The United States hope to keep alive their chances of advancing past the group stage in men’s soccer for just the second time in nearly 70 years when they face New Zealand in the 2024 Summer Olympics on Saturday in Marseilles. After losing 3-0 to host nation France in their Paris Games opener, the U.S. must defeat the Kiwis to avoid being eliminated from medal contention. The Americans have moved on to the knockout stage of the Olympic tournament just once since reaching the quarterfinals at the 1956 Melbourne Games, accomplishing the feat in 2000 – when they lost to Chile in the bronze-medal match in Sydney to finish fourth. New Zealand are coming off a 2-1 triumph over Guinea in their Group A opener.
Kickoff at the Orange Velodrome is set for 1 p.m. ET. The Americans are -170 favorites (risk $170 to win $100) in the latest United States vs. New Zealand odds, while the Kiwis are +410 underdogs. A 90-minute draw is priced at +275 and the over/under for total goals scored is 2.5. Before locking in any New Zealand vs. United States picks, you need to see what proven SportsLine soccer insider Jon “Buckets” Eimer has to say.
Eimer is a high-volume bettor who has vast knowledge of leagues and players across the globe. Since joining SportsLine, he has covered the English Premier League, Serie A, the FA Cup and much more. In 2023, he was red-hot, going 248-234-12 for a profit of $2,593 for $100 bettors.
Now, Eimer has broken down USMNT vs. New Zealand from every angle and locked in his picks and 2024 Olympic Games predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Eimer’s picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for New Zealand vs. United States:
- USMNT vs. New Zealand money line: United States -170, New Zealand +410, Draw +275
- USMNT vs .New Zealand over/under: 2.5 goals
- USMNT vs. New Zealand spread: United States -0.5 (-160)
- USA: The Americans have advanced past the group stage just once in their last seven Olympic appearances
- NZ: The Kiwis own a 2-4-5 all-time record in the Summer Games
- USMNT vs. New Zealand picks: See picks here
Why you should back the United States
Team USA need to rediscover the form they had when they went 6-1-0 en route to winning the 2020 Concacaf U-20 Championship and qualifying for the Paris Games. The Americans outscored their opponents 31-2 in that tournament and posted six clean sheets, only conceding in a group-stage draw with Canada. The star of the competition was midfielder Paxten Aaronson, who led all players with seven goals and came away with MVP honors.
The 20-year-old Aaronson converted in each of Team USA’s final three matches in the U-20 Championship, registering braces against Costa Rica in the 2-0 quarterfinal victory and the 6-0 triumph over the Dominican Republic in the final. A native of New Jersey, he also tallied twice in a 10-0 rout of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the group-stage opener and added a goal in the 3-0 semifinal win versus Honduras. The U.S. can take one positive from Wednesday’s loss to France, as they kept the Olympic hosts off the scoreboard until Alexandre Lacazette converted in the 61st minute. See which team to pick here.
Why you should back New Zealand
The Kiwis are hoping to reach the Olympic quarterfinals for the second straight time after losing to Japan on penalties at that stage in the 2020 Tokyo Games. New Zealand are without forward Riley Bidois, who led the club with five goals – all in the final – during its run to the championship in the 2023 OFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament, due to a hamstring injury. But they were able to generate enough offense without him against Guinea on Wednesday to eke out a victory.
Midfielder Matthew Garbett opened the scoring in the 25th minute and forward Ben Waine converted in the 76th minute to snap a 1-1 deadlock. Forward Jesse Randall did not dress for the Kiwis’ first match of the Paris Games but was second to Bidois in the qualifying tournament with four goals as he converted in each of the club’s three actual contests. Forward Oskar van Hallum scored twice during the qualifying tournament, netting both of his tallies in New Zealand’s 8-0 rout of Vanuatu in the semifinals. See which team to pick here.
How to make United States vs. New Zealand picks
Eimer has broken down New Zealand vs. United States from every possible angle and has locked in three confident best bets, including one that offers a plus-money payout. He also is offering a full breakdown of this Summer Games group-stage match. He’s sharing his 2024 Paris Olympics picks and analysis only at SportsLine.
So who wins United States vs. New Zealand on Saturday, and where does all the betting value lie? Visit SportsLine now to see which wagers in New Zealand vs. United States have all the value, all from the soccer expert who was red-hot in 2023, and find out.
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