It was not without some nervous moments along the way, but the United States women's soccer team has reached the final of the Women's World Cup for the third consecutive time. Team USA is a heavy favorite to repeat as tournament champion as it tangles with the Netherlands in Sunday's title match at Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
The Americans struck twice in the first half and stopped an English penalty attempt in the second half en route to a 2-1 win in their semifinal match, while the Dutch booked their ticket to the final after Jackie Groenen scored in the 99th minute to secure a 1-0 win over Sweden.
We break down the odds for the World Cup Final with five predictions that will help pad your pocket with Sunday's action on the pitch.
United States (-225) vs. Netherlands (+750)
QUICK-HITTER
One of the things that has stood out most about the Americans in this tournament is how aggressive they've been in the early stages of games. The United States come into Sunday's final having scored seven goals in the 20th minute or earlier so far in the World Cup, easily the most of any team in the competition.
That aggressiveness has come at a minor cost, with the U.S. having surrendered a pair of goals inside the opening 20 minutes. Bettors should jump all Over this trend and lean toward there being at least one goal scored inside the 29-minute mark.
PICK: Goal before 29:00 (-120)
FIRST HALF BET
While we believe that the Americans will get on the board early in this one, bettors shouldn't expect there to be a whole lot of scoring otherwise in the opening half. The Netherlands have surrendered just two first-half goals in the entire tournament, and both of those tallies came just prior to the break. The Americans have also held foes to two goals in the first half.
Meanwhile, the Dutch side has scored just three goals in the first half of their six tournament games. There's a decent chance we might see just one goal in the first half – and at generous odds, it's worth the risk.
PICK: One first-half goal (+160)
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TEAM/PLAYER BET
The Americans have been delightfully consistent in the knockout round, posting consecutive 2-1 victories over Spain, France and England to reach their third consecutive World Cup championship match. Whether or not you think the Dutch will find a way to put one past U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, you have to like the Americans' chances at scoring multiple goals even though the Netherlands boast one of the best back ends in the world.
The payout isn't going to knock bettors' socks off, but favoring the U.S. to strike more than once appears to be one of the safer prop plays of the game.
PICK: USA Over 1.5 goals (-163)
FULL-GAME TOTAL
The American side has been an absolutely perfect Over play in this tournament, entering the final having gone 6-0 O/U against the 2.5-goal total. And that's been a theme of the competition, with the first 50 games producing an average of 2.82 goals (though the Americans' tournament-opening 13-0 evisceration of Thailand does skew the numbers a little).
While the majority of the focus will be on that powerhouse U.S. offense, the Dutch have been no slouches, scoring 11 goals in six games. We like the Over trend to continue, with the final game of the tournament converting on the O2.5.
PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-118)
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FULL-GAME SIDE
The Americans have faced adversity on the way to Sunday's final, but you never really felt like they were in any danger of being upset. Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe have been one of the more spectacular duos in Women's World Cup history, while four others – Carli Lloyd, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle and Samantha Lewis – have struck multiple times in the tournament. If you've followed along, you know that we like the Americans to lead at the half. We also believe they'll go on to win – making the half-time/full-time result a decent play given the expected result.
PICK: USA/USA half-time/full-time (+120)
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