The U.S. Men’s National Olympic Team is looking to bounce back on Saturday after a 3-0 loss to host France.
The U.S. men’s national team is fielding a skeleton squad without any of its starting players following its disastrous Copa America defeat.
Following the firing of head coach Gregg Berhalter, the team is currently managed by Marko Mitrovic, but a new long-term manager has yet to be announced.
The U.S. played solid defense in their Olympic opener but had little success offensively as France continued to press for the first 75 minutes of the game.
New Zealand beat Guinea 2-1 in their first match, but they are still underdogs against the Americans.
USMNT vs New Zealand predictions
According to Olympic rules, a team can only have three players over the age of 23.
That forces every team to field inexperienced players with lineups full of players in their late teens and early 20s.
Paxten Aaronson leads the USMNT as one of the most promising young midfielders.
The U.S. men’s national team will also feature Caleb Wiley, who is just 19 years old and the youngest player to take to the field for the Stars and Stripes since Freddy Adu in 2009.
Both teams are inexperienced and mistakes are likely to occur.
2024 Paris Olympics
However, the USMNT was weak offensively and appeared to be adopting a counter-attacking strategy in this match.
New Zealand has a strong goalkeeper in Alex Poulsen who plays for English Premier League club Bournemouth.
You could do worse than betting on a draw in this match.
Pick: Draw (+300)
