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The CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers (WCQ) will resume this week. CONCACAF consists of 35 national teams spread across the North American, Central American and Caribbean regions. However, only eight teams are remaining as the others were knocked out in the competition’s earlier round.
The competition is currently in the final round of the qualifiers. This round will last until March of 2022 where each team will play 14 matches (seven home and seven away). At that point, the three teams with the highest standing in the table will automatically stamp their ticket to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, while the fourth-place team will compete in an inter-confederation playoff to determine the final two World Cup slots.
Now that we understand the WCQ format and what is at stake for each country, let’s jump into my favorite prop bets for the upcoming USA vs. Jamaica and Mexico vs. Canada matches. All odds provided are from PointsBet and are reflective at the time of writing.
Best Bet for USA vs. Jamaica - Highest Scoring Half: Second Half
The USMNT will likely win this game over Jamaica and could come away with a shutout. However, a USA moneyline pick has too much juice, and with starting center-back John Brooks out with a back injury, it is uncertain how well the defense will flow. Therefore, due to current trends, I believe the value lies within the second half, being the highest-scoring half which can be found with plus odds in many sportsbooks.
The USMNT has shown some interesting scoring trends under head coach Gregg Berhalter. In 2021, the US is producing two goals per game. When you break down those two goals, you will see that a majority are scored in the second half. They are averaging 0.6 goals in the first half while averaging 1.4 goals in the second half, and in the last 15 games the USMNT has played, 21 of their 31 goals were scored after the first half.
Defensively, Berhalter’s side has been great. They allow just 0.3 goals per game. However, even that number leans in favor of the second half. Of the 0.3 goals allowed, 0.1 came in the first half while 0.2 came in the second half.
Additionally, there have been five total goals in the last two matches the USMNT has had against Jamaica. Of those five goals, four of them have been scored in the second half.
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Best Bet for Mexico vs. Canada - Both Teams to Score: Yes (+104)
It is almost a given that Mexico will score on their home field, so we will need Canada to come through for this wager to hit. Mexico has lost just twice at home in WCQ with a record of 41-2-8. As far as scoring goals, they have averaged 2.43 expected goals when considered the home team this year.
That said, do not overlook Canada, as they are a much stronger team than in years past. They have scored in 13 of their last 14 games and have a +39 goal differential in that span. In fact, the Canucks scored a goal in their previous two matches against El Tri and went toe-to-toe with them in the Gold Cup Semifinals until being heartbroken with a goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
According to mlssoccer.com, Canada’s head coach John Herdman will be without Cyle Larin, Atiba Hutchinson, goalkeeper Milan Borjan and Junior Hoilett due to a variety of reasons such as injury and travel restrictions. This news hurts, but not as much as one would think given Canada’s tactical strategy. They can successfully switch between a 3-4-3 and a 4-4-2 formation allowing them to interchange players and roles fluidly without skipping much of a beat.
"It's time to rewrite the narrative." 🇨🇦⚔️
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) October 6, 2021
John Herdman says his #CANMNT troops will have no fear marching into Estadio Azteca on Thursday night. Plus: squad updates & more from Mexico City. #WCQ #ForCanada pic.twitter.com/Xq7b9YxDdq
If you are confident Canada will score and think they could steal some points from the home side, PointsBet has a tie at +290 odds and a Canada win at +500.
PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner, and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
