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CONFEDERATIONS CUP FINAL
USA VS BRAZIL
ODDS AND ANALYSIS
On Sunday, June 28th, 2009, the USA will face Brazil in the Finals of the Confederations Cup Soccer Tournament. The Odds favor Brazil, as one might expect. Sportsbook.com lists the odds on Brazil as -285, almost a 3-1 favorite. You can wager on the USA at 7/1 odds, +700, or you can wager on a Tie after 90 minutes of play, at odds of +320. At Sportsbook.com, all Soccer betting is based on 90 minutes of play.
Certainly, no one expected the USA to be in the Confederations Cup Finals. They were ranked 14th coming into the tournament, and actually lost their first two games! But they upset top tanked Spain 2-0 and now face another top ranked team in Brazil for all the marbles. The USA is 2-7-1 against ranked teams all time, and was outshot 29-9 against Spain, yet still came away with the win.
Regardless of what happens in Sundays Final, this certainly sets the stage for next years World Cup as hopes will be high. To much of the world, soccer is the number one sport, both from a betting standpoint and from a spectator, fan standpoint. But here in the USA, soccer gets very little attention. So little in fact, that the television ratings for Sundays match will likely be very low. More sports fans will likely be watching baseball, or even WNBA games.
But again, this sets the stage for the World Cup next year, which is the one time when there is actually some interest in Soccer here in the United States. We've seen the popularity of the World Cup grow, from a betting standpoint, over the last 15 years of running this website, Bettorsworld.com. Back in the mid 90's when we launched this website, very few American run, sportsbooks even posted odds on the World Cup. Yet that has gradually changed to the point where the World Cup was the main interest in visitors to our site, while the tournament was playing out a few years ago.
To really take hold, and continue it's climb up the sports popularity ladder here in the USA, it's going to take winning some titles. Winning and popularity go hand in hand. Win an event like the World Cup, and, due to the exposure in the press, kids become interested. That means more youngsters playing soccer instead of baseball or football, hence increasing the talent pool. Until that happens, Americans will only think about soccer once every 4 years and even then, only with a passing interest.
But you have to take baby steps. So, why not start with winning the Confederations Cup? Sure, even a win Sunday likely won't grab sports headlines here in the States, but it would certainly be a start. The match takes place Sunday at 2pm est. and can be seen on ESPN2. Tune in and root for an upset!