by
Playing freely under Anthony Hudson, the U.S. men’s national team will need to get through one of their trouble teams, El Salvador, to book their spot in the 2024 Copa America and win their group in Concacaf Nations League. They drew the away match in El Salvador but after rolling over Grenada 7-1 on Friday, the United States will be confident that the match will be taken care of in Orlando.
With striker prospect and England U-21 talent Florian Balogun likely watching on as he mulls a decision over representing the United States in the future, it’s even more of a reason to take care of business with Christian Pulisic leading the way.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Monday, Mar. 27 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Exploria Stadium — Orlando, Florida
- TV: TNT | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
- Odds: United States -700; Draw +245; El Salvador +1700 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
United States: Hudson noted that there will be changes going into the match with two of those likely being Yunus Musah and Daryl Dike coming into the side. For Dike, he is a former Orlando City player so this game will be a bit of a homecoming for him. After Ricardo Pepi scored a brace in the Grenada match, Dike will have a high bar to clear but with the support that the team has behind him, scoring a hat trick is certainly possible.
The team has impressive depth at their disposal which is why Musah was able to rest the first match, ensuring that they’re fresh for an important match like this one. A team that isn’t afraid to mix up their tactics, El Salvador will give the United States a bit of trouble but the talent that the team has will be enough to make it through the match.
With Pulisic driving the attack, it’s hard to envision a scenario where the USMNT don’t score, so it’ll be down to the defense to keep things steady. They faltered, allowing Grenada to score one goal, but it didn’t end up mattering in the end. Allowing El Salvador to have similar attacking chances could spell trouble.
El Salvador: Playing one friendly during this window, El Salvador will need to rebound after losing 1-0 to Honduras. A team built on their defense, El Salvador have only allowed more than one goal twice in their last five matches but the United States will be the toughest attack that they’ve faced in the stretch. While the last meeting between the two teams featured two red cards, if the USMNT can keep all of their players on the pitch, it’ll be a tough time for El Salvador.
Prediction
Despite only needing a draw, the United States will roll to victory in a match that has given them trouble. Pick: United States 3, El Salvador 0
