:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71404815/1404509180.0.jpg "USA vs. Japan prediction: Picks, odds, live stream, TV channel, start time")
The United States Men's National Team will face off against Japan in the first of their last two friendly matches before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar gets started in November. The two sides will meet at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, with kickoff set for 8:25 a.m. ET on Friday morning.
ESPN will carry a live broadcast of the match, along with a livestream option available on their streaming platform ESPN+. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Japanese side slightly favored to win, priced at +165 on the moneyline while the Americans sit at +175. A draw comes in at +220.
USA v. Japan
Date: Friday, September 23
Time: 8:25 a.m. ET
TV channel: ESPN
Live stream: ESPN+
Odds, picks & predictions
USA: +175
Draw: +220
Japan: +165
Moneyline pick: Draw +220
These two sides haven't met in over 16 years, with their last match being played in February ahead of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. USA notched a 3-2 win over the Japanese side, thanks to goals from Taylor Twellman, Clint Dempsey, and Eddie Pope. It's been long enough that both teams will look completely different on the field, and Gregg Berhalter's side will hope to record another win.
Japan is coming off the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship title after they hosted and won the tournament in July. Through three matches, they scored nine goals and allowed none as they finished ahead of South Korea, China, and Hong Kong to secure their second-ever EAFF E-1 title, with the last one coming in 2013.
Gregg Berhalter announced his 26-man roster last week ahead of the final matches before the World Cup, and we can safely assume this will be a rough preview of what the World Cup squad will look like in Qatar. It's highlighted by Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Josh Sargent (Norwich), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Sergino Dest (AC Milan), and Matt Turner (Arsenal).
Japan won't be an easy opponent to beat for the Americans, so I'm taking a draw in this one as both teams will look to fine tune their on-field play before heading to Qatar in November. The USMNT will play one more friendly as they meet up with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in Spain.