Saint Kitts and Nevis vs USA prediction: NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA: Gold Cup betting tips on match 2023-06-28 01:30.
Saint Kitts & Nevis were made to wait a little longer for their CONCACAF Gold Cup opener as heavy rain forced a 15-minute delay against Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday. That wet weather preceded a bleak performance for the tournament debutants who were well beaten 3-0, dampening growing confidence within the Saint Kitts & Nevis camp after what had previously been an impressive run of six games without defeat (W5, D1).
Despite the manner of the loss, manager Austin Huggins was upbeat after the game and called upon his players to ābetter representā themselves against the USA. That looks a tall order ahead of this first ever H2H meeting though considering their opponents are ranked 101 places higher than previous opponents Trinidad and Tobago by FIFA.
It wasnāt a convincing start for the USA in their Gold Cup opener as they needed an 88th-minute equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw against Jamaica. That might not have been enough had goalkeeper Matt Turner not saved a penalty just before the 30th minute, but overall the Stars and Stripes were able to extend their unbeaten run to a solid seven matches (W4, D3).
With BJ Callaghanās side looking a little rusty, thereās no promise that this game will be the one-way landslide many anticipate, especially when also considering five of the USAās last seven games failed to produce more than two match goals. That said, three of the last four did see a goal arrive beyond the 75th minute, so perhaps some late drama could be on the cards.
Players to watch: St Kitts & Nevis will hope they can get Keithroy Freeman firing again as heās without an international goal in four starts after netting successive braces before that – both in wins āto nilā. Brandon Vazquez's heroics from the bench for the USA against Jamaica should put him in contention to start and he has now scored three goals across his last five matches for club and country, all three of which arrived after half-time.
Hot streak: USA have won their second group game in each of the last five Gold Cups, notably netting exactly six goals in each of the last two.