The United States take on Panama in a friendly on Saturday at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas in what will be Mauricio Pochettino's first game in charge of the Stars and Stripes.
Continue reading for our best bets and predictions for this game.
A new era begins for the USMNT when Mauricio Pochettino takes charge of the teams for the first time as they face Panama in a friendly at the Q2 Stadium in Austin on Saturday.
The Argentinian replaces Gregg Berhalter in the role after Mikey Varas led the team in two matches on an interim basis - a 2-1 defeat to Canada in Kansas City in September and a 1-1 draw with New Zealand in Cincinnati three days later.
The new coach has a wealth of top-level club experience with Tottenham Hotspur, Paris St-Germain and Chelsea and should have no problems commanding the respect of his new players.
This is much more than a friendly game, though, or even the first chance to impress the incoming head coach with a home World Cup just two years away. There is also revenge in the air as the United States lost 2-1 to Panama on the way to a group-stage exit in the Copa America in June.
Both teams ended that match with 10 players on the field, but the Americans had been depleted for a majority of the game after an 18th-minute red card shown to Timothy Weah.
The contest became 10 v 10 in the 88th minute, but in between a Folarin Balogun strike had given the USMNT the lead only for goals by Cesar Blackman and Jose Fajardo to give Panama the three points.
Any win would be a huge boost to the confidence of the squad and the team's fans after a four-match winless streak and only one victory in their last seven games on a home field.
The Stars and Stripes should be up to the task as the road to the World Cup begins with fresh hope and a money line bet on the home team could be profitable.
The US has a great record at the Q2 Stadium, winning in shutouts on all four previous visits to the Texas venue.
With the US, Canada and Mexico all absent from World Cup qualifying due to their automatic places in the finals, Panama's own chances of appearing have greatly improved and they have opened their group campaign with wins over Guyana and Montserrat.
The America roster is without Balogun, Weah and Johnny Cardoso due to injuries but there is no shortage of talent for Pochettino to assess, with exciting forwards Josh Sargent and Haji Wright looking to stake their claims for a regular place in the team.
What better way to erase the memory of the Copa America defeat by Panama in June than by reversing the score in the rematch?
A 2-1 win for the United States looks a plausible outcome for Pochettino's first match in charge. The players should be keen to put on a good show for the fans and their new coach with World Cup roster spots in their thoughts.
If they can avoid self-inflicted setbacks, such as the early red card in the last meeting, then the Americans should be confident of coming out on top at even strength.
Maintaining the record of not allowing a goal in any of their games at Q2 Stadium could be tough, though, as the defenders get to grips with the way Pochettino wants them to play, but there is enough creativity on the American roster for them to outscore the visitors in a match which sees both teams scoring.
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United States | -225 |
Tie | +290 |
Panama | +550 |
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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.