El Salvador will be hosting the USA in the fourth match of the CONCACAF Nations League A, group D. El Salvador will be looking to stay on top the group, while the US will continue to prepare for the 2022 World Cup. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our CONCACAF Nations League odds series, which includes our El Salvador-USA prediction and pick.

 

El Salvador are meeting the US for the third time in the last nine months. They just came out of an unsuccessful 2022 World Cup qualifying effort, where they finished second-to-last with just 10 points in 14 games. However, the Nations League could be what sets El Salvador back on the right track.

The US opened up their Nations League campaign with a 5-0 win over Grenada, but El Salvador will be a much tougher opponent. It is difficult to see the US players caring as much about this competition, but it is still a national team game, one they can use as preparation for the World Cup in Qatar.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the El Salvador-USA CONCACAF Nations League odds.

CONCACAF Nations League Odds: El Salvador-USA Odds

El Salvador: (+550)

USA: (-240)

Draw: (+320)

Over: 2.5 (+100)

Under: 2.5 (-122)

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Why El Salvador Could Win This Game

El Salvador might not have a ton of recent success versus the US, but this is a different competition. After they missed out on the 2018 World Cup, the US clearly wanted to showcase they are still the powerhouses of the region in the qualifying window for the upcoming tournament. In the Nations League, El Salvador might seek their shot and it could be their competition to beat the US.

The relevance of this game to the US might be a huge reason why El Salvador have a chance of coming out on top.

Motivation can sometimes mean more than quality, and in their last three games, El Salvador managed just a single draw. If we look at the last five, the US have four wins with a goal difference of 14-1, so the El Salvador team must be motivated to be the first team to beat the USMNT. Breaking the streak would be great for the confidence of this team and could stoke the fire they need to compete in the Nations League.

Last, but not least, El Salvador have a home advantage. It has not meant much in terms of getting positive results, but three of their last four home matches versus USMNT were draws. None of these matches were in this competition, so there is every certainly a chance  El Salvador pulls out one win here. Doing so depends on many factors, but is not impossible.

Why the USA Could Win This Game

In preparation for the World Cup, the US has dominated Grenada, beaten Morocco 3-0 and played Uruguay to a scoreless tie. Due to the way FIFA friendly dates work, these Nations League games will be the only chance for coach Gregg Berhalter to figure out who to take to Qatar at the end of the year. Playing well in these contests might be the difference between that sends some players to the World Cup and leaves others at home.

A major reason why the USA could and really should win this game is their massive skill advantage. El Salvador are a solid team, but this USA team, together with Mexico, are the powerhouses of this region. While the last time the USA played El Salvador ended in a 0-0 draw, the Americans have worked wonders in front of goal since then, so it should not be a huge issue to score one or two times against El Salvador.

Lastly, the USA won this competition in their inaugural season. While this tournament is not huge by any stretch of the imagination, it will still be great for the US team to win it. If they were to draw or lose, they would be behind El Salvador, so winning here would be a huge step forward.

Final El Salvador-USA Prediction and Pick 

With all due respect to El Salvador, they are severely overmatched in this game. This USA team beat the likes of Morocco, Mexico and Canada in the last year-and-a-half, all of whom are bound for the World Cup.

Our final El Salvador-USA prediction is a USA win at Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Final El Salvador-USA Pick: USA (-240)