Saudi Arabia vs. United States: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

The United States surprised their supporters - and maybe even themselves - by kicking off their Gold Cup campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of Trinidad and Tobago but a sterner test awaits against Saudi Arabia in Austin.

The Saudis joined the USMNT on three points in Group D courtesy of a dour 1-0 win against Haiti where they proved they will be a tough side to break down.

Saudi Arabia vs. United States betting picks and predictions

Saudi Arabia or draw double chance (+137)

Mauricio Pochettino needed something good to happen after arriving at the Gold Cup on the back of four straight losses, and he got his wish.

From nowhere, and just five days after a wretched 4-0 loss to Switzerland, the US turned up when it mattered by hammering Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 in San Jose to jump to the top of Group D.

It was an impressive effort with Malik Tillman scoring twice in a game where the US had almost 70 percent possession, fired off 22 shots to Trindad's three and bossed the corner count 10-4.

On every metric they were more than worthy winners, easing the pressure on Pochettino.

So, corner turned or is this a false dawn?

That's the puzzle for fans to ponder ahead of the US facing the far more resilient Saudis, who opened their campaign with a prosaic 1-0 win against Haiti.

In contrast to the Americans, they had just 43 percent possession against Haiti, won a solitary corner and mustered a mere seven shots, one of which was the winning penalty converted by Saleh Al Shehri.

Herve Renard's men will happily play without the ball and seek success that way and, of course, are under very little pressure to open up with points already on the board, while a draw in this game would leave qualification for the quarterfinals very much in their own hands.

The Saudis are better with Renard at the helm, the Frenchman having transformed their fortunes after the Roberto Mancini experiment backfired.

Renard, the man who led them to victory over Argentina at the last World Cup, was parachuted back in after embarrassing efforts under Mancini against Indonesia and Bahrain in qualifying for the next World Cup.

That didn't give Renard enough time to make up the ground on Japan and Australia, but he oversaw draws with both to at least ensure they have one last shot of qualifying for the finals.

Their six games in 2025 have produced just nine goals emphasising Renard's discipline and organisation and they are going to be tough to break down.

The Americans would love to think they can repeat their performance against Trinidad, that Patrick Agyemang is the finished article as a striker, and that they can continue to flourish minus the likes of skipper Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest and others.

But given those absentees, and that the Saudis are 42 places higher than Trinidad in the world rankings and are decent under Renard, the value may well be backing anything other than a 'home' win.

Chris Richards player shots over 0.5 (+125)

There was a freedom about the way the US played against Trinidad, helped enormously by the fact that the Caribbean side were pretty poor.

Pochettino's men created plenty of chances from open play but also earned 10 corners and fizzed plenty of crosses into the box.

And that's where someone like Crystal Palace's Chris Richards becomes a threat.

The Eagles' centre-back, on a high after helping his team to FA Cup glory, scored his one and only goal in the Premier League this season against Manchester City in April.

He's not prolific but he is a threat, averaging 0.5 efforts per game in the Premier League.

The Premier League is clearly a cut above the Gold Cup and with good delivery, against a team who will concede set-pieces, he looks a fair play at +125 to get at least one effort away.

Corner Handicap - USA -2 (+100)

The US won 10 corners against Trinidad, Saudi Arabia one against Haiti, and while one game is hardly an overwhelming sample size, it should be safe to predict a set-piece imbalance when they meet in Austin.

In their last three World Cup qualifiers - all in 2025 - the Saudis have racked up just five corners in total, emphasising Renard's pragmatic approach.

There may not be nine corners between these nations in game two as there was in game one, but you would anticipate Pochettino's men covering a handicap of two in a three-way match bet.

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Saudi Arabia vs. United States odds

Saudi Arabia	+550
Tie	+290
USA	-182

Saudi Arabia vs. United States player props

Anytime Goalscorer

Abdullah Al Salem (Saudi Arabia)	+350
Saleh Al Shehri (Saudi Arabia)	+350
Firas Al Buraikan (Saudi Arabia)	+400
Patrick Agyemang (United States)	+130
Malik Tillman (United States)	+240
Haji Wright (United States)	+162

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.