Galaxy aims to overcome "12th man" at United

Soccer Betting Lines

07/16/2010 - Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena has plenty of fond memories from RFK Stadium, where he brings his team to face D.C. United on Sunday.

Arena guided United to three successive MLS Cup final appearances, winning two of them, and he will be hoping to leave the nation's capital with three points as the Galaxy tries to extend its lead atop the Western Conference table.

L.A. sits six points clear of Real Salt Lake in the West entering the weekend, but they will be trying to rebound from only their second loss of the season as they fell 2-0 to the New England Revolution last time out.

Both of the teams losses this season have come away from home, and Arena is expecting another tough contest on Sunday at RFK in front of a crowd that he says can act as "a 12th man for D.C. United."

"It's a great environment," he told mlssoccer.com. "When they have a good crowd in that stadium it rocks. Over the years it's gotten beat up a little bit and it is getting on in years, but when you step on the field it's still a special place for a game in MLS."

United will be hoping for a big boost from its home supporters, who have seen just two wins in eight home games this season.

The team is just one point clear of last-place Philadelphia prior to Saturday's action in the Eastern Conference, and they will be playing only a few days after losing 1-0 to Seattle Sounders FC on Thursday.

Roger Levesque scored in the 89th minute for Seattle to hand D.C. only its second loss in seven games, and head coach Curt Onalfo feels as though his side took a step back after making good progress in previous weeks.

"It's the grind of MLS; we took a whole bunch of steps forward, tonight we took a step back," Onalfo told mlssoccer.com following the defeat. "Is it the end of the world? It kind of is in my mind a little bit but we've got to lick our wounds and just keep progressing. We have a big game at home against the Galaxy, which is the best team in Major League Soccer at this point. And like I said earlier in the year, we have to learn from this stuff."

Supersportsbook Soccer Betting News

<< NFL suspends Packers' Jolly indefinitely
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Football League has suspended Packers' defensive lineman Johnny Jolly indefinitely without pay for violating the league's Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. Jolly's suspension takes e

<< Bulls add another former Utah player in Brewer
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls have reportedly agreed to a three-year deal with guard Ronnie Brewer. According to a report on the team's website, the Bulls made the move for Brewer after the Magic matched the team

<< Real shoots for more road success at Dallas
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake forward Robbie Findley said after a recent win at the Chicago Fire one of our goals this year was to "improve on our road record." Findley converted a penalty in the 1-0 win on July 8, helping Rea

<< N.Y. visits Columbus with first place at stake
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew host Red Bull New York in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday night in Major League Soccer action. The Crew are two points up on the Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference table. Columbus (8

<< Union hopes to halt Toronto's unbeaten run
Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC will be trying to extend its unbeaten streak to nine games on Saturday when they visit PPL Park to face the Philadelphia Union. Toronto recorded a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids last

Wizards want more magic against Rapids >>
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Wizards forward Teal Bunbury called Wednesday's 1-0 victory at the Columbus Crew "huge," and hopes the team can build on the result Saturday night at the Colorado Rapids. K.C. (4-8-3) won for

Mandzukic joins Wolfsburg >>
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg have wrapped up the signing of Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic on a four-year contract from Dinamo Zagreb. The 24-year-old joins the Bundesliga club as a potential replacement for Edin Dzeko,

Ramirez's homer lifts Cubs over Phils >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aramis Ramirez continued his hot streak with a game-winning solo home run in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, in the second of four games at Wrigley Field. Ramir

Top seed Pennetta reaches Palermo semis >>
Palermo, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Flavia Pennetta defeated Spanish qualifier Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals at the $220,000 Palermo International tennis tournament. Pennetta of Italy will next battle eighth

Wind blows away Oosthuizen's challengers >>
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Louis Oosthuizen got the luck of the draw on Friday at the British Open Championship. The South African fired a five-under 67 despite intermittent rain and gusty winds to take a five-stroke lead with

Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.

Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
--------------------------------------------------

Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.