Braun's early goal helps Chivas edge D.C. United

Soccer Betting Lines

08/30/2010 - Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Braun scored his eighth goal of the year in the 13th minute and Chivas USA edged D.C. United, 1-0, on Sunday night in Major League Soccer at The Home Depot Center.

Zach Thornton made four saves for his fourth shutout of the season, as Chivas (6-11-4) snapped a three-game winless skid.

D.C. (4-15-3) lost for the sixth time in its last seven matches, and failed to score for the 14th time this season in 22 league matches.

United veteran Jaime Moreno had the first chance of the match after he took a pass from Santino Quaranta, cut around a defender in the area and then forced a save from Thornton.

Chivas turned its first chance into the opener, as Ante Jazic delivered a pass from the left wing to Braun at the top of the area. Braun, who ran in from the right wing, held off United defender Barry Rice and flicked a header over D.C. goalie Troy Perkins and just under the crossbar from 16 yards.

D.C. designated player Branko Boskovic nearly scored his first goal as United searched for the equalizer, but his shot swerved just a few feet away from the upper-left corner in the 22nd minute.

Braun set up the next scoring chance for Chivas USA in the 27th, but Giancarlo Maldonado turned a header wide left from 10 yards.

Chivas had another chance to double its lead a few minutes later when Rice was unable to control the ball just outside the area. Braun took advantage of the mistake to gain possession, but hurried a 22-yard shot and missed high.

United came within inches twice - on the same play - of tying the match before halftime. Quaranta hit a dipping 25-yard blast off the bar that then deflected off the lower leg of Thornton and inches wide of the right post.

Dejan Jakovic forced Thornton to make a save just before half off a header but Chivas survived the late chances to take the one-goal lead into the break.

After a slow start to the second half, D.C. substitute Andy Najar had a solid chance after a long run down the left, but Thornton made an easy save.

United came close to tying the match near the 70-minute mark when Moreno had a header cleared off the line by Chivas defender Mariano Trujillo.

Braun could have put the match away for Chivas USA in the 74th, but after Alan Gordon put him into space, Braun fired high from outside the area.

Chivas USA held on over the last 15 minutes of normal time and four minutes of stoppage time, as it moved within one point of climbing out of last in the Western Conference.

United has the worst record in MLS and trails the expansion Philadelphia Union by five points at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

D.C. plays Columbus in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals on Wednesday, then battles the Crew in league play Saturday. Chivas plays Seattle Sounders FC in the Open Cup on Wednesday, then plays the Colorado Rapids in MLS on Saturday.

Hallnark Soccer Betting News

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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