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The United States and Mexico will kick off their 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship campaigns on Thursday in their first Group A fixtures.

The two rivals have already met twice this year, culminating in two easy friendly wins for the Stars and Stripes in April.

Thursday's meeting will be at Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Fox Sports 2 will cover the match, and live streaming will be available via Fox Sports GO.

American Juggernaut vs. Upstart El Tri

There's little question who the favourites are heading into this fixture. The hosts have yet to lose a contest in 2018 despite facing a busy schedule, and only France and Australia have been able to hold them to draws.

They beat Mexico 4-1 and 6-2 in consecutive friendlies in April, underlining the gap in talent between the two teams.

Here are some of the highlights of those matches:

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El Tri followed up those two losses with a great run at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, though, winning the title and building up some momentum ahead of the CONCACAF Championship.

They crushed Trinidad and Tobago in that tournament, and the Women Soca Warriors will be opponents again in Group A.

This should be a relatively easy win for a talented American team, who have undergone some changes in the last two years and appear to have found great balance in the squad. Top talents such as Rose Lavelle and Mallory Pugh have found their place in the team, and the overall depth of the side is impressive.

U.S. international Alex Morgan talked about the many new faces taking part in this FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying tournament:

Mexico are not to be overlooked, but barring a poor showing from the hosts, this should be a routine win for the Stars and Stripes.

The Americans are unlikely to be tested until they meet Canada in the knockout stages—if they don't drop the ball in Group B.

Prediction: USA 4-0 Mexico