Analyst Backs U.S. First-Half Win at -115 in World Cup Round of 32 Picks

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jun 26

At -115, the analyst’s top USA-Bosnia and Herzegovina play is a U.S. first-half win rather than a pricier first-half goal bet near -175.
The case rests on U.S. fast starts: in 10 of 13 straight matches against 2026 World Cup teams, the Americans scored before halftime and finished the group stage with six first-half goals, tied with Brazil.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has offered little open-play threat — 13 shots and 0.5 expected goals — and the analyst says U.S. size should blunt its set-piece danger while Christian Pulisic’s expected return strengthens the lineup.
Elsewhere in the Round of 32, the analyst likes South Africa double chance at +110 against injury-hit Canada, Japan double chance at +100 against Brazil, and over 2.5 goals at +125 in Netherlands-Morocco.
The report also warns that most knockout-stage bets apply only to regulation time, while 'to advance' or 'to qualify' markets include extra time and penalties.