USA vs. Netherlands 2023 Women's World Cup soccer odds, trends: Americans taking huge action as short favorites, Sophia Smith pegged to score another goal Wednesday night

The United States is the two-time defending champion of the Women's World Cup and looked the part in its opening match of the 2023 tournament with an easy 3-0 win over Vietnam. Things get much tougher Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET when the favored Americans take on the Netherlands in their second group-stage match in New Zealand, with both sides having a chance to advance to the Round of 16. Click here for expert picks.

At BetMGM, the United States opened as a -130 favorite but is now -145 with 80% of the bets and 89% of the money on the USA. A draw was +260 and is now +240, taking 8% of the bets and 4% of the money.

In the FIFA world rankings, the USA is No. 1 and Vietnam is 32nd. The Dutch are ranked ninth and are currently tied atop Group E with the Americans (who do currently hold the goal differential tiebreaker), as the Netherlands also won its opener 1-0 over Portugal on Sunday thanks to a Stefanie van der Gragt goal in the 13th minute.

Both the Americans and Dutch were fully expected to advance out of this group. If the USA wins this match, it will be through to the knockout round if Portugal does not beat Vietnam – that game starts at 3:30 a.m. ET, also in New Zealand. If the Netherlands wins, it will be through if Vietnam does not beat Portugal. Finally, if there a loser in Portugal vs. Vietnam, it would be eliminated if this match is a draw.

The star of the USA's first match was Sophia Smith, who had goals in the 14th minute and in first-half stoppage time. Smith is one of 14 Americans playing in her first World Cup (eight saw action vs. Vietnam). Just 22, Smith became the second-youngest player in USWNT history to score multiple goals in a World Cup match. It was hardly a fluke -- she was named both U.S. Soccer's Player of the Year and the National Women's Soccer League MVP last year.

Smith as an anytime scorer (+175) is the second-most wagered prop for Wednesday's match behind the match total Over 2.5 (+125). That both teams score (+115) is also taking big action.

The USA has just one all-time group-stage loss in Women's World Cup history with 21 wins and three draws. It has won five straight in group stage matches, outscoring its opponents by a margin of 22-0 over that span.

There may be a new starter for coach Vlatko Andonovski, as midfielder Rose Lavelle is available to start. Lavelle injured her knee in a friendly against Ireland on April 8 and came off the bench as a precaution in the opener vs. Vietnam. She made an impact, generating an expected assists total of 0.24, the fourth-highest of any American despite seeing only 27 minutes on the pitch.

There certainly will be some payback on the mind of the Netherlands as it lost in the 2019 World Cup Final to the United States, 2-0, in France. This will be the first time in Women's World Cup history that the two finalists from the previous tournament meet in the group stage. The U.S. leads the overall series with eight wins, one draw and one loss vs. the Netherlands. The loss came in the first matchup between the teams in 1991.

To win Group E, the Americans are -330 and the Dutch are +220. To win the tournament, the USA is the +250 leader. Its favored stage of elimination, though, is both the semifinals and Round of 16 at +350. To reach the final, it is +110. 

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