Union host Crew in desperate need of points

Soccer Betting Lines

08/04/2010 - Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew travel to take on the expansion Philadelphia Union in a mid-week Major League Soccer fixture at PPL Park on Thursday night.

Both teams are coming off disappointing league results this past Saturday and will be aiming to rebound.

The Crew fell at last-placed Chivas USA 3-1 while the Union were forced to share the points at home after a 1-1 draw with struggling New England.

The Union (4-8-3) are in a more desperate position, needing to string together some wins to get into playoff position, but with just two wins in their last seven, have been unable to turn the corner.

"We've had some tough bounces go against us this season," Union defender Cristian Arrieta told mlssoccer.com. "Some weird things have happened. We have to learn from them and get three points as much as possible in the second half of the season. We have a lot of talent in here. I think good things are going to happen to us this season."

The Union have been starting games strong, but faltering in the second half to give away points for much of the season.

"We have been scoring first a good bit, but haven't been able to hold the lead," Union forward Alejandro Moreno told mlssoccer.com. "We have to do a better job at that. We need three points and not one in these homes matches. We need the extra points, especially at home. This game Thursday against a very good Crew team is obviously huge."

Columbus (10-4-4) sits in first in the East, but is 0-2-2 away from Crew Stadium in its last four. Thursday's game will be the second on a three-game road trip that concludes Aug. 14 at Real Salt lake.

"I think it will be good for us to play again so soon," Crew forward Steven Lenhart told mlssoccer.com after the Chivas USA loss. "We have to get a sharper in training before we go to Philadelphia."

One player who had a rather forgettable game was rookie defender Shaun Francis, who is hoping to rebound on Thursday.

"You have to have the confidence," Francis told mlssoccer.com. "The coach let me out there to play 90 minutes so he has the confidence in me knowing that I have confidence in myself to still perform. Everybody has a bad day. It's a part of life."

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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.

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