With the World Cup less than six months away, the United States men’s national team begins its preparations for Qatar with a friendly against Morocco. A matchup of two Top-25 teams in the FIFA World Ranking, Wednesday’s friendly at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati is the first of four matches that Gregg Berhalter’s men will play in a 13-day span.
The United States have not lost on home soil in 23 straight matches, but Morocco’s squad full of European-based talent will put that streak to the test. Can the Yanks continue their lengthy run of home results, or will the visitors suffer just their second defeat in more than three years? Find out in our United States vs Morocco preview and picks for Wednesday, June 1.
USA vs Morocco game info
• Location: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
• Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2022
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2
USA vs Morocco betting tips
- Prediction: United States ML (+115)
- Prediction: Over 2.5 (+100)
- Best bet: Both teams to score - Yes (-118)
Click on each pick for complete analysis
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USA vs Morocco match odds
USA: +110
Morocco: +255
Draw: +235
Total: 2.5
Over: +110
Under: -140
Odds courtesy of DraftKings on May 31.
USA vs Morocco betting preview
Weather
There will be scattered showers earlier in the day, but kickoff in Cincinnati will see temperatures in the upper 60s with little chance for rain. Winds will be light and should not have much impact on the match.
Injuries
USA: Djordjie Mihailovic CF (Doubtful).
Morocco: Noussair Mazraoui RB (Out).
USA vs Morocco predictions
Side analysis
With four matches in such a condensed schedule — and so many questions about the side still to be answered — it remains to be seen how Gregg Berhalter will handle his lineups over the next two weeks. Friendlies against Morocco and Uruguay are followed by a pair of CONCACAF Nations League matches, first against Grenada before a trip to El Salvador. As is often the case, nobody will truly know the lineup until Wednesday evening, making things more difficult to predict.
One of the big questions is who will pair Walker Zimmerman on defense. The loss of Miles Robinson to a torn Achilles is a major blow for a back line that was finally gaining some cohesion. There are also questions as to who will play at right back, with DeAndre Yedlin likely filling in for Sergino Dest, who missed camp with an injury issue. Weston McKennie is back in the side, but Berhalter will be without many regulars for the two-week span with Chris Richards, Jordan Pefok, Josh Sargent, and Gio Reyna all left out of the 27-man roster.
Morocco comes in with a load of solid talent from Europe, and zero questions as to who starts in the middle of their defense. Wolves center back Romain Saiss and Nayef Aguerd of French side Stade Rennais have developed a strong partnership, part of a group that allowed just two goals in their six World Cup qualifiers. They also helped lead the side to the AFCON quarterfinals, where they suffered their first loss since the 2019 tournament when they were beaten 2-1 by Egypt. That said, this is their first match against a non-African side since 2018.
Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat is a deep-lying playmaker and defensive presence, averaging 2.4 tackles and 1.2 interceptions in the AFCON tournament. The Fiorentina midfielder will help direct traffic down their right flank, where PSG right back Achraf Hakimi will bomb forward with loads of pace. The US will have to worry about a pair of experienced forwards, with Youssef En-Nesyri and Ayoub El Kaabi leading the line. El Kaabi’s 18 goals were the second-most in this year’s Turkish Super Lig, while En Nesyri is a physical striker who can cause issues in the air. Their wild card could be speedy attacking midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, who scored a pair of goals and assisted another against the Congo at AFCON and could put pressure on the US defense.
This match will likely be a showdown between the United States' left side and Morocco's right. Christian Pulisic and Antonee “Jedi” Robinson will have to deal with Hakimi’s runs while also finding a way to get past him at the other end. It will also force Pulisic to likely have to track back a bit more than usual, which could allow him to get on the ball in deeper positions and make runs.
That said, the United States has more depth, and will likely have Timothy Weah putting pressure on them from the right while Weston McKennie and Kellyn Acosta control the play through the middle. Morocco’s pace and experience will be a strong test for the Americans, but they will find a way to take all three points as they always seem to do on home soil.
Prediction: United States moneyline (+115 at BetMGM)
Over/Under analysis
The United States have kept quite a few clean sheets during their unbeaten run at home, but much of that was with Miles Robinson and Dest in the back line. They have also kept many of those against CONCACAF sides that don’t have the greatest forwards to ask questions of the American defense. That won’t be the case with Morocco. Any mistakes by the defense can be punished by Ounahi, who loves to make runs off the ball and could cause problems for the high line employed by the American defense.
There will also be real concerns about how Zimmerman meshes with whoever replaces his defensive partner, and how they handle the two-striker partnership for the visitors. That said, Morocco’s defense was exposed repeatedly by Egypt in their AFCON match, a side that followed that up with a pair of scoreless draws in the next two rounds. With the numerous attackers Berhalter will likely sub in later who want to make a statement, I see this match having at least three goals in it.
Prediction: Over 2.5 goals (+100 at BetMGM)
Best bet
Morocco have scored in each of their last 20 matches, dating back to March of last year. Meanwhile, the United States have not been held scoreless in regulation on home soil in eight matches, dating back to the 2021 Gold Cup final where they needed a goal deep in extra time to secure a 1-0 win over Mexico.
While I’m fairly confident in the Over 2.5 play, I’m more confident that both teams will find the back of the net. Morocco’s attack will be better than anything the USMNT have faced in recent matches outside of Mexico, and it took quite a performance to keep them off the board. With Robinson out, combined with Morocco’s defense not having faced a side like the Americans in quite a while, neither team should end this one with a bagel next to their name on the scoreboard.
Pick: Both teams to score - Yes (-118 at FanDuel)
