Sounders aim to continue winning ways against 'Quakes

Soccer Betting Lines

07/30/2010 - Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC will go for their third straight win on Saturday when they visit Buck Shaw Stadium to face the San Jose Earthquakes.

The Sounders followed a 1-0 win over D.C. United with a 2-1 victory against the Colorado Rapids last time out, and despite a poor start to the season, they now find themselves just four points back of third-place FC Dallas.

The club has also been active in the transfer market with two new designated players joining the team recently.

Swiss striker Blaise Nkufo made his Sounders debut in the win over the Rapids, while just this past Thursday, Seattle added a third DP with the signing of Uruguay international Alvaro Fernandez.

The 24-year-old Fernandez was part of Uruguay's World Cup team in South Africa, and his presence will help to bolster the midfield.

Fernandez is unlikely to be ready to play this weekend, but his inclusion in the lineup in the near future can only help a Seattle attack that is becoming more potent.

"We have been tracking Alvaro for a while," said Seattle owner/general manager Adrian Hanauer. "Versatility, quality, character, a lot of the same attributes that we have been interested in all along attracted us to him. Alvaro is a player who has a very good pace. He is good in the air. He can play anywhere across the midfield. Again, we just felt like another quality player was necessary to continue to build on what we have got and certainly to make a run for the playoffs."

That run toward the postseason will be made easier if striker Fredy Montero can continue to play at a high level.

Nkufo's presence up top will no doubt help Montero, but he has done fine on his own lately, scoring three goals and assisting on five more in the past seven games.

San Jose enters the match just one point clear of Seattle, but they are riding a four-game unbeaten streak that includes a 2-2 draw with the Western Conference leaders, Los Angeles Galaxy.

The Earthquakes took a one-goal lead into the final minutes of the game, but were denied all three points by a late goal from Landon Donovan.

L.A. sits atop the conference with 40 points from 18 games, nine points clear of second-place Real Salt Lake. However, 'Quakes midfielder Bobby Convey feels that the Galaxy is not as good as their record might indicate, and that San Jose has only themselves to blame for the result.

"I think [the Galaxys] record is a bit unrealistic, because they've played three more games than we have," Convey told mlssoccer.com. "So I don't think they're as good as everyone thinks they are. They had a good run and they have good players, but we lost the game. They didn't win it. We lost the three points."

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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