After a dominant 5-0 win against Trinidad & Tobago, the United States look to continue their Gold Cup campaign with a win over Saudi Arabia. The two nations will meet for the eighth time on Thursday night at Austin FC's Q2 Stadium.
Match info
Teams: Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 vs United States 🇺🇸
Odds: KSA (+520), Draw (+294), USA (-188)
Date: Thursday, June 19, 2025
Time: 8:15 pm CT, Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas, United States
TV: Fs1 / TUDN
TV Commentary (English): John Strong, Stu Holden & Jenny Taft
Forecast: 93º/76º. 86º at kickoff. Sunny. 15mph winds. 0% chance of rain. 57% humidity.
Head-to-head
United States wins: 3
United States goals: 0
Draws: 2
Saudi Arabia wins: 2
Saudi Arabia goals: 8
Last meeting: KSA -0- USA (September 27, 2022 – International Friendly)
Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
The numbers
Key Players: Nawaf Al-Aqidi (goalkeeper, Al-Fateh), Saud Abdulhamid (defender, Roma), Faisal Al-Ghamdi (midfielder, Beerschot), Saleh Al-Shehri (striker, Al-Ittihad)
Last match: 1-0 win vs Haiti (Gold Cup Group D)
Saudi Arabia snapshot
Saudi Arabia didn't cruise in their Gold Cup opener; it took a 21st-minute penalty kick from Saleh Al-Shehri to get them past Haiti in their Group D opener. The visiting participants were on the back foot for most of the match, ending with just 43% possession and seven total shots, compared to 13 from the Haitians.
Head coach Hervé Renard is a mix of aggressive and pragmatic. Under the French manager, Saudi Arabia play with a fairly aggressive press while also attempting to break teams down with possession. Typically using a 4-3-3 formation, with Ali Al-Hassan as the midfield lynchpin. Their back four tend to play direct, capable of hitting diagonals over the backline. Fullbacks Saud Abdulhamid and Nawaf Al-Boushail like to push high and get involved in the attack as well, providing support for the wingers to pinch inside and support striker Saleh Al-Shehri.
Saudi Arabia didn't automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup, finishing behind Japan and Australia in their qualifying group. They'll look to qualify in the fourth round, and are hoping to use this Gold Cup tournament as a springboard. While they certainly aren't a power at the international level, they make life difficult for opponents and will pose a tougher test than Trinidad & Tobago.
Predicted XI
United States
The numbers
Key Players: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Malik Tillman (PSV), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)
Last match: 5-0 win vs Trinidad & Tobago (Gold Cup Group D)
United States snapshot
After several four losses in a row, the United States got their tournament off to an exceptional start, rolling past Trinidad & Tobago in a dominant 5-0 win.
Ben Wright
It sounds like goalkeeper Matt Freese will retain the starting spot ahead of Matt Turner. The New York City FC shot-stopper wasn't tested heavily against Trinidad & Tobago, but with Turner's struggles there's a real opportunity for him to stake a claim in the pecking order ahead of him.
Ahead of Freese, there may not be too many changes to the squad, save for the potential return of Tyler Adams and Johnny Cardoso as the pair of midfielders return from injury. Haji Wright could slot in ahead of Patrick Agyemang at the No. 9 position after scoring against Trinidad, but it really feels like a toss-up between the two.
Predicted XI
Pre-match Media
Prediction
Score: KSA 0-3 USA
Scorers: Haji Wright, Diego Luna, Miles Robinson
MOTM: Diego Luna
Prediction: The United States have a significant talent advantage over Saudi Arabia, and should be able to handle them fairly routinely at home. Expect another big performance from Diego Luna.
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