Houston tries to build momentum against San Jose

Soccer Betting Lines

09/03/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoff hopes of the Houston Dynamo continue to slip away as the club gets set to host the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday at Robertson Stadium.

Houston snapped a 10-game winless skid with a 4-3 win over the Chicago Fire, but the team suffered a 3-0 defeat against the Colorado Rapids last time out, thwarting any momentum they might have taken from the Chicago win.

"It is just the way the season's going, and we have to try and get some momentum back," Houston's Geoff Cameron told mlssoccer.com. "It was a disappointing result, especially with us thinking we could go there and get three points."

The Dynamo must now start to string a few wins together to get back into playoff contention, but they will be missing midfielder Lovel Palmer due to international duty with Jamaica, while forward Brian Ching suffered a calf injury in last weekend's game and could also miss the match.

San Jose will be without a few key players of its own as the team's leader in assists, Bobby Convey, serves a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation, while forward Ryan Johnson is away on international duty.

However, there is good news for coach Frank Yallop as he gets back defender Jason Hernandez from suspension, while Arturo Alvarez will be available despite getting called up to the El Salvador national team for a friendly on Tuesday.

Earthquakes Designated Player Geovanni could also find himself getting increased playing time as he continues to build fitness.

San Jose had a modest two-game winning streak snapped by Red Bull New York last time out, but they are only three points back of fourth-place Seattle in the Western Conference with two less games played, so a playoff berth is well within reach.

Mrgambling Soccer Betting News

<< DeWitt, Soriano both homer as Cubs top Mets
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blake DeWitt's three-run homer in the sixth provided the difference, and the Cubs began a weekend series against the Mets with a 7-6 victory at Wrigley Field. DeWitt hit his fourth home run in just 30 game

<< Columbus signs Peru forward Mendoza
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew signed Peru forward Andres Mendoza on Friday. Mendoza, 32, made his debut for Peru in 1999 and still plays for his country. He has seven goals in 44 games. At the club level, Mendoza has p

<< Diamondbacks bring up veteran P Hampton
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks purchased the contract of 15-season veteran Mike Hampton on Friday from Triple-A Reno. Hampton was signed by the club on August 21 after making 21 starts for Houston last season, going

<< NCAA reverses decision; Masoli to play for Ole Miss in 2010
Oxford, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli will be able to play for the Ole Miss Rebels this season after the NCAA overturned a previous decision that stated the signal-caller must sit out a year. Masoli enro

<< Granderson, Yanks win seventh straight
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curtis Granderson doubled twice and drove in three runs, as New York beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Brett Gardner hit an RBI triple and scored

Marlins recall Leroux, Cousins >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins announced Friday the recall of pitcher Chris Leroux and outfielder Scott Cousins from Triple-A New Orleans. Leroux has spent parts of 2010 and 2009 with the Marlins, pitching in 19 t

White Sox activate Thornton from DL >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox have activated reliever Matt Thornton from the 15-day disabled list. Thornton had been on the DL since August 18 with left elbow inflammation. He is 3-4 with a 2.66 earned run average

Steelers start cuts, drop 10 players >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Steelers released 10 players on Friday, getting an early start on personnel moves in advance of the NFL's 6 p.m. (et) Saturday deadline to reduce rosters to 53 players. The players released were tight

Boston's Pedroia has surgery >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has undergone successful surgery on the navicular bone of his left foot. Pedroia had a screw inserted on Friday to promote healing of the fracture, which occu

NHL approves new Kovalchuk contract >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk will finally join the New Jersey Devils after his re-submitted contract was reportedly approved by the National Hockey League. Additionally, according to TSN of Canada, the league and the NH

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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.