Books Notch The Win

So WynnBet and surely countless other sportsbooks were just fine with the result. However, most bettors — particularly the public/recreational players backing the Red, White & Blue — took the loss.

“Draw was the best result on the three-way by far,” DeBonis said, before looking ahead to Women’s World Cup championship futures odds. “The U.S. going through means the biggest loss that we and presumably all other domestic sportsbooks have is still on the board. By comparison, Team USA is miles ahead of our second-biggest liability.”

Entering the Portugal match, the U.S. was the +255 favorite in odds to win the Women’s World Cup. But the Americans certainly didn’t look like favorites Monday, finishing second in Group E behind a Netherlands team that blew out Vietnam 7-0 in the other group-stage finale.

Team USA went 1-0-2 in group play for five points, while the Netherlands went 2-0-1 for seven points.

Because of that second-place finish, the USWNT likely faces a tougher round of 16 game against a solid Sweden outfit. That’s provided the -192 favorite Swedes beat Argentina on Tuesday, which would give Sweden a perfect 3-0 mark and first place in Group G.

“The gulf in talent between Sweden and the rest of Group G is big,” DeBonis said. “Sweden has been knocking on the door of a major trophy for quite a few years now. The U.S. probably opens as the favorite, but the price will be in the +130 to +140 range.

That means a USA-Sweden match is relatively close to a pick ‘em.

“Sweden will probably be around +190 and Draw around +240,” DeBonis said. “A pick ‘em on the three-way moneyline would be about +165 on the two sides and +200 on Draw.”

Regardless of the opponent, American fans and bettors will get another overnight affair Sunday on FOX and FOX Sports app.

Walking a Thin Line

Although Team USA moves on and continues to be a big betting liability to win the tournament, WynnBet and other American sportsbooks are still happy about that at the moment. Had the U.S. bowed out Monday with a loss, betting interest would’ve dramatically waned the rest of the tournament.

So DeBonis and fellow oddsmakers have plenty of USWNT action to look forward to, at least in the round of 16. But hoping for anything beyond that is a dicey proposition, based on Team USA’s near-loss to Portugal.

“Thus far, this does not look like a championship-level group. Oftentimes in this sport, the better squad on the day can lose the result,” DeBonis said, alluding to Portugal, which would’ve advanced had Capeta’s shot found the back of the net. “Portugal was unfortunate not to win, based on the run of play. Carli Lloyd, one of the all-time greats, said on the broadcast that the U.S. is walking a thin line between confidence and arrogance, and I can’t sum it up any better.”

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas