Galaxy, 'Quakes set to renew California rivalry

Soccer Betting Lines

08/20/2010 - Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes renew their California rivalry when the two Major League Soccer clubs meet at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Galaxy (13-3-4) are riding high after recording their first shutout in over a month last weekend at Red Bull New York, a 1-0 win. Now the league's top team is hoping its mid-season doldrums are behind it as it prepares for the stretch run and MLS Cup playoffs.

"[The result at New York] was important because I think for a few weeks now we haven't played to our capabilities and we wanted to get back on form," L.A. midfielder Chris Birchall told mlssoccer.com. "We had some heavy defeats, Chicago, even though we got back into the game, it was a hazy 20 minutes where we conceded three and Puerto Rico at home. We knew we could play, and when we play like that as a team, and everyone is on form, we're a very good team."

Now, the Galaxy hit the road against a team it struggled to earn a 2-2 draw with at The Home Depot Center on July 22.

"San Jose gave us a tough game here a few weeks ago and we didn't play too well, but we managed to score in the last minute and salvage a point," Birchall said. "But like I said, we can only take confidence away from the win in New York. You've just got to go with confidence and try and concrete a place in the playoffs."

The Earthquakes (7-6-5) are also coming off a 1-0 victory vs. Kansas City this past weekend. The team is currently in the thick of the playoff race, but needs to collect as many points as it can over its final 12 games to ensure a spot in the second season.

The club made news this week when it announced the signing of designated player Geovanni. The Brazilian midfielder won't be available this weekend, but is expected to make his MLS debut Aug. 28 at New York.

"He's one of those players that you think, 'man, we're not going to be able to get this one, but what a player,'" Kansas City General Manager John Doyle told mlssoccer.com about the acquisition.

"His ability to help us in this playoff run, that's what makes me excited. I think everyone from our players to our front office to our fans should be excited that we were able to get a player of this caliber."

Two down notes for the 'Quakes is they will be without goalkeeper Joe Cannon - who had surgery this week to repair a broken ankle - and defender Jason Hernandez, who received a red card last weekend vs. Kansas City.

"It was foolish on my part because I [was] the captain and I set the example, but its just kind of the heat of the moment kind of thing," Hernandez said of his red card. "It's what happens in games all over the world and, unfortunately, I let it get the better of me. But maybe its a lesson learned."

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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