Club Goal Host Smash Against Hughes

Soccer Betting Lines

Villarreal, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Villarreal claimed three big points on Monday at the Madrigal with a 3-0 victory over Sporting Gijon which snaps a six-game winless streak for the club. Villarreal had dropped four of its last six games and entered the match in 19th place. However, a goal from Marco Ruben in the 57th minute broke a scoreless tie before Borja Valero finished off a pass from Angel Lopez one minute later to double the advantage.

 

Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jovan Kirovski has ended his 20-year career and accepted a position as assistant coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Kirovski, 35, spent five years in a Galaxy uniform, including the final three years when he helped the club reach MLS Cup twice, culminating with his first MLS Cup title last season.

 

"I am excited for the future and I am excited to remain a part of this club," Kirovski said.

 

At Borussia Dortmund in Germany, Kirovski became the first American to win the Champions League. He also played for FC Koln in Germany, Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, and Crystal Palace and Birmingham City in England while in Europe.

 

"Jovan is a very experienced guy, he knows our club and he knows the way that we do things," L.A. manager Bruce Arena said. "He has prepared himself to get into coaching and I think that it will be a good transition for him and he will be a great addition to our staff."

 

The 19-year-old is one of Europe's hottest properties and has been rumored to be on the radar of several big clubs. He has recorded five goals in 14 Bundesliga games this season and has notched 12 caps for Germany.

 

Gotze is expected to be back for Borussia Dortmund's match at Augsburg in mid- March.

 

MLS Commissioner Don Garber made the announcement at City Hall along with Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter, City of Chester Mayor John Linder, and Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz.

 

"Major League Soccer has chosen to host this year's All-Star Game at PPL Park with good reason," said Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter. "The Philadelphia region is centrally located, growing in population and has a rich sports culture. The Philadelphia Union have quickly enhanced Philly's sports traditions with the most dedicated MLS fan base in the nation. I have no doubt there will be a fantastic turnout for this year's festivities."

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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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Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .