USA vs Colombia: Preview, Prediction & Betting Picks

USA’s preparations for the upcoming Copa America are coming to an end as they host Colombia in a final friendly game before the tournament begins.

Date: 6/8/24

Kick-off time: 14:30 pm Pacific Time

Venue: FedExField

As the host country, the USA will be desperate to go deep into the tournament in front of their own fans. The last time they were in the competition was in 2016, in which they were eliminated in the semi-final by Argentina, before ultimately finishing fourth. This is the furthest they have gone. After winning the CONCACAF Nations League in March, the team will be looking to add a second trophy of the year to their cabinet. This upcoming friendly game against Colombia will give manager Gregg Berhalter a final look at his squad against a high level of opponent before Copa America begins.

Colombia will also be looking ahead to Copa America, hoping to improve on their third place finish in 2021. They have been champions on one occasion, lifting the trophy in 2001 after they beat Mexico 1-0 in the final. They come into this friendly in excellent form as they have won six games in a row dating back to November of last year.

Three of Colombia’s last five games ended 1-0, so there could be a lack of goals in this game. However, the other two results were 3-2 wins, highlighting their inconsistencies in front of goal in particular. Their last seven goals have each been scored by different players, showing the multi-threat they possess in attack. USA have been strong at the back in recent months, though, keeping three clean sheets in six. They have also scored 13 in this stretch. Despite not scoring, Christian Pulisic remains one of the main men offensively following a strong season for AC Milan.

This will be the 22nd meeting between these two countries. Colombia have been largely dominant, winning 14 games and losing just three. USA are winless in seven fixtures, which includes five defeats. The last two meetings ended in a draw and Colombia win, but came in international friendlies. The last time they met competitively was at the 2016 Copa America, in the third place game. Colombia were 1-0 winners, with Carlos Bacca scoring the decisive goal after half an hour.

USA Team News

Christian Pulisic headlines a strong USA squad. There is also Premier League representation through Fulham pair Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson, as well as Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner amongst others.

Colombia Team News

There is no place for legendary striker Radamel Falcao in the squad, though James Rodriguez will be involved. Luis Diaz headlines a group of six Premier League representatives.

USA Form Guide

In their last five games, USA have won three and lost two. Results wise it has been a good stretch for USA, which culminated in them winning the CONCACAF Nations League final. They did so by beating Mexico 2-0 in the final. It was a tight game in terms of possession, but USA were able to break the deadlock on the stroke of half-time through Tyler Adams. Giovanni Reyna doubled their lead midway through the second half to win the trophy.

They made it to the final with a 4-2 aggregate victory against Trinidad & Tobago over two legs in the quarter-final, before beating Jamaica in the semis. The first leg ended 3-0 in their favour to give them a commanding advantage. Their opponents were reduced to 10 men just before half-time, which allowed them to completely dominate. They had 76% possession, and restricted their visitors to one attempt and zero shots on target. However, they could not break the deadlock until the 82nd minute, in which Ricardo Pepi scored. This opened the floodgates as strikes from Antonee Robinson and Reyna followed. The second leg ended in a 2-1 defeat, though they took the lead. Sergino Dest saw red, which allowed Trindad to turn it around but it was not enough.

This set up a one-legged semi-final tie with Jamaica. They were 3-1 winners, but did so in dramatic fashion. Greg Leigh gave Jamaica a first minute lead, a lead they held until deep in second half stoppage time. USA equalised right at the death through an own goal, before taking the game away in extra-time with a Haji Wright brace. Between the quarter-final and semi-final, USA played in a friendly against Slovenia, in which they lost 1-0 at home. Nejc Gradisar scored the winner in the first half.

Colombia Form Guide

In their last five games, Colombia have been perfect, winning all five. It has been a dominant stretch for the Colombians as they look ahead to the Copa America. The first run of this game was a friendly at Paraguay. They were narrow 1-0 winners back in November. It was an even game, but the only goal came from the penalty spot in the 11th minute by Rafael Santos Borre Maury.

They recorded another victory with the same scoreline, this time against Venezuela. The final score was a lot closer than the game actually was, with the visitors not managing a shot on target from 37% possession. Colombia’s goal came from the opposition, as Andres Ferro converted into his own net just before half-time. Another win followed, though this one came in dramatic fashion. The first goal of their 3-2 win came from Mexico, however, as they went 1-0 then 2-0 up shortly after the restart. The visitors pulled one back through Andres Reyes, before Roger Martinez equalised. The winner came from Andres Gomez in the 92nd minute.

Spain were their next opponents, and they won 1-0 in London. Daniel Munoz’ 61st minute goal proved to be the slender difference between the two teams. They played another European country in their most recent game, as they beat Romania 3-2. Goals from Jhon Cordoba, Jhon Arias and Yaser Asprilla gave them a 3-0 lead, before Ianis Hagi and Florin Tanase grabbed two back late on to make it a close score.

Both teams are in good form, so it will be a competitive match. Each side will hope to get the win, but we expect there to be nothing to split the sides in a draw – USA 1-1 Colombia

USA vs Colombia be available to watch on Peacock Network.