USA vs Brazil Predictions

The United States missed out on the 2018 World Cup, but after being awarded hosting duties for 2026 they have plenty of work to do. They test themselves against one of the league’s top sides this weekend, as Brazil head to New Jersey for this friendly. It’s a first outing for the Samba-stars since their exit to Belgium in Russia, ending their hopes of a sixth world title. For them, they’re now regrouping and focusing on 2022, starting with this clash.

The United States played their fair share of friendly clashes in the wake of their failure to make it to Russia. This is a Russian controversy which they are thoroughly investigating, and their reform is still going on. They’re yet to appoint a manager almost a year on, with Dave Sarachan approaching almost a year in temporary charge. There’s little sign of progress from the USSF, although they do have plenty of time before their qualifying campaign for Qatar gets under way.

Brazil are always in a state of inquest following World Cup failure. They went to Russia aiming to win in, and many bookies saw them as favourites. Their quality is undoubted, with their squad spanning many of the top names in European football. There’s enough youth in their side to mount a push in 2022, while they are hosting the Copa America next year, which they haven’t won since 2007, so recapturing that title will also be an aim in the near future. The road to the Copa America starts in New Jersey for the Selecao.

Brazil’s friendly schedule has seen them cynically referred to as football’s Harlem Globetrotters, although there is some truth in that. However, that doesn’t mean that their friendlies aren’t taken seriously. They’ve won six of their last seven non-competitive games. They’ve only failed to win twice in their last 30 friendly matches, so they deserve to be favourites for this trip.

The USA still have plenty of issues to sort out following their World Cup failure. They shouldn’t be able to match a Brazil side who looked good in Russia without getting out of first gear. They make this trip winning by at least two goals in five of their last seven friendlies, along with a narrow win over then world champions Germany. With that in mind, we’re backing a comfortable win for the South Americans, so Brazil to win by two clear goals is our tip here, along with a 3-0 win.