect opportunity for the youngsters in the squad, most notably Brennan Johnson, to prove that they can take over the mantle from Bale and Ramsey.

Johnson is one of the players who will be trusted with the future of Welsh football when Bale and Ramsey call it a day (Photo: Ian Cook – CameraSport via Getty Images)

Predicted line-ups

USA (4-3-3 ): Turner, Dest, Long, Zimmerman, Robinson; Adams, McKennie, Aaronson; Pulisic, Wright, Reyna.

Wales (3-4-3): Ward, Cabango, Rodon, Davies; Roberts, Morrell, Ramsey, Williams; James, Bale, Johnson.

What’s at stake?

Given the close proximity of the four teams in Group B, the battle for qualification is perhaps the closest of all the World Cup groups.

With England expected to strike the first blow against Iran, it should open a path for Wales or USA to take advantage with an opening-game victory.

Although, they both may choose to approach the game cautiously as defeat for either team would leave them with a mountain to climb to progress to the knockouts. If either side were to lose, they would realistically need a minimum of four points from the games against England and Iran.

Reason to watch

In many ways, this may be seen as the most exciting game of the opening round of World Cup fixtures; two fairly evenly-matched teams with ambitions of reaching the knockouts with a couple of match-winners in their ranks.

Bale’s short title-winning spell with LAFC in the US adds another unique element to the game. All eyes will be on the 33-year-old and whether he has been able to build up the relevant match fitness in the MLS to star for Wales at the World Cup.

Christian Pulisic is in a similar situation for the USMNT given his lack of minutes for Chelsea this season. Putting his club frustrations behind him and performing for his country on the biggest stage could give the 2026 World Cup hosts the edge.

Prediction

USA to beat Wales.

USA to win: 42 per cent. Wales to win: 30 per cent. Draw: 28 per cent.

All of our predictions for the 2022 World Cup are powered by Nielsen’s Gracenote, who have used a proprietary football ranking system to estimate the chances of different results for every possible match through extensive simulations, to assess the chances for each team to reach different stages of the tournament.

Wider reading

As USA prepare to host the world in four years’ time, this feels like something of a warm up for the squad. There is interest in Rob Page’s Wales squad as well who are in need of a new leader or two with Bale and Ramsey firmly in their twilight years.

(Top photo: Getty Images)

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