USMNT 'small favorites' to win Group D
Drew Dinsick and Jay Croucher discuss the field for Group D at the 2026 World Cup, where the USMNT remain slight favorites in a group with Turkiye, Paraguay, and Australia.
Video Transcript
Well, Jay, we are days away from the World Cup getting off to a thrilling start down in Mexico.
and, Team USA will be in action on Friday here in Los Angeles.
interesting, very, very tough handicap in my opinion for the Group D winner.
we have a relatively flat group here, not much separating the best and the worst teams in terms of, team strength rating in the public models that I've seen.
the Team USA, with the home field advantage, does have the f- the, the slight bump here in the, odds market.
They are plus 140, small favorites.
Turkey sits second at plus 175, Paraguay third at four to one, and your Australia Socceroos round out the field at eight to one.
is there any appetite to take a price in this pool just considering how close these teams are?
Yeah, I think it's a very interesting group.
I think the, the host nation groups are often the most interesting because you get these host nations who, you know, often aren't the best team, but they get put in pot one, as opposed to, you know, a France or a Spain anchoring a group.
We have the USA, who I think are the most likely group winner, but, they are not, of the caliber of these other teams anchoring these groups.
And so I think home field advantage is gonna be really interesting here.
I think that Mexico probably has the biggest advantage getting that altitude, but the USA will clearly have that as well.
so I think they are rightful favorites, albeit only very slightly.
Australia, I don't think, my Socceroos are going to do it unless they are able to unearth 2002 Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka.
This is not the golden age of Australian soccer at the moment, so I think that they are a distant fourth in this group.
I think Paraguay have become, you know, a little underrated.
They are, uh- Yeah the other bigger South American teams get, a lot more coverage, but Paraguay just very solid, and I think at, at four to one that they'll be able to, you know, potentially grind out a draw with the USA, and then be able to handle Australia.
And Turkey, who I think are a team that are going to be, a lot more aesthetically pleasing and fun than people realize.
In the past, their teams have not been of that nature, but they do have a lot of attacking talent with Kenan Yldz, Arda Gler from Real Madrid, Hakan alhanolu kind of pulling the strings at Inter's midfielder there.
So I think that Turkey are rightful second favorite, but Paraguay would be my bet, at four to one.
