Written by Arjan van Donkerloo
|
Inside
Olympic Men’s Match Prediction
After an emphatic victory over New Zealand, the United States Olympic soccer team can seal its ticket to the quarterfinals with a win over Guinea on July 30 at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard. After a 3-0 loss to France in the opening round, the USA team came out of the opening blocks against New Zealand and eventually won 1-4. It was the U23’s first win in 8 games for the USA. The American offense in particular was able to take a step forward compared to its performance prior to these games. However, the team’s backline remains a problem, with the USA conceding multiple goals in 3 of their last 4 games. In this match, the USA will start attacking again from the opening whistle.
On the other hand, Guinea has already been eliminated from these games. With 1-2 and 1-0 defeats against New Zealand and France, the team has no chance of finishing second. As expected, Guinea’s attack was at the center of the team’s problems. Guinea have not scored multiple times in their last 7 matches, meaning the team will usually have to settle for a draw or defeat. Despite the team’s solid backline, Guinea is expected to be under pressure for most of the match, with motivation less than that of the Americans after the exit.