USMNT vs. Saudi Arabia, where to watch, live stream: Concacaf Gold Cup prediction, odds, lineups

Sports

add

The United States men’s national team kicked off the Concacaf Gold Cup on the right foot by defeating Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 but this is the time for them to show that this is the beginning of a new trend as they face Saudi Arabia on Thursday. After losing four consecutive matches in all competitions in the lead-up to the tournament, Mauricio Pochettino has had to bring a youthful USMNT into his last competitive window before the 2026 World Cup, and strong performances in tournaments like this one will give players opportunities to ensure that they’re in his plans.

Diego Luna and Luca De La Torre were two of the players who improved their standing in the opening match — along with Malik Tillman, who should already be firmly in the World Cup squad — and more players will look to join them in that standing with a good performance against Saudi Arabia. 

An invited team to the Gold Cup, the Green Falcons were also able to start off the Gold Cup by defeating Haiti, meaning that the winner of this match will qualify directly for the knockout stage while also being in a great position to win the group.

Here are storylines, how you can watch the match, and more:

How to watch Saudi Arabia vs. USMNT, odds

• Date: Thursday, June 19 | Time: 9:15 p.m. ET
• Location: Q2 Stadium — Austin, Texas
• TV: FS1 | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
• Odds: Saudi Arabia +500; Draw +280; USMNT -185

Last meeting

The USMNT and Saudi Arabia haven’t met since a friendly in 2022 as a lead-up to the World Cup. The duo played to a 0-0 draw, which was a fair result considering their performances, but for the USMNT, the squad looks quite different for this clash. Matt Turner, Walker Zimmerman, Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie and Tillman are the only players who appeared in the match who are even on this squad, and there’s a chance that Tillman could be the only one to start this match. After his brace in the opening fixture for the USMNT, Tillman will be looking to add to that in this one.

Predicted lineups

USMNT: Matt Freese, Max Arfsten, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman, Tyler Adams, Luca De La Torre, Malik Tillman, Jack McGlynn, Diego Luna, Patrick Agyemang

Saudi Arabia: Nawaf Alaqidi, Nawaf Al-Boushail, Abdullah Madu, Abduelah Al Amri, Saud Abdulhamid, Ziyad Aljohani, Ali Al-Hassan, Faisel Al-Ghamdi, Hammam Al-Hammami, Saleh Al-Shehri, Marwan Al Sahafi

Player to watch

Max Arfsten, USMNT: In previous tournaments, the only trusted backup to Antonee Robinson has been Sergino Dest playing out of position at left back. Not only is that not possible during the Gold Cup with Dest not in the squad, but a new option may be emerging in the Columbus Crew man Max Arfsten. He’s had a bit of a run since Pochettino took over the USMNT, but with two assists versus Trinidad and Tobago, Arfsten was able to show what he can bring.

Storyline to watch

Win and advance: Games like this should be ones that a coach doesn’t have to motivate the team for. Good performances will put players in pole positions to make the World Cup squad, and they’ll also see the USMNT move into the knockout stage of the Gold Cup. Taking care of that early will allow for rotation when playing Haiti on the final day. That rotation will be needed to make sure Pochettino’s men are fresh for the knockouts when the opposition will get tougher. 

Prediction

The USMNT will keep things moving in the right direction with another victory after going ahead in the first half. Saudi Arabia will have their chances but Freese will do enough in net to keep things in check during the clash. Pick: USMNT 2, Saudi Arabia 0

Get your footy fix with CBS Sports Golazo Network and more

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it help fans get their day started on the right foot on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. Don’t miss Tuesday and Thursday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET with a Sunday wrap up after the last curtain falls on the last NWSL match of the weekend.

⚽  Call it What You Want (Monday and Thursday): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Tom Brady opens the Hall of Excellence in Las Vegas: Sports and pop culture legends come together in one place

Alejandro Sanchez - Raíz

Next

trending_flat

Lakers legend Magic Johnson on sale of the team: ‘When the Celtics sold for $6B, I knew the Lakers were worth $10B!’

Sports