It has been a long time since the United States women’s national team took a loss in regular time at the Women’s World Cup.
The last time the United States lost in regular time of the World Cup was to Sweden during the group stage in 2011. This year’s World Cup started with another win, as the U.S. beat Vietnam, 3-0, last Friday.
Given the dominance of the USWNT over the years, the line for them to win Wednesday night’s match against Netherlands seems light. The United States is a -145 favorite on the three-way line at BetMGM, with Netherlands at +425 and the draw at +240. The total is 2.5, with the over at +125 odds and the under at -175.
The Netherlands should give the USWNT more of a challenge than the rest of its group. The Netherlands were tied for eighth-best odds to win the World Cup (+2500) before it started. They started the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Portugal last week.
But the United States just doesn’t lose at the World Cup. The win over Vietnam was what we have come to expect from the USWNT, with two goals from Sophia Smith, another from Lindsey Horan and a clean sheet on defense.
Maybe this is the night the USWNT takes a loss. It has been a while since that happened.
Here’s a first look at the sports betting slate for Wednesday:
Plenty of MLB action
There are eight afternoon games among the 15-game MLB slate on Wednesday. The Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers have the rubber match of a big series in the NL Central. The Reds held on to a 4-3 win on Tuesday. The Brewers are -145 favorites on Wednesday. The Brewers lead the Reds by a half game in the standings.
The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers continue an entertaining series. The Dodgers rallied in the ninth inning to tie it and won it in extra innings on Tuesday. Los Angeles is a -125 favorite on Wednesday.
In the evening, there’s a big AL West game between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. The Astros took the first two games of the series and trail Texas by just a game in the division. Houston is a -185 favorite to win its third straight against Texas.
What’s the best bet?
I’ll go with the Baltimore Orioles as a slight -105 underdog at the Philadelphia Phillies. The Orioles lost on a walk-off single in the ninth inning Tuesday, but they’ve been one of the hottest teams in baseball. On Wednesday they have Kyle Bradish on the mound, and Bradish has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last month. The O’s will get back on track.